New webers!

[Nick Triesch]

Maybe this was already posted but Weber just anounced a new line of mandolins at a much lower cost. Check out the website. They look really cool. Nick

[Richard Russell]

I'm glad to see it. I think of performer series Flatirons when I see these models. Notice the integrated fretboard and no frills design. The celtic model appears to be mahogany while the a and f models look to be maple back and sides. The mandolin store has featured some prototypes of these models recently. The a model was offered for around $999 for awhile, maybe a bit less while the f model was around $1700 (approx. prices of course).
Go Weber! I would love to see these models give Eastman and other imports some competition, but, the prices may still be a bit higher. Can't wait to hear some reviews!

[swinginmandolins]

It's nice they are offering a lower price mandolin, the only downside is they come with a limited 5 year instead of lifetime warranty. I remember a month or two back that Dennis at the mandolin store had one or two of the STE protypes.

[cooper4205]

i think the F-style just sold this past week (maybe the one before) for around $1600, not bad at all. how do those integrated fretboards sound? i have heard that the ones on the gibson-made flatiron had a negative effect on the volume of the mandolin

[bradeinhorn]

the retail prices given on the site:

$1,750 celtic

$2,210 a model

$2,750 f-model

not so cheap... i don't find this line very exciting...

maybe it is just because i don't really care for weber though...

[DryBones]

$2200 for an A is not going to compete with the Eastman line as someone mentioned earlier. My $500 505 sounds just fine. For $2200+ I would be looking for a custom builder for a nice A.

[bradeinhorn]

or a couple hundred cheaper gets you an MT!!! bad move by weber. especially when they name it differently. this almost always means inferior line. sigma, applause, shenendoah, epiphone, etc...

[Kevin Briggs]

Thanks for the info. I usually cruise the STE site every so often and never saw these.

I support STE because I have a great mandolin they made. It is really a gem, a conclusion I've come to comparing it to other mandolins that are considered pretty good too: Phoneix, Flatiron, Gibson F5L and Goldrush, Stelling, Collings etc. To my ears and hands, it is right up there with these "big dogs."

So, that's my stance, which is important to understand my views in this discussion. I was also perplexed by the price structure. I was expecting to see something closer to the Sigma vs. Martin difference. I guess I was expecting something in the $500-$800 range.

Does it make sense for STE to put out a less expensive line? Well, it's really not that less expensive, for one. Would it make sense for STE to make the line significantly lower? Probably not, because then all of the sudden there are $500 Weber's out there, which seems like bad marketing. Do I trust the people there to carve the mandolins with the same quality? Absolutely.

[Eric F.]

Less expensive than what? The A styles seem to compete with their own Hyalite and Absaroka. That's what I don't understand. Maybe I'm missing something.

[Kirk Albrecht]

I agree with other posters who feel this is just not a real cost effective line for Weber given the prices for what you get compared to the competition. I don't think they'll find a lot of buyers for them, plus my impression of the integrated fingerboard is that it dampens tone quite a bit.

[Kevin Briggs]

In regards to the way Webers match up to competition, I can say that STE can customize a mandolin to what you want, and they pride themselves on being able to do so. I've had nothing but compliments on mine, and it's highly customized, right down to my asking them to voice it for power and a "big" tone.

I can't see how a $2,200 A style made by an indepedent maker is a better deal than the Beartooth or traditional Beartooth. The retail is higher on the Beartooth and traditional Beartooth, bit the difference is only a matter of hundreds after the typical mark-downs dealers use. If we're talking personal preference, sure your tastes might lead you one way, but it's simply small-mindedness to say that STE's top of the line A styles aren't a good deal. I think playing one would make most see the value of one of STE's best lines.

[Richard Russell]

I agree with Eric F., these mandolins seem close in price to their own more basic mandolins. The Hyalite and the Gallatin come to mind. These new models, with their integrated fretboards and basic "less frills" design are in no way priced far enough below the other models that offer the raised fretboard that allows the top to vibrate more freely. I had hoped that the a models would be under the $1000 mark by a bit, but, looks like I can forget that. I was quite dissapointed to see the pricing on the website. Maybe I'm missing something?

[Eric F.]

Hey Kevin, I don't think it's small minded - it's a matter of taste. I really like Webers with D holes and mahogany backs but the F hole models I've played tend to leave me cold. Personally, I think it's pretty tough to beat the Collings MT in the +/- $2000 neighborhood. The Beartooth retails at $3125, and the "traditional" Beartooth is $3520. My Arches was HALF that, and it's a monster. Also, I don't see Weber dealers discounting those down to MT territory.

That doesn't mean I think there's anything wrong with people who DO like Webers, just that I haven't found one yet that sang to me. I'd like to try one of their cedar-topped mandolins since I hear so many good things about them, but I haven't had a chance to do so. I do prefer my two small-maker mandolins to the Webers I've played. And hey, once your Pomeroy arrives, you might prefer it, too!

[sgarrity]

I'm certainly no marketing genius but I don't get it either. Those are some mighty steep prices considering what else is available in that range. I like Webers, especially the cedar topped models. But their one major problem IMHO is resale. Pay $4000 for one today and you'll be doin good to get $2500 for it next month. I don't see how trying to pump more mandolins into the market will help that.

