Ellis #235 A5 Special Arrived Today!

**adlerburg** · Apr-29-2011, 11:16pm

I came home today to the long awaited Fedex celebration of the (finally!) end of anticipation for this case of MAS! My new Ellis A5 Special has arrived.
Specs are... 1 piece Flakey back (named coined by Tom) Sugar Maple back and sides, triple W/B/W binding everywhere, gold hardware...Waverlies with abalone buttons, engraved James TP, Tom's take on the "flower pot" w/fern leaf headstock inlay. Oil varnish then hand rubbed Tru-Oil finish.
The first thing that I noticed when I opened the case was the breathtaking sunburst. Ellis bursts are somewhat unique IMO as they really have a ton of character. I really love the way Ellis gets the stain to kind of leach into the grain lines that go into the lighter part of the burst. Another thing that stands out is the warm hand rubbed oil finish, as well as the speed neck which is again hand rubbed oil finish. I'm not going to comment deeply on the tone at this time, as the new strings are a bit jangly... but for a brand new instrument, it sounds very good and extremely strong right out of the gate... Can't wait to hear what this baby will evolve into! I'm going to put the tone-rite on for the next few days, then play in the strings and revisit a tonal review in a few weeks.
The build quality is really on the highest level I've experienced.. and I thought the same thing of my Collings MF5-V.. but this surpasses that, and it has a ton of "Vibe"...
I feel extremely fortunate to be in possession of such beautiful instrument.Here are some shots.

**pjlama** · Apr-29-2011, 11:23pm

Very nice, congrats and enjoy it in good health.

**adlerburg** · Apr-29-2011, 11:23pm

**adlerburg** · Apr-29-2011, 11:24pm

Originally Posted by pjlama

Very nice, congrats and enjoy it in good health.

Thanks PJ.. very much appreciate the sentiments.

**mandolirius** · Apr-29-2011, 11:25pm

Amazing back! Beautiful all-round. What's the topwood?

**Ed Goist** · Apr-29-2011, 11:26pm

Congratulations on a magnificent looking instrument!
You are right about the burst & the finish. Outstanding!
The figure on the back, and the grain lines through the burst on the soundboard are wonderful things to behold.
We'd love to hear her!
Again, congratulations!

**dcoventry** · Apr-29-2011, 11:30pm

Dang. That really is a playable, music producing work of art. Seriously. That's just gorgeous. Play in good health and enjoy to the utmost.

dave

**adlerburg** · Apr-29-2011, 11:34pm

Originally Posted by mandolirius

Amazing back! Beautiful all-round. What's the topwood?

Adirondack

**adlerburg** · Apr-29-2011, 11:38pm

Originally Posted by dcoventry

Dang. That really is a playable, music producing work of art. Seriously. That's just gorgeous. Play in good health and enjoy to the utmost.

dave

Originally Posted by Ed Goist

Congratulations on a magnificent looking instrument!
You are right about the burst & the finish. Outstanding!
The figure on the back, and the grain lines through the burst on the soundboard are wonderful things to behold.
We'd love to hear her!
Again, congratulations!

Thanks Dave and Ed for good wishes.
I'll post a video and/or some clips in the next few weeks playing this one.

**Nonprophet** · Apr-29-2011, 11:40pm

Truly a gorgeous instrument! I like the James tailpiece too--I'd not yet seen one that looks like that......

NP

**adlerburg** · Apr-30-2011, 12:05am

Originally Posted by Nonprophet

Truly a gorgeous instrument! I like the James tailpiece too--I'd not yet seen one that looks like that......

NP

I think that is the only model of tailpeice that James makes... I've never seen any other type. Besides differences in engraved logos, aren't James' tailpieces all the same?

**Ed Goist** · Apr-30-2011, 12:39am

Originally Posted by adlerburg

I think that is the only model of tailpeice that James makes... I've never seen any other type. Besides differences in engraved logos, aren't James' tailpieces all the same?

Yours has that neat Art Deco inspired 'curly Q' at the peak. I believe that most others have a more conventional, classic Gibson-style peak, like this one:

**Jill McAuley** · Apr-30-2011, 1:09am

Hearty congratulations on that one - what a looker! Can't wait to hear some soundclips of it!

