New BRW

[NoNickel]

Sounds as good as it looks.

[Fretbear]

She's purty...lets see the headstock...

[Bill Van Liere]

Red spruce?

[sgarrity]

Beautiful workmanship. I want one of his F4's so bad I can't stand it.

Shaun

[tattiemando]

Please post some more photos. What are the specs for this mandolin. I hope it plays as well as it looks.

[F5G WIZ]

Beautiful! Love the little curl on the extension.

[fwoompf]

I take lessons with the owner of #58 and man oh man is it a sweet little mando. Yours is probably awesome too!

[NoNickel]

Headstock -- Note that the Board and the overlay and pickguard are roswood.

[NoNickel]

Quilted maple Back and red spruce top.

[NoNickel]

These are Ben's pix that he sent me the other day. I think he photographs his instruments very nicely. Take a look at the instruments on his web site. I just got this today. I'm going to go play it now. I will post back my findings.

[red7flag]

Beautiful workmanship. Congrats on getting a lovely instrument.
Tony

[Lane Pryce]

Stunning. The extension is fantabulous. Congratulations on a very nice mandolin. Lp


My Mowry is also quilted big leaf and ad red. Very tight initially but loosens up quickly. Play it had and often -- good things will happen. Lp

[tattiemando]

Thanks for posting more photos.A very elegant mandolin indeed You instrument renders me speechless.

[Lane Pryce]

Craig have you got your Mowry? Lp

[mandopete]

Wow, that's uncanny - that first picture looks just like my Collings MF-5...

...But the back of that BRW is to die for!

[fredfrank]

Beautiful mando! You, too, Pete!

I have ordered a BRW F4 eliptical hole mando. I'm really looking forward to getting that. Ben does some great work.

[NoNickel]

Wow Pete, they do look like twins of different mothers don't they. By the way, the tone and volume are really really nice.

[F5G WIZ]

Beautiful quilt! I happen to be a big fan of quilted backs. I have a one peice quilted back on my Poe. Congratulations!

[stevem]

Congrats NoNickel! That's one nice looking mandolin.

[Mark Walker]

Beautiful quilt on the back of that mandolin! ENJOY and CONGRATS! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[NoNickel]

Thanks for all the compliments but they really belong to Ben Wilcoxen for builiding a beautiful instrument! #The workmanship is spot on with not a single fault. #The wood and color are gorgeous. #The sound, even as young as it is, is very rich. #I can't wait to see what it will develop in to. #But once again, while I am the lucky owner, the congrats should go to them guy who built her. #Thanks Ben!

[Fred G]

very nice, I love all the medulary rays on the top. It looks kind of psychodelic. I just added the Bill James tailpice to my BRW and it is great!

[NoNickel]

Thought I would post back an update. #I have removed the pickguard seen in the initial pix, as it was getting in my way. The sound of this mando is really nice and while still young, I can hear a great amount of potential in its voice. #It really stands up to hard playing (it doesn't break up), yet has a sweet voice when played softly. #Tuning is very stable on this mandolin (it has Grovers), much better than my prior Eastman, with the Schaller tuners. #For those interested in the specs from BRW, here they are:

# FT-MS Mandolin #64. Red Spruce Top, Red Maple back,sides, & neck. Rosewood Headstock overlay, fingerboard,& pickguard. Single ply ivoroid bindings with side pinstripe. MOP torch inlay & MOP BRW logo. MOP fingerboard dots. Abbreviated fingerboard extension. Ebony bridge. Bill James/BRW tailpiece. Ebony endpin. Gold Grover tuners. Bobelock case. TUSQ nut. Lacquer Finish. D'Addario J74strings.

For the record, I highly recommend Ben's work. Everyone should have one. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[NoNickel]

Forgot to add, thanks a lot Ben for the fine instrument!!!

[NoNickel]

I will work on that. Stay tuned.:D

[NoNickel]

I have had this sweet mandolin for over 2 months (BRW #64) and can't put it down. Thought I would update with some new pictures. Note the Husky Acoustics walrus ivory topped saddle, the Bailey Strap and the armrest built by Doug Edwards. Sound is better every day.

[NoNickel]

The flash in the last picture makes the burst look brighter than it is. The picture taken by Ben Wilcox at the beginning of this post is more representative. Here's the back with a new Tonegard and neck stripped. Looks rough but really feels nice.

[NoNickel]

Natural light show the real color much better.

