View Full Version : Uncle Pen video/different mandolin
Herbm55
Mar-16-2014, 10:12am
Cool video from 1980 with Mr. Monroe playing a different mandolin. There may be more videos like this out there, but I don't remember seeing that many......
http://youtu.be/dLn3b9GGJQ8
George R. Lane
Mar-16-2014, 10:47am
I believe that is the 1978 F5L that Bill picked out from the 3 prototypes Gibson made. If is that mandolin it in the procession of a friend of mine (it belonged to her late husband) and as far as I know she still has it.
dan in va
Mar-16-2014, 4:17pm
Hey George,
How would you rate the tone and volume of that mandolin?
DataNick
Mar-16-2014, 4:27pm
Hey George,
How would you rate the tone and volume of that mandolin?
I don't know about the mandolin tone cause apparently like everything else in the Carter era, they goofed up the sound; and were scrambling during the song it looks like to fix it. That sound mix was weighed in the balances and found "wanting"...
f5loar
Mar-16-2014, 11:34pm
When I heard Monroe play the '78 F5L he got pretty much his sound out of it. When I heard others play it , not so much a Monroe sound. He played it the most during the "firepoker" damage repair time on the '23 Loar.
Timbofood
Mar-17-2014, 7:52am
As I understood it there were three for Bill to choose from, one was made by the late Aaron Cowles and the other two by posters here. Mr. Monroe, if memory serves, chose the one made by Aaron.
I have been incorrect in the past so, should either of the other gents wish to correct me I will certainly not be offended.
I don't think the sound quality is awful, I have been at festivals or even small clubs with worse engineering.
Boy, I miss Kenny!
DataNick
Mar-17-2014, 8:19am
...I don't think the sound quality is awful, I have been at festivals or even small clubs with worse engineering...
Surely The White House could do better than that!....Not to be argumentative but I thought that's a little higher standard than the typical festival or club...
Anyone know who was on bass? The others I can ID.
Timbofood
Mar-17-2014, 9:38am
Data, I agree it should have been better, it was the bloomin' White House!
f5loar
Mar-17-2014, 12:58pm
That would be Mark Hembree on bass. Had been with Monroe about a year by this time and left in June of 1984 and then Tater Tate came back on bass. Kenny and Butch worked well together during this time so it was a tight band for Monroe. I understand Mark is still playing bass but don't know with who or if full time.
Timbofood
Mar-17-2014, 1:03pm
From the time frame that's what I had thought, Tom. Yes indeed that was a good sound!
sgarrity
Mar-17-2014, 1:06pm
Hembree recently played with a Bluegrass Boys Reunion project with the Cafe's own Brian Ray on mandolin. There's a live show floating around out there somewhere.
Ivan Kelsall
Mar-18-2014, 6:05am
That mandolin is noticeably quite a bit brighter in the treble than his 'real' one,although the picking style couldn't be mistaken for anybody else. It looks like his old strap though - unless it was a 'new' old one !,:grin:
Ivan~:>
Eric Cowles
Sep-04-2014, 7:05pm
It's awesome to see Mr. Monroe playing the mando that my Dad built. I didn't know this video existed.:)