Cheers,
Jill

**Randi Gormley** · Apr-30-2011, 7:35am

Wow. That burst looks like the mandolin is on fire inside and glowing out. Stunning instrument.

**hank** · Apr-30-2011, 9:19am

You and Tom get the highest of honors, The coveted Holy Cow! Seriously I wish you a hearty congratulations on your new mandolin.

**adlerburg** · Apr-30-2011, 10:20am

Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts. Been playing through the jangly strings for past couple of hours.. starting to settle in. The Sugar Maple sounds decidedly different than the Red Maple. It has more projection and built in "reverb". I'm assuming this will mellow with age as it realizes more and more that it's an instrument, not a tree anymore

**StevenS** · Apr-30-2011, 11:21am

Smitten.

**mandolirius** · Apr-30-2011, 12:23pm

Originally Posted by adlerburg

Adirondack

Nice. Looks like a great piece.

**Dan Margolis** · Apr-30-2011, 1:57pm

Congratulations! That is truly beautiful. Mine has taken awhile to settle in. After six months (#206) it's excellent, but I can't help believing that in a year or two it'll be superb. Who did you get it from?

Yours has that neat Art Deco inspired 'curly Q' at the peak.

Mine also has the "Deco" James tailpiece.

**adlerburg** · Apr-30-2011, 2:02pm

Originally Posted by Dan Margolis

Congratulations! That is truly beautiful. Mine has taken awhile to settle in. After six months (#206) it's excellent, but I can't help believing that in a year or two it'll be superb. Who did you get it from?

Mine also has the "Deco" James tailpiece.

Thanks Dan,
Do you have any pix of your 206? I'd be interested in seeing them.
-Mick

**mandolirius** · Apr-30-2011, 2:03pm

Originally Posted by Dan Margolis

Congratulations! That is truly beautiful. Mine has taken awhile to settle in. After six months (#206) it's excellent, but I can't help believing that in a year or two it'll be superb.

I know what you mean. I just hit the three-month mark with my Mowry and big changes have already happened (and continue to happen). I'm also looking forward to the next eighteen months or so. After that, I believe the changes are more gradual and harder to notice. But the first two years with a great new instrument is an excitiing period. I had a gut feeling when I ordered it, a bit of uncertaintly when it was brand new and now I know it's going to be all I'd hoped it would be.

**F-2 Dave** · Apr-30-2011, 2:46pm

Gorgeous hunk of mando you've got there. Great companion piece to your Collings.

**Dan Margolis** · Apr-30-2011, 3:03pm

Do you have any pix of your 206?

Here you go:

Click a pic to view an Ellis album.

Thanks for asking.

Dan

**adlerburg** · Apr-30-2011, 4:16pm

Originally Posted by Dan Margolis

Here you go:

Click a pic to view an Ellis album.

Thanks for asking.

Dan

Dan... I had a lot of fun going through your photo album. You have a beauty! I wish I had ordered the block inlays on the fingerboard, I love the way it looks on yours... Oh well, I'm not sending it back just to wait to get one with the block inlay. We both have sugar maple back/sides.. though the figure is completely different.... different trees I would assume. I wonder if my nut FWI. Do all Specials come with it? My fretwire isn't the gold stuff I don't think. I say that cuz it's not gold like my tuners, but they certainly aren't bright nickel silver either.. kind of 1/2 way 'tween gold and silver. How do you like that inlay work? No wonder so many...including Collings... sends Tom the inlay work.. I put the tone-rite on last night and had it on for a good 24 hours solid... it's clearly better sounding today! Have you tried that thing?
-Mickey
PS.. where did you get the arm rest? Are you satisfied with it? The shape of the outer edge of this A5 cuts into my inside forearm... doesn't with my MF5-V, but with this A5, I think I'm going to try an armrest.. thanks

**adlerburg** · Apr-30-2011, 4:19pm

Originally Posted by F-2 Dave

Gorgeous hunk of mando you've got there. Great companion piece to your Collings.

Thanks Dave. I wish I had the Ellis F5 to accompany this A5, but the A5 will have to settle for the Collings as it's mate.... These dang things ain't cheap!