F5 Perfection.. or as close as humanly possible. Ellis F5 Special

[adlerburg]

Ellis F5 Special #310
This beautiful instrument has been years in the making for me. Tom is without a doubt one of the world's finest Mandolin makers. But more importantly to me, Tom has become a true friend... Thank you Tom.
Specs:

Rare Flakey Sugar Maple Back and Sides
Adirondack Red Spruce Top
Ellis Custom James Tailpiece
Custom Abalone Inlay (Does anyone do it better?)
Waverly Tuners w/Pearl Buttons
Custom Triple Binding All Around
Ebony HS Overly Back and Front
Oil Varnish Finish
Hand Rubbed Tru-Oil "Speed" Neck


The sound of this mandolin right out of the box is big, fat, soft and sweet when played lightly (very responsive), LOUD when hit hard and already chops with that midrange speaker like quality.... I can't wait till I get a few hundred hours playing.. how much better can it get I ask myself.
Anyway, I truly feel fortunate to have and play this instrument.

Pictures!

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/EllisF5_zps8582c6e1.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special-6_zps806984ad.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special-5_zpsf74a8604.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special_zpsdce69732.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special-3_zps2dbccaa5.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special-8_zpsdb577e2e.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special-10_zps6b676e33.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special-11_zpsdeca33c3.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special-12_zps6449f8af.jpg

http://i1007.photobucket.com/albums/af194/adlerburg1/EllisF5/F5Special-14_zpsf3103a5d.jpg

[FLATROCK HILL]

The title of your thread pretty much says it all. That is an awesome thing to look at. I'd love to hear it. Congratulations.

[Steve-o]

Indeed, the thread title says it all. Perfection. I don't even own an F-style, but I'm coveting that Ellis.

[GRW3]

One thing pictures never capture with an Ellis is the tactile presence of the instrument. Anything you see in the picture is just amplified when you actually hold one.

[almeriastrings]

Very nice. They sound as they they look, too. Playability is also off the scale.

[Tavy]

Awesome back woods on that - like you say - really something else!

[Michael Bridges]

It's a true beauty! Would love to hear some sound clips.

[Tobin]

That thing is AWESOME! I love everything about it. You got it right, man: "perfection"! Congratulations; you now own the best mandolin you could ever want. :)

[AlanN]

Gorgeous. Did you ask for 19 frets?

[yankees1]

Beautiful ! I have also been to his shop and he is a very personal person ! Great bird photographer as well !

[adlerburg]

Thanks all for the kind words. This is not my 1st instrument from Tom, so I was somewhat aware of what I was in store for..... Many instruments I've commissioned have ended up with an anticlimactic moment, and a quick subsequent sale... Never with Tom's mandos... I can't imagine this not being my life mandolin. I don't have any others, so it forces me to be true to it :)

One of the specs I forgot to put on was the EVO frets. These are the best frets I've used by far... on guitar as well. Regular nickel frets look like a war zone after a week of my playing... the EVO looks new after a year. I also kinda dig the subdued gold tone.


Gorgeous. Did you ask for 19 frets?
Yes, it was planned. I play in an Irish band called the Shantytones, and a trademark for me on my instruments is a small shamrock... that's where we decided to put it.

[sgarrity]

That is stunning!

[Cheryl Watson]

That Ellis is all kinds of beautiful... but the little shamrock inlay is da bomb! Congrats, Alderbug!

[Mandoborg]

Every time I see a Tom Ellis or Andrew Mowry instrument i think 'This isn't possible' !!! I wouldn't play em cause i'd be too busy starin' at em !! Tom is one of the nicest gentleman you'll ever have a conversation with as well.........

[tburcham]

Spectacular! Congrats...the instrument of a lifetime!

[Earl Gamage]

nice. the neck sure looks finished.

[Frank Farley]

All I can say is WOW!

[Tobin]

nice. the neck sure looks finished.
This is one of the things I really love about the way Tom does the necks on the F5 Specials. He fades out the dye as well as the glossy finish. But it's not a bare wood speed neck like you commonly see on mandolins that have been altered to remove the finish. It does still have a finish on it, but it's a hand-rubbed finish that's more of a satin texture. Very similar to the feel of a gunstock finished with boiled linseed oil. It's silky smooth and non-sticky, while still protecting the wood. It looks great and plays great, and IMHO is the best of both worlds (looks and playability).

[almeriastrings]

nice. the neck sure looks finished.

They are not totally bare, untreated wood. They are stained, then given a light treatment with Tru-oil, just enough to help prevent moisture or dirt getting in. The 'sheen' is mostly from the fact that the sanding and finishing is so smooth and perfect, rather than indicating any kind of thick coating.

They feel quite different from a fully varnished neck.

[almeriastrings]

We were posting at the same time there.