Shaun

[cooper4205]

the STE A-style that the mandolin store recently had sold for $799 (it started out around $1300) and the F-style sold for approx. $1600 (it started out at close to $2k). my point is, they stayed on the site a long time until the price on them was lowered quite a bit, and even then it took a while for them to sell. i think the prices they ended up selling for were pretty spot-on.


if the A-styles were priced at $800-$900 and the F-styles at $1400-$1500, they would probably fair better in the market. i would rather pay a little over $2k for a custom gallatin than an STE f-style.

[Steve L]

I don't think these prices are very competetive with makers like Eastman or Breedlove. When you think about what that kind of money would buy you on the used market the deal, to me at least, is even less attractive. You could probably get a really good vintage Gibson oval hole for what you'd pay for a STE "Celtic" and it would probably sound more "Celtic-y".

[steve V. johnson]

Kevin wrote:
"The retail is higher on the Beartooth and traditional Beartooth, bit the difference is only a matter of hundreds after the typical mark-downs dealers use."

I'm very confused by Weber dealer "mark-downs". I see discounts sometimes up to and over 30% advertised on new instruments online, but when I try to get a price, I've been told (by about a half-dozen of the "biggest" Weber dealers) that they are contractually limited to 10-12%.

When I can get a custom made A-model from an American indie luthier for up to $2000, Webers aren't a great deal. The customization features that they offer, which are very attractive, can't be had (at least by me!) for anywhere near that.

stv

[steve V. johnson]

Cooper wrote: "the STE A-style that the mandolin store recently had sold for $799 (it started out around $1300) and the F-style sold for approx. $1600 (it started out at close to $2k). my point is, they stayed on the site a long time until the price on them was lowered quite a bit, and even then it took a while for them to sell. i think the prices they ended up selling for were pretty spot-on. "

So maybe the characteristic of the STE series is that old trick of keeping the MSRP high, but allowing a greater discount on this line than on the others?

Prices at The Mandolin Store are ... well ... all over the place... IME...

stv

[JEStanek]

The new STE line of Webers reminds me of Gibson's "new" Flatiron series that made a splash a year or so ago. The price on the new Flatirons wasn't significantly lower than the f9 / a9 series. Sadly the STE line doesn't appear to include D or oval holes (what I think Weber makes best). I would think the STE line would be competive with the F at $1,600 - 2K and the A's at 800-1,200. Their budget line shouldn't have price overlap with their normal Weber line it can cause brand confusion.

Jamie

Jamie

[Lee]

Shhh, Weber might hear us and pull a "Gibson"; drastically raising the prices of their regular line up.

[Kevin Briggs]

I also support the small builders like anyone. My decision to buy the Pomeroy two-point shows my support. I just think the Webers are really great mandolins that are very, very consistent.

[Bill Snyder]

plus my impression of the integrated fingerboard is that it dampens tone quite a bit.
What integrated fingerboard? The discription mentions integral extension block construction but I see nothing about an integrated fingerboard.

[otterly2k]

hmmm...looks to me like the only difference between the A and the "Celtic" that the latter is mahogany instead of maple and has a different bridge. I'm not sure I undestand how that makes it "Celtic". I'm not impressed with the product or the price point. Like others here, I'd far sooner spend that kind of $ on a custom build or on a used Collings than a pared down generic version of a Weber.

[Steve L]

There seems to be a strange notion that a mandolin player in an irish pub surrounded by fiddles, box players, pipes, tenor banjos, flutes, whistles, bodhrans, bouzoukis and guitars is somehow less in need of volume and projection than a bluegrass player. Some of these "great for Celtic" mandolins with somewhat warmer tones and less volume really do sound pretty if your playing alone in your living room. They are often every bit as impractical for us as they would be for the Monroevians.

Dan B plays an F5 Lebeda and Dagger Gordon just got a Collings MT. Loud is good.

[pickinNgrinnin]

[QUOTE]What integrated fingerboard? The discription mentions integral extension block construction but I see nothing about an integrated fingerboard.

The integrated fretboard/neck was carved into the top of the Montana made Festivals and Performer series Mandolins. It was a cost savings measure. Not an elevated fretboard. Some say the integrated fretboard/neck negatively influnced volume and tone.

From the pictures of the STE Mandolins, Bruce and Co look to be using the integrated fretboard/neck. The STE line is meant to be a less expensive line so perhaps it would make sense to employ this cost savings design in production.

[Mary Weber]

It seems there are some questions about our new STE Series mandolin line, and I thought I would write and tell you about them. We built the 3 model series because not all dealers have the time and/or sales staff expertise to deal with all of the different models and customization options (our specialty-with about 19 different models of mandolins available, and a mandola, octave and mandocello in each of these models, plus the carved guitars and those offered with octave tuning, etc.). The STE Series are non-signature instruments, open to any dealer, and will not be customized. While the Weber dealers will perhaps be more specialized, now all dealers can carry a a high quality, USA made mandolin.

The instruments themselves are really just another new model for us to offer players- and built totally in our shop here in Montana by the same luthiers that build the Webers. Our integral fingerboard creates a slightly larger sound chamber because it allows more material to be taken off the inside of the sound board under the fingerboard. We built several prototypes that didn't represent the final model's color and fingerboard specs. We decided to offer them at a reduced price because re-working them would be too inefficient. Hope this helps, but call the shop anytime.

[cooper4205]

"Our integral fingerboard creates a slightly larger sound chamber because it allows more material to be taken off the inside of the sound board under the fingerboard."

thanks for the explaination, Mary