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View Full Version : Ellis A5 #339-15 and a Visit to the Ellis Shop



Don Grieser
Aug-12-2017, 10:57am
I recently purchased a used Ellis A5 and fell in love with the tone of it. Because of an old left hand injury, I needed to get the neck reshaped to make it work for me. I contacted Ellis Mandolins to see if there was room between the back of the neck and trussrod to do some reshaping, and Tom Ellis invited me to pay a visit to the shop so he could do the work for me.

I found some cheap Southwest tickets to Austin, and arrived there on a Monday morning in the middle of July. Tom gave me a tour of the shop (an amazing place) and then sat down with the mandolin and a file and started working on it.

To keep me occupied while he worked, he brought out an assortment of incredible mandolins for me to sample while he worked. A couple Pava A5s, a Pava oval, his personal Ellis F5 with the heron/crane inlay, a old Nugget A5. a 25 Gibson F5. Needless to say, I was in mando heaven. My personal favorite was Tom’s own Ellis. What a voice! I had never played a Pava before, and they were a real treat. One of the Pavas was the brown-face A5 that’s at the Music Emporium. A great mandolin. Pava was at NAMM in Nashville so I didn’t get to meet her.

Later that afternoon, I got to play the reworked neck and Tom fine-tuned the shape for me. I played it again for an hour or so to make sure it was going to work while Tom attended to shop details. Then he stained it and put a coat of TruOil on it. So much nicer than the speed neck look. If you look closely, you can see that works been done, but you won't see it from a couple feet away.

The next morning he put another coat of TruOil on and then it was off to Fiddler’s Green.
What a cool shop that is. The standouts for me were the Passernig mandola that is everything a mandola should be. A great C string. Tone everywhere. The Pava F5 they have there kicks some serious butt—loud with great tone everywhere. The Collings MF5 is very punchy and loud with great midrange. The Pono octaves were really nice. The National was LOUD! I found the Kentucky KM900 to be the best of the imports—loud and barky but a little one-dimensional after hearing the Austin makers.

Tuesday night Tom invited some great players over and we had one of the best jams I’ve been in for a long time. Got to meet Mark Seale and play his Gilchrist F5 and Monteleone A style. Just a fantastic time with some exceptional music being played by everyone. Caught the cheap red-eye flight out early Wednesday morning.

All I can say is Tom Ellis gives world-class customer service, and he has the most thoughtful approach to building of anyone I’ve been around. Every detail has been thought out to the furthest degree. It was so inspiring just being around the shop and the staff he has. Every one was so friendly and nice.

The shop was filled with rough-carved mandolin tops and backs, rough-carved necks, headstock overlays with inlays, jigs for everything. A top, back, and neck may sit there for 6-12 months before being used. If the wood is going to do anything funky, it’s going to show up before it ever gets used. Sap pockets and defects will show up during the rough carving so there's never a hold up because of a defect in tops or backs. There's plenty to choose from.

My only regret is not being able to talk Tom out of his personal Ellis F5, but then a lot of mandolin players in Austin are after that mandolin. #400 with the hummingbird inlay was sent to the finisher before I got there, so I didn’t get to see that one in person. I did get to see the bluebonnet inlay.

I’m thrilled with this Ellis A5 I have and the neck is a dream to play now. I’ll post some videos of it sometime soon. I didn’t shoot a bunch of pictures in the shop. I was just so happy to be there and to have a world-class luthier treating me like I was the most important mandolin player in the world. I smile every time I play this Ellis mandolin.

I keep telling myself I don’t need an Ellis F5, but there’s less and less conviction in those words.

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twilson
Aug-12-2017, 11:06am
Hey Don, I was there! Great playing with you and Mark. Hope you can get back this way some time.

Tim

Don Grieser
Aug-12-2017, 11:17am
Hi Tim, that was so much fun. Loved to hear you play and sing. I hope to visit again. Such a wonderful time.

Don Grieser
Aug-12-2017, 11:30am
I did find a couple pics from the visit. Pava badge they gave out at NAMM, a couple of the vintage Gibson, and a couple of backs I found in the stash.

