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Thread: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

  1. #1
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    Default Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    I had some time this evening to get some pictures of the new mandolin I got off eBay a few weeks back. This model has been mentioned in a few topics including one that I started myself when I first started thinking about taking a chance on it:

    http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...s-from-Houston

    http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...stery-Mandolin

    http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...in-hand-carved

    Just to summarize, it really did turn out to be an all-solid carved mandolin with a proper scroll and points and some decently figured wood. I felt like I was taking a bit of a gamble on it, but the seller has reasonable feedback and a good return policy if it turned out to be a total disaster. What really pushed me to roll the dice was seeing picture of a recent Kentucky KM-650 F Artist. Please tell me you see anything not suggesting that this is the same mandolin minus the branding. I haven't.

    The biggest issue with it was that the bridge had a radiused saddle while the fretboard's dead flat. As a quick fix, I swapped over the upper half of the bridge from an unfinished International Violin A-style kit that I'll get back to working on real soon now, I promise. No problems after that, and there's plenty of meat there to sand the original piece flat when time permits. There were a few dull spots in the finish, but a couple of passes with Meguiar's Mirror Glaze 7 put that right. The strings that came on it were also worthless as expected. I had always planned to put J-74s on it and it's sounding very good now.

    I'll try to make a video clip or two after I've satisfied myself about video and audio recording. I'm kinda being a prima donna about that right now.

    And you'll notice that I went ahead and decorated the headstock with some homemade graphics. It's a bit of a joke, something that maybe five people in the world will find amusing, four not counting me. But it seemed a bit austere with nothing there. And if the logos seem pretty fake in the photos, trust me when I say that they're even less convincing in person.

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  2. #2
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    I'm digging the Campi logo but then again I spent years in that industry.

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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Thanks Mike! We had an exchange about chainring bolts in the cycling social group a while back, so you're one of the ones I had in mind. Three not counting you and me.

  4. #4

    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    No mystery there. Chinese-made mando. Having said that I don't mean they are bad. They normally lack in the setup department and often have cheap gear attached (tuners, pickguard, tailpieces). There are several factories in China that make good solid wood mando's, the Eastman being probably the best. After a good setup they would normally be playable and some of them might even sound pretty good. The trouble is that consistency is often not there and one mando can be excellent and another can be pretty average. If it comes from the reputable maker, like the Eastman, they have their own people at the Chinese end to do quality control and check every instrument. When you get a no name instrument it is a gamble. All depends on the importer really, how well they can control the manufacturer.

  5. #5
    Registered User Mark Seale's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Campy on an import?!?!!! You have got to be kidding me! You can't even put Campy on an American made bi... err mandolin. Truly a fred.

  6. #6

    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by vic-victor View Post
    If it comes from the reputable maker, like the Eastman, they have their own people at the Chinese end to do quality control and check every instrument.
    As it turns out, Eastman is a Chinese company. Always have been. I met the owner at NAMM a few years back. They primarily make/sell instrument strings and, I believe, have a history [at least their builders do] making violins, etc. Here's a link to a bit of company history: http://www.eastmanmusiccompany.com/

    The funny part of all this Asian-bashing is they've had a longer history making quality musical instruments than North America has been colonized by Europeans.
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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    I'm really impressed by how nice it looks. Did the case come with it also? Looking forward to some sound clips when you get around to it.

    P.S. Nice Campy logo

  8. #8

    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Might have to make that six people who enjoy the headstock logos.

    There is some truth in what Verne says - the sometimes default notion that all Asian instruments are inherently inferior is rather misinformed, and from the looks of it you got yourself a fine instrument that, when you're done tweaking it into the shape you want it, could serve you well for years.

    rm

  9. #9
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Quote from Blueron - "...the sometimes default notion that all Asian instruments are inherently inferior is rather misinformed...". How true Ron.They had advanced civilisations in Asia (the Continent),producing wonderful works or art & architecture,when we were living in wooden huts in Europe. Mostly the Asian countries producing 'whatever',have simple re-invented & re-applied their skills for modern day manufacture,
    Ivan
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  10. #10

    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Interesting, for some funny reason I always thought Eastman was owned or at least affiliated with Gibson. Most likely it came from Kodak-Eastman association Chinese manufacturers are getting better in all areas, be it cars or musical instruments. They are like the Japanese used to be in the old days. No doubt some makers will gradually make a good name there, as they already did with the mid-range violins, for example.

