'79 Henderson at Gruhns

[holden]

Anybody played this?...

[holden]

Here's the link

http://guitars.com/inventory/mf8396-1979-wayne-henderson-f-5-style

[Nashville]

Not that one, but I played on this one a couple days ago:

http://www.cartervintage.com/mandopage/mandopage.html#hendF-02

and a few times previous to that.

For what it's worth, in my subjective opinion, I played on many other mandolins in the same price range that I thought had more volume and more balanced tone. But the one at Gruhns could be different and probably is. However there are a lot of amazing choices in that price range.

Several that I thought superior were the Ellis, Altman, Duff and Daley mandolins. Talk about Wow!

[AlanN]

Just perused Carter's inventory. My, oh, my.

[Nashville]

Spending a day at Gruhns and Carters is a dream come true. Just down the road from each other. I played their entire inventory on Saturday, almost.

[holden]

I've had my eye on that used Ellis at Carter's (#300)..
You liked it?

[Nashville]

Yes. Yes. Ellis really does make a fine mandolin. And #300 is a fine instrument. I have played on several Ellis F models and A models, all at Carters by the way, and they are consistently well balanced, feel right in the hand, beautifully crafted mandolins.

Just comparing the craftsmanship alone is interesting in itself. If you look at all the joins and the binding and finish and compare between makers up close. There is quite a difference sometimes even between the high end builders. And when you are in the $10k plus market, every little difference counts when you gotta open your wallet that wide.

Ellis consistently made me want to open my wallet. Just don't have enough in there yet.

[Drew Egerton]

wow, after seeing the price on that Henderson I am really regretting not buying Mike Guggino's old one when I had the chance. I don't remember what he said he wanted for it now (10+ years later) but way less than that I think.

I think I'd be happy to have anything on that site though, wow!

[ccravens]

I've played a couple of Wayne's mandos.

Trying to be kind, I'd say that you could do better, especially for the money.

And also that Wayne is one of the nicest people you'll meet.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

I did and didn't love it. I played it when it was at Carters last year. I liked the newer one at Carters better than the older one. Personal preference though for sure.

[JLeather]

Is this the same one that was at Carter's last year? I thought that one was owned by Alan Bibey and was priced considerably higher than this (like $20k?). I could be mis-remembering it, I did try out a lot of mandos that day :) I played the '79 Henderson at Carters and was unimpressed for the price, but then again IIRC it was priced a lot higher so I was evaluating it as such. To me it seemed surprisingly 'tight' for a mandolin with that many years of picking. Kinda quiet, almost muffled? Tone was nice and balanced, but it didn't impress. Of course opinions are like you know what... I know I played an '07 Kimble that day that blew it out of the water for under $10k.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

I believe that is the same mando. Looks about the exact same and I remember it going away at Carters right about when it popped up at Gruhn's. I could be wrong but I highly doubt it.

[sgarrity]

I played it too. The tone does not match the price.

[jswag]

I must admit, That's a shame to hear. I guess they all can't be great.
Here's where I insert the"Disclaimer". I own a Henderson Mandolin. I'm the original owner, and I got it long before any of the "Eric Clapton" excitement or (maybe) notoriety. And of course, I'm probably bias, but I have got to "A-B" it against some fine mandolins over that past years at Mandolin brothers and up in Boston area shops, and festivals through the years. I always left smiling and still with the Henderson.
I was in Gruhn's about 10 years ago, but didn't have the Henderson with me on that trip.
I hope to get back to Nashville this fall and get to Carter's and Gruhn's!

[Nashville]

Each mandolin is unique and stands on it's own merits regardless of the builder. But some builders are very consistent in quality. And all builders start somewhere and usually get better with each build. There is a definite education that takes place when getting a chance to play on a variety of different maker's instruments. I personally have learned so much by actually playing on the mandolins that I see mentioned in this forum.

