Ok, I DID it!

[Mike Buesseler]

I don't even have scroll envy or much of a case of MAS, but, Lord have mercy, today I put my money on the next Collings MF Greg Boyd gets in his shop--the first to arrive, actually.

So, has ANYone out there played one of these beauties? #

I'm as impressed by fancy inlays as much as anyone, but I can't seem to resist Collings simplicity and understated beauty on this new line of mandos...I can't wait!

Still, if I can't hear $2000 worth of difference between this mandolin and the one I'm playing now, it's going right back.

[mandolooter]

So whats ya playin now? $2000.00 difference...whew, thats a lotta difference!

[Mike Buesseler]

I've had a Prucha A for about 3 years. Love it, but you know how The Quest gets you...I got my Prucha for about $1900--more now. The Collings is $3800, or so. I'm interested in the SOUND mostly. So, I don't need $1900 of scroll. Still, I can't resist trying one.

[Crowder]

I have a feeling that you will find the difference in price more than justified. If these are anywhere near as sweet as the MF5's, you'll be happy.

[grsnovi]

Congrats Mike!

My MF is about three weeks old now (#208).

I could certainly hear the difference between it and what I was playing previously!

It took me a while to get used to the "V" of the neck but now I don't notice it.

[jcs271]

You will love it!

[Mike Buesseler]

Gary, how does it compare in sound to the MF-5s? I'm hoping for the same quality sound, without the flash. (Of course, I've never played an MF-5, either...)

[Mike Buesseler]

Crowder, wasn't that you who wrote about playing an MF5 somewhere that just blew you away? That post had something to do with my getting the MF. You inspired me! I'm hoping this one half what yours did....:p

[Mike Buesseler]

Oh, for the record, I do love my Prucha. I played it against some Collings A models--easily up to those, IMHO. Pruchas are underrated and hardly seen anywhere, but nobody has played mine who hasn't been impressed. So, the MF will have to be VERY good.

[hotpick]

I have a Collings MF and MF5. You made the right decision. You'll love it and never want to let it go. The sound is unbeleiveable.

[PatrickH]

You have both? Wow.

Just curious - can I ask why, since they are similar, you would own both? I would think most people would want to offset the MF5 with a nice A style.

Which one do you like better? Do you believe the extra cost of the MF5 is justified?

Pat

[JiminRussia]

I'm not the hottest mandolin player around, in fact a pretty poor one, but, I've played both and I see the difference in the cosmetics more than I do the sound, but there is some. In the Colings line, I can hear more of a diference between the MF and the MF-5 than I do between the MT and the MT-2, but I digress...... To my ear I hear a slightly deeper, fuller side to the bass and a little bit more sustain on the treble side, but again I stress that it is very slight and I don't have the best ear in the world. The chop I hear as about the same. This is only a comparison of two actually side by side, and just a few more, but not side by side. FWIW, I wouldn't pay the extra bucks for an MF-5 over the MF, and my next mando is going to be an MT to replace the Flatiron 1N that is my practice/travel/jam session mandolin now.