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V70416
Aug-12-2017, 12:08pm
Thanks for posting this,Don. It was way back in 1993/94,I think,when I visited Tom's shop. I think he had made a few mandolins by that time;but was
mostly making banjos. Hope I have that correct. He said he was not making any mandolins then.

He made a new nut for the Gilchrist
I had then. He made it look so easy! Very personable man;gracious with his time and knowledge. Good sense of humor as I recall.

#339 sure looks fine. Great job!

Luna Pick
Aug-12-2017, 12:22pm
Fabulous and inspiring write-up, thank you.

Anyone know if the Hummingbird inlay mandolin is headed for a store?

ccravens
Aug-12-2017, 12:49pm
Great write up!

Thanks for sharing.

Don Grieser
Aug-12-2017, 1:05pm
Tom claimed the hummingbird for his own. It's #400 and it's also his 40th year in business. He deserves it. One of the best folks you'll ever meet. The one with the heron inlay is Tom's personal mandolin and it's got it all.

I also got to see the new Collings cases made for Ellis. And those tuner buttons. Spectacular!

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Luna Pick
Aug-12-2017, 1:11pm
Of course, and thanks for including the photo of it, along with the legendary heron.

sgarrity
Aug-12-2017, 2:01pm
I just missed you guys. I was in Austin and San Antonio for work that week. I got into Austin late that night though. Looks like a good time!

Ivan Kelsall
Aug-13-2017, 1:56am
The more i read of Tom's work,the more i have to regard him as one of the top 5 builders in the world. I was an 'Ellis fan' years before i ever even held a mandolin. I saw the pics. & read the story of Ricky Skaggs' Ellis F5 in the old 'Frets' magazineHow could you not marvel at such a wonderful piece of craftsmanship.

I'm very fortunate to own an Ellis "A" style De Luxe & it's an incredible mandolin in every respect.

Congrats. on your new mandolin Don - enjoy it !,
Ivan;)
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dan in va
Aug-13-2017, 10:34am
Hi Don. Congrats on the great man'lin and thanks for letting us enjoy your trip to Ellis thru this excellent thread. Looking forward to hearing you pick it on YouTube.

How's the finger doing these days? And did Tom profile the neck similar to the Girouard shape you like so much? Lastly, i'm more than a little curious about the fretboard width at the nut.

Ivan, thanks for sharing the pics of that incredible wood!

Mark Seale
Aug-13-2017, 2:22pm
And a great time was had by all! Man, what a fun jam that was and, you're absolutely right, Tom is a great luthier and a wonderful human being. While Tom's work is super consistent, I think you got a great one with your A5. I really enjoyed the end of the night, playing yours, Tom's personal F, and the '25 up against my pair. All great instruments in their own right and all different enough to suit tastes. Hope to cross tunes again with you soon!

calzim
Aug-13-2017, 3:39pm
Thank you for sharing!

ellisppi
Aug-14-2017, 11:04am
Don, thanks for the nice write-up. It was great having you, and I hope to see you again. That pick was a real treat, one of the best I've had here, and that says something! I have some great pickin buddies (Gray Sky Boys) were on youtube in low fidelity, but we ALL got a fiddle treat by Mark and Andy from Chicago, the best fiddlin this house has seen and we been pickin here for 40 years. Thanks for not mentioning the complimentary massage you got too. Keep texting sunsets!

Eric F.
Aug-14-2017, 11:45am
I hadn't had a MAS flare-up in years until I read this thread. Thanks, I think.

Don Grieser
Aug-14-2017, 7:29pm
Dan, the nut width is 1 1/8". My finger is doing fine as long as I don't play any deep V or chunky necks. That will cause some pain. Tom just took a little off the V on the neck and rounded it a bit. It's a bit slimmer than my Heiden now and plays great.

Tom, I guess the title should have been "Visit to the Ellis Shop and Spa" but I was trying to keep my post focused on mandolins. ;) Thanks again for everything--it was a nice mini vacation.

Eric, you're welcome. :mandosmiley:

V70416
Aug-16-2017, 11:33am
Geez,I didn't get a massage with my visit...

I remember Tom packing up the family to go to one of their favorite sunset-viewing places. Sounds like a fine family activity!

