Sim Daley Mandolins (and repair)

[JDARTGOD]

I've been mulling over setting up a meet with Sim to have him give my beloved Flatiron "F-5 Special" a pro setup. He comes highly regarded in many circles for both his mandolin construction knowledge, repair knowledge and Guitars as well. Never seen or heard a Daley guitar yet, but they must be sweet.

Quick story: There's a guy from memphis named John Gay who plays in a Bluegrass group called Hard Drive. He comes to Florida a couple times a year (vacation) and we pick when we can. He's in town for a week and we picked last night. Last time we met, he had a Montana era Flatiron Festival F. He has recently purchased a Daley. WHAT A MANDOLIN. Super chop, great lead presence (a bottom end that will flat out SCARE you) Really dark burst (Steffyish), with SUPER wood. In a word a Superior piece of work and it's only about 3 months old.

Anybody have one, play one, or have work done by Sim?

On a side note, He still has the Flatiron Festival F and may be selling it soon. It was a fine mandolin as well, but I don't remember seeing a Carlson or Weber signature on it. Anybody want me to find out details on a possible purchase of the Flatiron?

Sim is a Master! He has done work for me in the past and I think very, very highly of his work and mandolins. I have been thinking about getting one of his myself. I fell in love with one at SPBMA that I wish I had the money at the time to take it home. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[Scotti Adams]

..hes the real deal....

Sim "was" the production manager at Gibson at one point was he not?

[moxledb]

I'm now the proud owner of the Daley A5 prototype mandolin shown on his website. I just picked it up from Sim this past Saturday and I just can't put it down. For those that think that A's are inferior mandolins to F's, they only need to hear and play this one to prove themselves wrong. I've played every mandolin that Sim has built at some point or another, and they just keep getting better and better. Sim was the production manager at Gibson, until he started his repair business a few years ago. The Gibson influence can definitely be heard in the sound of his mandolins. They have a real mid-rangey, hollow sound that a Gibson mandolin should sound like when they're built properly. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif Plenty of volume and punch that is unmistakeably Loar-like in tone and character. His finish work is impeccable as well. Very neat lines with traditional sunbursts that are also very Loar-like in appearance. Sim's waiting list is currently a year and is sure to get much longer as more people discover what great mandolins that he's building.

Darin

[Charlie Derrington]

You can't beat Sim. He's been both an employee and friend for the past 8 years and I can't say enough good about him.

Charlie

[Crowder]

I talked with Sim at SPBGMA and played two of the mandolins he had there. The A5 style definitely had it. The F I picked didn't do it for me, but then again it was a crowded, noisy room and I didn't put in much time on it.

As far as fit and finish goes, everything seemed "right" about his mandolins, all the proportions were classic, the arching was traditional, etc. There were binding and finish imperfections, in what I call the "Gibson tradition" (i.e. in places that don't matter functionally but would still disappoint me if I'd spent $5,000 on the instrument).

Sim was a real nice guy to boot.

Sim's website http://www.simdaley.com/

[BigJoe]

Sim is a long time friend and I have no problem recommending his work. I only wish he were working in our repair department. Oh well, there has to be some competition http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif .

[ManjoMan]

Darin,

I had the privilege of playing your A5 "in the white"
while I was at his shop. It is a great mandolin. I thought
it was better than the F5's he had there. Sim is a nice
guy to talk with and very knowlegeable. A friend of mine
placed an order with him and I am looking forward to
getting to play it when it is finished. Enjoy your
"new best friend." I am seriously jealous.

[moxledb]

Hey ManjoMan, I first played it in the white as well. From the first time I picked it up I was kinda blown away. I really think it's one of the best mandolins that Sim has built so far. Never mind that it's an A style, this mandolin just sounds great. Just something about a nice A style mandolin that really appeals to me anyway. Glad you liked it, too. It continues to open up the more I play it, which makes a good thing even better. I can't wait to see how it sounds after a few months of regular playing! Hope your friend enjoys his mandolin. I'm sure I'll probably play it at some point in the white or before Sim is finished with it. Catch ya later...

Darin

[johnhgayjr]

Hi,

I got my new Daley Standard model in January and really have a hard time putting it down.

Its got a great sound (even brand new), is very comfortable to play, and looks great. I couldn't be happier with it. I've had a number of folks tell me how good the mandolin sounds.

I also got to play the Sim's A-style prototype both in the white (when I pick up my mandolin in early January) and finished (at SPBGMA). Great mandolin - 'nuff said.

Jeff - enjoyed pickin with you guys down in FLA.

I've tried to attached a pic of the mando (the pic is from Sim's site - www.simdaley.com)

John Gay
Memphis




http://www.simdaley.com/standard/standard-Images/5.jpg

[ManjoMan]

Moxledb,

You may have already played it. My friend got to play it in
the white (I believe at SPBMA.) He loves the sound. The guy is
from Michigan if that helps to identify it.

[JDARTGOD]

Hey there John......your mando looks even prettier in that post than it did in person. (Of course, it would look even better in my instrument room!!) Thanks for letting me bang out Arab Bounce on it. I may be hooking up with Sim earlier in the summer to "massage" the Flatiron F-5 Special. In the interim, I had a luthier custom make a mando Bridge out of "IBONEY" to keep me happy since the Ebony saddle split. Sounds even better than before.

Take care........you're a great picker. (BTW, what kind of case was that you had the mando and fiddle in? I'm getting a Bobelock in a day or two and was wondering what brand yours was.)

Jeff

[Kevin K]

John,
Do you happen to know of a workshop in Memphis soon? I live in West Tn also.
By the way, nice mandolin.
Thanks,
Kevin

[johnhgayjr]

Hey Jeff,

Still lovin' the mandolin. Got to do a little recording with it and it really sounds good recorded. My playing, of course, could have been better!

Not sure what brand that case is - I ordered it from Elderly a few years ago. I haven't seen many mandolin / fiddle cases available since I got mine. It was a an off the shelf deal - lots of people ask me if its was custom built. I really like it but its kind of heavy. I've got too much junk stuffed into it.

Hi Kevin,

I'm trying to get a Mike Compton workshop together in Memphis in April. I need to get a minimum of 15 to commit and pre-pay. There are about 13 folks interested so far. We're tentatively shooting for Sunday, April 25th. If you're interested, please let me know. Email me back at johnhgayjr@aol.com.

Thanks,

John

[JDARTGOD]

John, here's the Bobelock version of the Mando Fiddle Combo case.

Bobelock Mando/Fiddle Combo Case (http://www.finecases.com/browse/bobelock/bobelock-1479.html)

The one I'm getting is Mando only. @ $290 new, but got a good deal from Wayne Lawrence here in the Classifieds. I was just curious if yours was a Bobelock or not. It doesn't look like it is. Take care see ya down the road.

Jeff