The Serenity

[Zach Wilson]

http://webermandolins.com/instruments/limited-editions/the-serenity

Very beautiful. Only 20 made. Please someone hold a raffle for one so I can win one! :)

[Franc Homier Lieu]

Please someone hold a raffle for one so I can win one! :)

I'm thinking, first prize, a Weber Serenity. Second prize, two Weber Serenities.;)

Not a big fan of abalone purfling.

[LadysSolo]

Beautiful! I prefer A-style, oval hole, but if I won one in a raffle I could live with the F-style.......

[Dan Krhla]

I LOVE f bodies with oval holes. Capt. Reynolds would be proud.

[Don Grieser]

Serenity now!

[darrylicshon]

Just what i want another one i can't afford

[T.D.Nydn]

I wonder why there aren't any back photos?

[allenhopkins]

Price?

[Zach Wilson]

Price?

Good question

[CelticDude]

Price?

If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it?

[JeffD]

What a stunning instrument. The Vietnamese manufacturers have given bling a bad name, but if tastefully done and coupled to a first class instrument, it is a stunner.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From CelticDude - "If you have to ask, you probably can't afford it ?" . Personally,if the vendor can't be bothered to quote the price,i can't be bothered to ask. Is it a 'secret' ???,
Ivan~:>

[journeybear]

Comes with a scooped Florida. Wonder why? :confused:

A bartender at one of the clubs I play is named Serenity - or so she says. ;) I thought of sharing this with her when I saw the thread title, till I saw what it meant. I don't think she'd "get it."

[DavidKOS]

Comes with a scooped Florida. Wonder why? :confused:



Because the makers probably think that this mandolin is not going to be used for classical music, so those extended range is not needed, and as pointed out to me on many threads, many people like to play about at the end of the fingerboard, and to many of them the "Florida" is in the way.

Now I know!

I still want the extra frets!

[Willie Poole]

I often wonder why a builder can make a super mandolin and just make a few why can`t they put the skill into all of the mandolins that they build and also quote us a price, some of us might have some ready cash and want to spend it on something nice and also one that may become a collectors item since there are so few made...Myself, I can`t imagine a Webber of any model becoming a collectors item...

[journeybear]

I still want the extra frets!

Me, too. AFAIC, having the little dingus there (actually, it's a pretty fat dingus, proportionately) without frets is useless, from a functional standpoint, and looks clunky, from an aesthetic one. It's a minor consideration, but my eye was drawn to it.

143956


I can`t imagine a Weber of any model becoming a collectors item...

I can, but perhaps more because of provenance (being owned by a famous player) than on its own merit. :cool:

[Papalobo]

There's a local shop that has one in Roswell , Ga. $12,000

[Jim Garber]

There's a local shop that has one in Roswell , Ga. $12,000

Feel free to supply links, if you are so inclined. Here:

Weber Serenity at Righteous Guitars, Roswell, GA (http://www.righteousguitars.com/weber-1/serenity-f-mandolin).

It does look like an upscale Antonio Tsai. I would something called serenity would be much more understated.

Go for it!

[LadysSolo]

Just beautiful! I hope someone gets it that will play it!

[Charles E.]

The inherent beauty of the F-4 is lost in this example of an instrument. No thanks.

[Jim Garber]

The inherent beauty of the F-4 is lost in this example of an instrument. No thanks.

I agree with Charley here. Understated works well. The finish is nice but too much pearl for my taste. But that is just me.

[Timbofood]

I agree with Charley here. Understated works well. The finish is nice but too much pearl for my taste. But that is just me.

Well, we might need a bigger boat!
“Upscale Antonio Tsai” I darn near dropped a whole handful of mashed potatoes and gravy!

[Jim Garber]

Well, we might need a bigger boat!
“Upscale Antonio Tsai” I darn near dropped a whole handful of mashed potatoes and gravy!

Nice image I see: "a whole handful of mashed potatoes and gravy!"

[Timbofood]

I do what I can!
See if you can find a bit from “The Kentucky Colonels” it’s titled “A Girl Named Ruth”
I’ve not searched it but, I’d guess it’s out there somewhere!
Might be on the “Living in the Past” album.


Edit: Just looked at the “Take’s BG link” the bit begins about 17:23
I bought this album in probably 1977, my band used a lot of material from the colonels, almost as much as we mined from the early goods from “Count Sparkula” particularly the “BG Old and New” album with the ever tasteful, late Art Wydner playing Bass!

[LadysSolo]

Okay, in my defense, I like koi fish (on the fretboard.) I agree totally about the pearl around the sound hole and the body binding, but the wood on the back is gorgeous (IMHO) but would also lose the pearl on the back binding. So for me, the positives outweigh the negatives, if someone wants to give it to me, I will happily play it enjoying my koi fish on the fretboard and ignoring the body and sound hole binding.

[Kimmie4]

I’m sorry to say but there is only one in existence. I spoke to Bruce Weber- he said they had intended to make 20, but the mandolin was so labor- intensive, they didn’t make another. Then he sold the company and took the original cut out with him. The one and only was in Righteous Guitars in Roswell, GA and was sold back in February for $12000.00. I did get to play it- it truly was a top of the line instrument. Incredibly rich sound. It was perfect!!!

[Mitch Stein]

I often wonder why a builder can make a super mandolin and just make a few why can`t they put the skill into all of the mandolins that they build and also quote us a price, some of us might have some ready cash and want to spend it on something nice and also one that may become a collectors item since there are so few made...Myself, I can`t imagine a Webber of any model becoming a collectors item...

Unfair, I know, but it sure looks like this one (and possibly many many more) are collector's items now.
Hindsight

[Hudmister]

Why put a scooped extension on a new instrument? This alone is sufficiently off-putting to rule this mandolin out. I guess the money will just keep burning a hole in my pocket.

[Jim Garber]

I think the workmanship extend to all the pearlwork plus all the other time consuming artisanship. Take a look at some of the anniversary Martín guitars to see way over the top pearl and marquetry. It does take a true upper end craftsman to accomplish that. Having said all that sometimes the artistry completely overshadows the functionality of a musical instrument. It can be something to admire but I love just looking at a well made instrument with an expertly applied finish. And I would rather have a simply adorned mandolin that plays and sounds exquisitely. I am very lucky to have a few of those including but not limited to Brentrup, Campanella, and Flatiron. I am sure that I would love playing a Weber mandolin but don’t need the extra stuff.

[allenhopkins]

We frequently see ornate bowl-backs that are termed "presentation models," festooned with enough MOP to imply the demise of an entire oyster bed.

Some of them were made for competition/display at various expositions and World's Fairs, where the builder could bring home a prize -- subsequently noted on the labels of all run-of-the-mill mandolins from the same source. Now they tend to end up in museums, or in glass cases in the homes of various collectors.

Still lots of "bling-y" instruments being made –– check these (https://www.pinterest.com/pin/574420127451090639/) out, for example. Although I'll never set pick to a Weber Serenity (or should I say the Weber Serenity), I have enough faith in Weber to trust that it's an exceptional mandolin, with sound and playability commensurate with its appearance.

There remains a role for "presentation" instruments, to commemorate occasions and anniversaries, to present to notable public figures as gifts, and to show off the abilities of luthiers and manufacturers. Remember the derivation of the word "masterpiece": it was the object that the journeyman craftsperson made and presented to the guild, seeking the "master" rating.

These "masterpiece" instruments have somewhat the same role: to establish or confirm the status of their makers, as top names in their fields. Is all the decoration audible when the instruments are played? No, but really, that's beside the point.