That Skaggs Ellis mando is a beauty.

Ivan Kelsall
Aug-17-2017, 1:05am
From V7 above - " That Skaggs Ellis mando is a beauty.". In all honesty,i've yet to see an Ellis mandolin of either style that was less than beautiful. Some may be more 'flamboyant',some less,but ALL of them are superb in their own way. My own is pretty subdued as far as 'looks' are concerned,but when i play it,that when the 'real' beauty begins. I played it for aound 7 hours yesterday,both serious picking & then a few hours 'noodling',working bits out & straightening out a few 'kinks',which really means that i simply couldn't put it down,
Ivan:grin:

Don Grieser
Aug-18-2017, 4:53pm
Here's a little sound clip, with a couple breaks on East Virginia Blues. As usual, recorded with a Kodak Zi8 video camera and recorded with the built-in mic. No EQ or any processing except normalizing the clip.

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JAK
Aug-18-2017, 6:26pm
Nice Don, glad that worked out so you can keep playing!

Grommet
Aug-29-2017, 1:12am
Don, That things got some serious woof! A fine addition to your herd. I want that badge to go with Pava #120.

Scott

Ivan Kelsall
Aug-29-2017, 2:09am
From Don Grieser - "I keep telling myself I don’t need an Ellis F5, but there’s less and less conviction in those words."./ Don,i've been mulling over whether to trade a couple of mandolins in for an Ellis F5 - however,one of them would have to be my Ellis "A" style.
Would it be worth spending around £2,000 UK over & above what i'd get for my 2 mandolin for an F5 - i very much doubt it. Not only that,but i love the fact that my little "A" style,sounds positivley superb.

In some things,i love 'understatement' = i'm the sort of person who'd like a VW 'Beetle' ('Bug' to you folks),with a supercharged V12 engine crammed into it (if it could be done). F5's are all curvy & scrolly & lovely,but a good "A" style like an Ellis really delivers.
I changed my mind a while ago over what would be my ideal 'custom built' mandolin from an Ellis F5 to an Ellis "A" style, in Tom's 'dark burst',with T/shell binding. I think it would look awesome !,:disbelief:
Ivan;)
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Mark Seale
Aug-31-2017, 1:59am
Ivan -

Logically I agree with you. However, if you happen to have the opportunity to play Tom's personal Ellis (recent) that one mandolin will make all logic fly out the window. Gone. Take my money kind of lust. It is superb. Period. And poor Don, well he had to spend days with it (and Tom.) That sort of proximity seeps into your brain. There's really no sense in fighting it.

Ivan Kelsall
Aug-31-2017, 3:06am
From Mark Seale - "...that one mandolin will make all logic fly out the window.". Not if i don't have the cash for it it wouldn't !.

I understand your point totally though. I agree,some superlative things (not just mandolins), are so good,that if we can't afford them,we either have to put our desire behind us or go mad !. I think that having first seen Tom Ellis's Ricky Skaggs mandolin all those years back,& now,actually playing mandolin,it's less MAS with me than ''an ambition to be achieved''. I suppose that if i was floating in a sea of cash,& i was also 20 years younger,i'd ask Tom to build me the finest "A" style that he could - with my own customised bits 'n pieces ie. no fingerboard dots - that would do it to the extent that i'd forgo my desire for an Ellis F5 (maybe ?),:confused:
Ivan:grin:

Jesse Kinman
Aug-31-2017, 12:19pm
Here's a little sound clip, with a couple breaks on East Virginia Blues. As usual, recorded with a Kodak Zi8 video camera and recorded with the built-in mic. No EQ or any processing except normalizing the clip.

r-0I-T0iUXE

Good playing!

I have a question tho, how does the strap work like that? Does it muffle any sound with it touching the top like that? I have wondered about the best way to secure a strap to an A style, and that seems like it would be more stable than using a strap button at the bottom of the neck.