    The problem with Chinese makers when it comes to mass production (and that's from my personal experience) is that they tend to cut corners, even if it is a matter of a couple of cents economy at their end. I had a chance to evaluate many chinese-made classical guitars and some were complete rubbish and some were the better ones. What I discovered in the end is that the cost of a better made Chinese guitars was in par with the cost of a luthier-made instruments from Mexico or Argentina. One well known Chinese factory,for instance, made great looking copies of famous luthiers' guitars, inclding lattice braced classicals, but a close inspection revealed that no carbon fiber was used for lattice bracing and other shortcomings. I guess the same aplies to mandolins. From the other hand, I've heard excellent testimonials on some Chinese-made electric guitars. And the ridiculously low cost when buying wholesale make them an instant hit.
    Last edited by vic-victor; Apr-04-2012 at 6:01am.

  11. #11

    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Eastman aside, much of what comes from Asia is imported from a factory by "globalized" companies. In some cases the products are made to spec, others the products are taken off the shelf and branded to look like they're custom made. In all cases it's the responsibility of the importer to do the final setup. This is the area that tends to be lacking on many imports because the "globalized" companies are more interested in beating up the manufacturer to make more, faster and cheaper than doing the proper prep once the product is received. Eastman and Hagstrom stand out as stellar examples of what can happen when the importer actually cares about what they are selling.

    Too much focus on making money and not enough on making musicians happy IMHO.
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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Thanks for the encouraging comments, everyone!
    Quote Originally Posted by barrangatan View Post
    I'm really impressed by how nice it looks. Did the case come with it also?
    Yes, the case was included. And that did figure into the calculation of whether it was worth taking a shot on it. I've looked at F-style kits and while I'd still like to do that some day, this instrument including the case was the price of a box of wood.

    (The strap wasn't though. It's an old belt from the back of my closet that I cut down--a semi-ironic nod to Brad Paisley I guess.)

    And yeah, although it wasn't completely set up--though not all that far off, to be honest--the basic workmanship is better than I was expecting. There are a couple of little oopsies in the carving but the binding work is pretty darned impressive. The shape of the neck suits my hand and the intonation is right on the money. The tuners look a little cheap but they work and they don't seem to weigh very much, which is a plus.

    Some of the details like the color of the finish, the shape of the fretboard extension, and putting worm-over-gear tuners on an F-style in this range made me think it was most likely a Kentucky. I guess Eastman and The Loar and maybe Morgan Monroe are more popular on the Cafe right now, but Kentucky's been around a good while and I've never known of them selling total junk. It seemed like a way to get my feet wet with my first F-style.

    Looking forward to some sound clips when you get around to it.

    P.S. Nice Campy logo
    Thanks!

    Quote Originally Posted by blueron View Post
    Might have to make that six people who enjoy the headstock logos.

    There is some truth in what Verne says - the sometimes default notion that all Asian instruments are inherently inferior is rather misinformed, and from the looks of it you got yourself a fine instrument that, when you're done tweaking it into the shape you want it, could serve you well for years.

    rm
    Thanks for that, Ron! I started drooling over the Campagnolo catalog when I was just a wee lad with my first 10-speed. There's always been a special romance about it. I don't know how popular mandolins are in Vicenza. I have the impression that they come from farther south and west, so maybe the cosmopolitan folks in the Veneto wouldn't be into them, but I liked the idea of the juxtaposition anyway.

    But I made them on static-cling vinyl so I can swap other graphics on and off as the mood suits. There'll be more.

  13. #13
    Market Man Barry Wilson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    the wood looks awesome. hope it plays as good as it looks.

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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Pipeous View Post
    the wood looks awesome. hope it plays as good as it looks.
    Thanks! It seems to be "opening up" as they say, or maybe I'm just getting a better feel for playing it.

    And unlike the fake graphics, the wood looks better in person than in the pictures. It's a little odd on the bass side of the back of the neck where the stripes break down into almost a burl pattern. That might be considered a defect but I like it.

  15. #15

    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Hey, I have Campy components on my roadbike. I think it's great.
    Eddie Blevins Mandolin Works
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  16. #16
    Moderator JEStanek's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Good looking mandolin. If it plays well, don't bother about where it came from! I like the headstock logos too.

    Jamie
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  17. #17
    Registered User Dlchap's Avatar
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    Default Re: Hand-carved F-style mystery mandolin

    Campy rules! Before Sram there wasn't an alternative to Shimano at all. But there again that's a whole other discussion all together. Huh?!

    Lee

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