Good thing we agree! :grin:

[Earl Gamage]

This is one of the things I really love about the way Tom does the necks on the F5 Specials. He fades out the dye as well as the glossy finish. But it's not a bare wood speed neck like you commonly see on mandolins that have been altered to remove the finish. It does still have a finish on it, but it's a hand-rubbed finish that's more of a satin texture. Very similar to the feel of a gunstock finished with boiled linseed oil. It's silky smooth and non-sticky, while still protecting the wood. It looks great and plays great, and IMHO is the best of both worlds (looks and playability).

cool, great informative answer

[Clef]

Look at the back on that thing, it's mesmerizing. WOW!!!!

The shamrock inlay on the fingerboard extension is a really cool touch.

[trevor]

Mandolins don't get any better than Tom's work. I hope to be starting a build thread for a customer order soon.

[JEStanek]

That is some excellent building and finishing right there! Wow.

Jamie

[adlerburg]

That is some excellent building and finishing right there! Wow.

Jamie
Fit and finish is really off the scale. I've put my OptiVisor on and scrutinized closely.... unbelievable. I challenge anyone to produce even the most minute imperfection on any of Tom's instruments.. bet you can't! And the glorious thing about them, is the fit/finish is just a nice-2-have... not a gotta-have for me. The "gotta-have" is of course the incredible tone and playability that Ellis' are known for. I know that some feel that the price tag on the Ellis is high, but honestly for what you get, I feel it's one of the true bargains in the high end mandolin world. IMHO, makers charging twice what Tom charges (There a handful.. dude, nug, gil, mont, etc) are in no way better... there is no better or worse at this level... just differences of flavor. Thank you Tom for making this incredible instrument "obtainable" for me.


nice. the neck sure looks finished.
You really have to feel the neck... and look at it under magnification to see what's going on there. At quick glance it does look finished, but under close inspection you can see where the varnish transitions into the hand rubbed tru-oil speed neck. I urge you to play one if you can.

One of the (many) things I look forward to as this ages is the development of the Oil Varnish. Although it's flawless now, and has that rich organic glow that varnish is known for, it gets better with age! As it shrinks up with some age, you start to see slight sink holes and other age-telling things, that make it look/sound/feel all the more rich.

Thanks all y'all for such kind words..
-Mick

[doc holiday]

Congratulations on a wonderful mandolin. My experience with Tom has been the same as yours. Off the charts instruments, incredible build quality & wonderful tone. Tom is a true gentleman. When I went to pick mine up, the first thing Pava asked me was "How do you like the neck?" Wonderful folks. I wish you years of enjoyment with your magnificent new F.

[Tobin]

The aging of the varnish is a fascinating thing, and I don't pretend to understand it. Couple of weeks ago when I was comparing my Ellis F5 (made in 2013) to Steve Smith's Ellis F5 (made in 2007), we were discussing the way the varnish sinks in and ages. He was describing to me how the tone subtly changed on his, and it really got me excited about observing it on mine. I hadn't thought much about it before that. Mine already does have the sink-holes you describe, and I'm starting to see it soaking in. I know Tom warns people that the finish is still "soft" for the first 6 months; I assume this is when the majority of this happens. But then it continues to age and mature for years and years.

One thing I've noticed about Ellis mandolins that never truly gets shown in photos is the subtleties of the wood dye on the scroll and other dark edges. In photos, it always looks like it fades to black. But in reality, it's a deep, deep brown that has flecks of copper when the sun hits the wood grain just right. It's gorgeous, but just doesn't come through in photos.

[Darryl Wolfe]

Very very nice

[adlerburg]

SoundClip Added... Hopefully this caught the wonderful full fat sound of this mando... let me know please!
EllisF5BluesMando (https://soundcloud.com/adlerburg/ellismandobluesclip)

[terzinator]

Gorgeous.



One of the specs I forgot to put on was the EVO frets. These are the best frets I've used by far... on guitar as well. Regular nickel frets look like a war zone after a week of my playing... the EVO looks new after a year. I also kinda dig the subdued gold tone.

Totally agree with you on the EVOs, and I'll never own another instrument without those frets.

[Tobin]

SoundClip Added... Hopefully this caught the wonderful full fat sound of this mando... let me know please!
EllisF5BluesMando (https://soundcloud.com/adlerburg/ellismandobluesclip)
Nothin' wrong with that! :mandosmiley:

[DataNick]

...One of the specs I forgot to put on was the EVO frets. These are the best frets I've used by far... on guitar as well. Regular nickel frets look like a war zone after a week of my playing... the EVO looks new after a year. I also kinda dig the subdued gold tone..

Kindred soul re: the EVO frets. A friend turned me on to them last year and I had my "Derrington" Flatiron refretted with them. 3 months in and not a scratch or indentation; and I'm extremely hard on frets. That was a very wise choice on your part and congrats again to an outstanding acquisition that is sure to bring you joy the rest of your musical journey...

[Skip Kelley]

Congratulations! That is one fine looking F5! Killer flame too!

[Darren Bailey]

And then we wonder where MAS comes from - seeing those pictures is having a pavlovian effect on my fingers.