Ivan Kelsall
Sep-01-2017, 2:25am
Skaggs - That's usually called the 'strap under' method of attaching a strap to an "A" style mandolin. As the mandolin weight is supported by the strap in that area,it's right on the solid wood neck block & won't have any effect on the tone etc. of the mandolin.
You're correct,it's a very stable way of using a strap. On my own "A" style,it's just as stable as using a strap on the Scroll of my "F" style.
Left to right - what i use now / what i used to use, & a 'strap under' on a Collings "A" style.
Ivan;)
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Don Grieser
Sep-01-2017, 7:52am
My Heiden has a strap button on the neck and it feels more balanced to me--easier to keep the headstock angled up a bit. I now have the strap attached to the headstock on the Ellis--thought I'd give that a try. I may eventually put a strap button on it.

mtucker
Sep-01-2017, 10:55am
I think it does dampen it a bit. I got use to it on the peg head. I tried it just above the nut but didn't like the way the strap interfered with my hand so I went higher. :) BTW, your Ellis is a beauty and lovely sounding!

SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 8:31pm
Don, That mandolin sounds great. I just went by Tom's shop this past Friday. We aren't related but we have the same last name so I really wanted to go by and meet him and his crew and learn more about their story. I did get a few pics of the shop including a short video of him noodling on his new mandolin. I'll try to figure out how to upload here.
https://youtu.be/xmlgBCkdUDI

SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 8:34pm
Here is a picture of a Two Point Tom has in early 162269process. This will make #3 Ellis Two Point.

SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 8:42pm
These two room Walter (Tom's son) called Tom's Office - but really it looked more like the space Tom used to tinker around with new ideas.
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SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 8:45pm
Tom Standing beside some inlay equipment.
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SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 8:46pm
A couple of necks - maybe Ellis or maybe Pava.
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SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 8:49pm
Pava - and Tom and Pava together in the workshop. Everyone was very gracious - generous with their time and patient for folks that were in the middle of their workday with lots to do. I really enjoyed my visit with everyone but especially with Tom and Pava.
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SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 8:59pm
The shop was filled with so much to look at in addition to the inlay tools and process, mandolins in various stages of production, and some in for repair work. Steve Smith's Gibson Loar was in the shop for some work and I got to peak in the case on it but forgot to take a photo. I'm a big fan of Steve's and probably have some pictures somewhere on my hard drive of him playing it on stage in Williamsburg, VA a few years ago. I don't remember the year but I do remember it was Super Bowl Sunday and Steve opened his set with "Welcome Baseball fans".
I didn't take any photo's of Tom's newest personal mandolin either and I should have - it was gorgeous. I loved the way it sounded and especially was impressed with the lower notes. I believe Tom said the one piece curly maple back was reclaimed out of a 200 year old mill. Anyhow the old wood gives it immediate great sound - or something sure does. Some work in process.
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SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 9:04pm
The inlay business is a large part of Tom's business. Here is Tom's son Walter working on guitar inlay and one of the crew - Robert - sorting through inlay pieces. There were a couple of more people and Tom's wife we got to meet but unfortunately I didn't get everyone's picture.
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yankees1
Nov-13-2017, 9:06pm
I also have been to Tom's shop and he is a first class person ! Great photographer too besides building great mandolins !

SlimJim
Nov-13-2017, 9:09pm
And last but not least some sides residing in some jiggs. It was a great Friday afternoon with folks who felt like long lost friends. The whole crew could not have been more patient and gracious even though we were interrupting their work day. Thanks to all of them for the fun time and hospitality. Came away with M.A.S. real bad - but so far I'm resisting. Convincing myself I need to play more than once or twice a month before I can justify the investment.
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Ronnie.
Nov-13-2017, 9:48pm
Tom is a first class guy, will treat you like family.

Don Grieser
Nov-13-2017, 10:02pm
Thanks, SlimJim. Those photos brought back many fond memories of my visit there. Tom's newest mandolin was at the finisher when I was there so I didn't get to see it. Glad to hear a little bit of it. Would love to hear it next to Tom's heron inlay mandolin. That was my favorite one to play while I was there. Couldn't put it down.

I have to get back there one of these days. I'm trying to wear out the frets on #339-15 so I have an excuse.

Don Grieser
Nov-14-2017, 8:07pm
This companion to Tom's 40th Anniversary F5 didn't last long at TME. I got to see this one in the white when I was in Austin. That inlay is even more stunning in person.
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