Moderately Priced F4 Replica's?

[tanyet]

Hi everyone

I just joined the forum after lurking for awhile and I wanted to ask a question.

I've been a mando player for a years now (not a very good one mind you) and I've come to the conclusion that my favorite mandolin would be one with an oval soundhole and a scroll. The f4's are the ones I like the best but I simply can't afford one. The only other one I could find was an Eastman and it was a too much money also.

Are there any scroll mandolins with the oval soundhole that are reasonably priced? It seems like with the popularity of the new Loars that there would be something simliar.

Marc

[mrmando]

We'll be better able to help if you can provide a dollar amount for what you're willing to spend.

If I'm not mistaken, Sonny Morris of Oregon has made some oval-hole F-styles around $1K. But if you can't afford an Eastman, you may not be able to afford a Morris either.

It takes a lot of time and skill to carve an F-style mandolin. When you start getting below $1K, you're talking about mass-produced instruments for the most part. And I doubt there's enough demand for F4 repros to justify mass production.

[Phil1580]

NOOOO......MAS! MAS! I've had my Loar 500 for less than 2 weeks, and I adore it, and now you've planted the F4 seed in my brain. Good news is I absolutely do not have the money, even for the nice looking Eastman 514. :D MAS is probably compounded by my loss of an octave on eBay, but I'm probably better off waiting for a better OM anyway.

On topic, a search for F4 led me to those Siminoff kits....they have 3 kits of varying completion for F4's, the most expensive still half of the Eastman 514. I would never do this (not handy enough), but maybe if you were.....and if these kits are even worth it. The Cafe community would know, I do not.

[Perry Babasin]

I hesitate to blanket recommend the brand, but I own a Michael Kelly Legacy "O" mandolin and actually like it. Mine is an F-Style which they stopped making, but they do still make an A-Style, and the F-Styles are available used. They are priced quite reasonably ($500 to $700) and look really nice -- but -- They can sound good, they can sound not so good... I would suggest that when you are buying bargain mandolins (or any mandolin for that matter), you should play them first if at all possible, and play a variety to compare and contrast. You might find that you like ff hole sound better than oval (they are very different).

[JEStanek]

Hey Tanyet and welcome to the Cafe. A budget is a good place to help us recommend things to you. I know how you feel, I have a fondness for the F4 style as well. It's important to note that the reproduction ones you see (Eastman and Loar) are often braced differently than the original F4 with a transverse brace behind the sound hole. The Eastmans have (had) a transverse AND tone bars. They did however have the shorter neck and a non elevated fingerboard. If you look at some other F style with oval holes you'll notice the fingerboard crosses the body at the 14th fret instead of the 12th and the fingerboard is elevated off the soundboard. Both of these changes change the sound form the old Gibson F4 sound. Not better or worse but different. Some folks call them hybrid F4s because they sound a bit more like an F5 and a bit like an F4.

The Morris would be a good one to consider along with a used Eastman 514 (should be $600-800 depending on various things.

Jamie

[Jim Garber]

Tanyet... welcome to the Cafe. What mandolin are you playing right now? I assume someone will mention that you will always pay a premium for those scrolls. If Eastmans are too much money I am really not too sure what you will find out there. Maybe a Kentucky Oval -- is there such a thing?

[tanyet]

I've played and owned a few cheap ones (Rouge, Flinthill) and I bought a Loar LM-600VS for about $600.00. That really about all my talent warrants but the other options you guys gave me might be worth it. Sounds like a used mandolin with the scroll and oval soundhole might not be that much more. The trick is finding one though.

[allenhopkins]

I have always liked the looks of the Ashbury AM-370, though I've only seen it sold in the UK. Price new from Hobgoblin is around $650. Whether one could be found "this side of the pond," I dunno.

*****

Well, with a bit more Googling, found the AM-370 available from Hobgoblin USA for $785 here. Since the Eastman MD-514 comes in at over $1K, this is a bit of a savings. Now, the specs say all the AM-370's solid wood, but don't mention carved top or back, so it may be a pressed-top -- generally not as good as carved. The Ashbury's a handsome instrument, but I've never seen one "in person" or played one. It is, however, a reasonably priced oval-hole F-model.

[tanyet]

Thanks for the info Allen. That's just the kind of thing I was looking for.

[Mandobart]

I hesitate to blanket recommend the brand, but I own a Michael Kelly Legacy "O" mandolin and actually like it...They are priced quite reasonably ($500 to $700) and look really nice -- but -- They can sound good, they can sound not so good... I would suggest that when you are buying bargain mandolins (or any mandolin for that matter), you should play them first if at all possible, and play a variety to compare and contrast. You might find that you like ff hole sound better than oval (they are very different).

My local music shop had a western redcedar topped MK legacy O on consignment for that price range, with a hard case. I was sorely tempted, it really sounded good. I ended up getting a custom built F4 Morris instead which is really great sounding (better than the MK). If you want more info to call the music store (located in Eastern WA state) let me know, I think they may still have it (mandolins don't move fast around here).

[allenhopkins]

Thanks for the info Allen. That's just the kind of thing I was looking for.

A review of the Ashbury AM-370 in the UK's Acoustic magazine was pretty positive, although the issue of carved vs. pressed top wasn't addressed.

If you get one, let us know what you think. Now that Ashbury instruments are apparently available in the US through Hobgoblin USA, we should probably be evaluating that line of mandolins as well.