red7flag
Nov-02-2019, 8:46am
For the past two years my musical journey has focused on learning the bass to play in a number of settings. For the past two weeks, spending a lot of time at home with our new rescue pup, I have been putting the mandolin family back on track. Because our rescue pup is very skittish, I have been playing my Mowry GOM (Guitar shaped Octvave Mandolin) being in a lower register. Due to an accident with the Mowry that resulted in her being placed at Carter Vintage for some cosmetic repairs, out comes the Nyberg mandola. This is an awesome little baby, but a bit of a weird duck. I asked that he put the larger carved onion shaped body, I think used for the bouzouki, with the short neck of the mandola which gives a deep resonant sound, but is easy for my playing style. We went with padauk wood with is red and brown striped and sounds much like fine Cuban mahogany, at least to my ears. Like most Cafe builders, Lawrence Nyberg was a pleasure to work with. His workmanship is outstanding. I could not be more pleased.
In the past when playing this mandola, I tended to focus on folk, Irish and Gypsy music, I guess assuming that this lovely would not be very suited to bluegrass. Lately I have been playing in a band with a great mandolin player and jumped into some grass with this Nyberg. I have to say an onion shaped mandola feels weird in my hands playing grass. Kind of like a bag pipe playing Mozart. But, play she did. Not only play but excel. She sounded awesome. The Nyberg has very clean and strong tone. And while I was not playing in a band setting, I don't think would have trouble cutting in a jam. I plan to take this love next Tuesday to an eclectic jam and see how she accounts for herself.
I will post some pictures as soon as they upload.
In the past when playing this mandola, I tended to focus on folk, Irish and Gypsy music, I guess assuming that this lovely would not be very suited to bluegrass. Lately I have been playing in a band with a great mandolin player and jumped into some grass with this Nyberg. I have to say an onion shaped mandola feels weird in my hands playing grass. Kind of like a bag pipe playing Mozart. But, play she did. Not only play but excel. She sounded awesome. The Nyberg has very clean and strong tone. And while I was not playing in a band setting, I don't think would have trouble cutting in a jam. I plan to take this love next Tuesday to an eclectic jam and see how she accounts for herself.
I will post some pictures as soon as they upload.