I heard the name Kimble many times here, spoken with praise. And then I got a chance to play on a couple of his mandolins. I'm impressed. Right now Carters has a 2-point Kimble that has to be one of the most beautiful mandolins I have seen and plays like a dream and sounds even better. Price tag was only $5,250 and the in store price tags are higher than their web site prices, so there must be room to dicker. This Kimble played and sounded better than most of the other mandolins that were 2 to 3 times more expensive. It's not listed on their website as yet. What a jewel. Don't hate me but I liked it better than the Monteleones and Gilchrists that are hanging there and those are priced around $20k.

If I hadn't just bought a house I would have snatched it up. They have another really good deal there now too. It's #4 from Elkhorn for under $3k. It is a very good instrument for American made in that price range. Somebody will get a deal on it.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

There are people that would love that old Henderson though. It doesn't have the full tonal range and resonance of modern mandolins but it sounds old and is very mid rangy like some people like. Reminds me some of an old Paganoni I've played.

[pheffernan]

I heard the name Kimble many times here, spoken with praise. And then I got a chance to play on a couple of his mandolins. I'm impressed. Right now Carters has a 2-point Kimble that has to be one of the most beautiful mandolins I have seen and plays like a dream and sounds even better. Price tag was only $5,250 and the in store price tags are higher than their web site prices, so there must be room to dicker. This Kimble played and sounded better than most of the other mandolins that were 2 to 3 times more expensive. It's not listed on their website as yet. What a jewel. Don't hate me but I liked it better than the Monteleones and Gilchrists that are hanging there and those are priced around $20k. If I hadn't just bought a house I would have snatched it up.

There is a new Kimble two-point at Cotten for $4900:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1023106717701838.1073742361.199944066684778&type=3

It makes you wonder why a used Kimble A5 at Carter Vintage is priced at $4500:

http://www.cartervintage.com/mandopage/mandopage.html#kimbleA5

Or a Kimble A5 is $4450 at Carmel:

http://carmelmusic.com/stocklist/index.html#mandolin

Not that I'm interested in a Kimble... :whistling:

[Timbofood]

Nashville, you have certainly hit the nail straight and true!
Each instrument will have its own character, a builder will do his best to make each instrument as near the highest degree of excellence as humanly possible. Whether the individual at the end of the process feels the same is another story. What I might like in a mandolin and what you might like may or may not be the same. Especially in the realm of "boutique" builders, they treat each one as individuals, production instruments (think Loar era even) must meet time and quota requirements. A "One Off" can be as individual as the person placing the order.

[Nashville]

I try hard to bite my tongue before making sweeping statements about instrument makes and models. I'm certainly not knocking the Henderson mandolin, just that I personally preferred several of the other mandolins in that price range. And I'm not saying I wouldn't own a Henderson, I certainly would if the price were right and it grabbed me.

That Kimble 2-point in Carters is blonde, has block inlays, custom inlaid pick-guard and probably some other customized appointments as well. Probably why it costs more than the one at Cottens. I am not familiar with Kimble's various models or pricing. But now that I've played a few and examined them up close, I have seen top of the line craftsmanship and I'm definitely impressed with the tone and play-ability.

Back to the Henderson at Gruhns. Now I gotta go down there and play on it. Last time I was there it was the Gibson Wayne Benson Master Model that I thought the best on the wall, much better than the R.L. Givens F-5. In my subjective opinion.

[Mark Seale]

I try hard to bite my tongue before making sweeping statements about instrument makes and models. I'm certainly not knocking the Henderson mandolin, just that I personally preferred several of the other mandolins in that price range. And I'm not saying I wouldn't own a Henderson, I certainly would if the price were right and it grabbed me.

That Kimble 2-point in Carters is blonde, has block inlays, custom inlaid pick-guard and probably some other customized appointments as well. Probably why it costs more than the one at Cottens. I am not familiar with Kimble's various models or pricing. But now that I've played a few and examined them up close, I have seen top of the line craftsmanship and I'm definitely impressed with the tone and play-ability.

Back to the Henderson at Gruhns. Now I gotta go down there and play on it. Last time I was there it was the Gibson Wayne Benson Master Model that I thought the best on the wall, much better than the R.L. Givens F-5. In my subjective opinion.

That sounds like the deco 2 pointer that was in the classifieds here not long ago.