Darren Kern
Aug-14-2005, 4:54pm
About a month ago, I posted to the board asking if someone could loan me an old beater mando until my new one came in, since I was inbetween with no backup and didn't want to go without playing. #The first guy that spoke up was Cafe member Johnathan James who offered to loan me the Bill Davis flat top he has listed on the classifieds (certainly NOT a beater mando!!). #Now that my new mando has arrived and it's time for the Davis to go back to it's owner, I thought I would write a review and post a couple of pics as a thanks for such a generous Cafe member. #He in no way asked me to do this (we don't know each other except for him loaning me his mando), and I hope I'm not breaking/bending any rules by doing so.
The first thing I noticed was the fit/finish. #It is obvious to me why Bill Davis has the reputation that he does, this is a finely crafted instrument, something you don't always see with instruments in this price range. #The wood is beautiful, and the binding is very well done. #I love the stamped logo in the headstock. #
I can honestly say that it plays easier than anything I've ever had in my hands. #The fretboard is very fast, and the neck has a good ergonomic shape. #Not too much of a V like some that I've played. #Fretting notes feels like playing an electric guitar, partly because of the light guage strings I'm sure.
As to the sound, I've never played a flat top or an oval hole for that matter, so I didn't really know what to expect other than what I have read here on the Cafe. #The first thing I noticed is how much volume you can get out of this thing. #It really is surprisingly loud. #The tone is beautiful, and resonates more than the F hole mandos I've owned, as I expected it would. #The tone is consistent across all strings and frets. #I'm not sure what brand tuners it has, but I didn't have any problems at all with it staying in tune.
The bottom line is that if I had the cash, I'd pay what he is asking for it without hesitation. #Would make a great travel mando, or a good one for someone that wants a different sound than your typical bluegrass mandolin.
Here's a couple of somewhat high res pics on my webshots site- http://community.webshots.com/album/422577764zauuzk
The classified ad number is 14964 if anyone is interested.
The first thing I noticed was the fit/finish. #It is obvious to me why Bill Davis has the reputation that he does, this is a finely crafted instrument, something you don't always see with instruments in this price range. #The wood is beautiful, and the binding is very well done. #I love the stamped logo in the headstock. #
I can honestly say that it plays easier than anything I've ever had in my hands. #The fretboard is very fast, and the neck has a good ergonomic shape. #Not too much of a V like some that I've played. #Fretting notes feels like playing an electric guitar, partly because of the light guage strings I'm sure.
As to the sound, I've never played a flat top or an oval hole for that matter, so I didn't really know what to expect other than what I have read here on the Cafe. #The first thing I noticed is how much volume you can get out of this thing. #It really is surprisingly loud. #The tone is beautiful, and resonates more than the F hole mandos I've owned, as I expected it would. #The tone is consistent across all strings and frets. #I'm not sure what brand tuners it has, but I didn't have any problems at all with it staying in tune.
The bottom line is that if I had the cash, I'd pay what he is asking for it without hesitation. #Would make a great travel mando, or a good one for someone that wants a different sound than your typical bluegrass mandolin.
Here's a couple of somewhat high res pics on my webshots site- http://community.webshots.com/album/422577764zauuzk
The classified ad number is 14964 if anyone is interested.