[tterral]

Man, NoNickel, what can I say, just an absolutely gorgeous instrument. I talked to Ben last week, a very knowledgable and nice guy. I plan on calling him back. I have been thinking about a Phoenix Bluegrass model, which is supposed to play and sound great, but when I see these pictures I realize I am still not sure. Would not be able to play either one before I bought it, which stinks, but that's the way it is unless I hop on a plane. How would you describe the tone of your mandolin? What is the neck width at the nut? Do you know how the tone of quilted maple compares to red or sugar maple (both are harder maples, I think)? How about playability, does it feel loose, stiff, etc. I love the look of the quilted maple, just mesmerizing.

[tterral]

Oh yeah, we need some sound clips, man!

[Kevin Briggs]

That thing is beautiful. Quilted maple never never ceases to amaze me, and the top and sides are finished really, really well.

As for the Phoenix, tterral, I assure you they are everythign they are cracked up to be. They are top of the line, just like, by the looks of it, this BRW is.

[tterral]

I called a couple of places that had the Phoenix Bluegrass model in stock today (one new, one a 2003 used) and had them play them for me over the phone (que laugh track). I know the phone is a really good indicator of the sound of the instrument, but unfortuately that is all I have right now to go on. I think one can get a VERY basic idea if the mandolin has a dark character or it bright or has a reasonable chop, but obviously it is pretty darn limited. The more I look, the more I realize how much I like a darker, woodier, chunkier type of sound - I guess something simialar to the ol' Gibson standard. The Phoenix struck me as in the more balanced category without as much "wood" as I am looking for. Fine instrument, but maybe not what I am looking for. I guess patience is a virtue, but when one has a serious bout of MAS going on, it aint easy kids.

There are a couple of used BRWs in the classifieds right now that look very interesting (and beautiful I might add). I am checking into those and maybe one of them will speak to me (this is kinda like therapy, thanks for bearing with me).

[Salty Dog]

Tteral, as the owner of two of Ben's fine mandolins (listed below), I'll try to describe the "BRW sound". #Ben's mandolins have as woody a sound as the Gibson sound but it is not as dark - it's brighter. #I think the highs are brighter also. #Ben's workmanship is every bit as good as described above. #A small experience note, #61 was opening up very nicely but the action was set very low as I had requested. #I raised the bridge a turn on both knobs and it started attacking our banjo player (#61 was born on 10/11/06). #Another small experience note to the proud owner of #64, please remove the endpin and reinsert with a small paper shim as #61 recently suffered a small ding when the end pin came out and it hit the floor. #Fortunately the floor was my living room rug, and the ding was caused by the end pin that was attached to the strap. #It was my fault as I knew this would happen from experience and I have never had a problem with a paper shim inserted. #I think the shim makes up for the different materials, grain directions, and resulting expansion rates of the woods in the end pin area. #Both of my BRWs have Engleman spruce tops, which I am told, take a little longer to open up.

[Yonkle]

Very crisp and clean looking! Super job, you be "da man" I like the color on the back, it's different, yet traditional looking, very tasteful! Enjoy Jd

[Doug Edwards]

#Another small experience note to the proud owner of #64, please remove the endpin and reinsert with a small paper shim as #61 recently suffered a small ding when the end pin came out and it hit the floor. #
Very nice! Love that Quilt.

I removed the ebony end pin and use one of the gold screw on buttons on my Allen tailpiece. No worry about it coming out and it looks great.

[NoNickel]

Thanks for the tip SD. I will be careful and take your advice. BTW, Love especially the Angeline the Baker/Here Comes the Sun sound clip on the BRW site. I am trying to learn it and it's on my Ipod. I play it enough I probably owe you some royalties. That's #12?

I forgot to mention that I also have an Allen tailpiece that I like a lot, although does not really seem to be any sonic improvement over the James tailpiece that came with the mando.

[Salty Dog]

NoNickel, you shouldn't have been so quick to change tailpieces as, if you put the Bill James back on, you will see that you have a third hand when changing strings, and also do not need any little "rings" to dampen harmonics between the bridge and the tailpiece.

[Salty Dog]

Nonickel, I doubt that is #12 on that sound track, for various reasons. #I think you should check with Ben if you want to be sure.

[mandomood]

someone browsing had mentioned that I was being discussed somewhat indirectly...

I played the other clips, on the BRW website, which includes the Angeline The Baker/Here Comes The Sun clip. That mandolin was #28 - Adirondack top.

As far as the arrangement goes...that was a spur of the moment idea and improv for the most part. Glad to hear someone likes it!!

I now own #58 ...love it...and I'll get clips of that mando to Ben fairly soon...

by the way...nice lookin mando in the thread here...

Jason Dennie
www.jasondennie.com
www.myspace.com/jasondennie1

[NoNickel]

Jason, sorry for the mixup. I stupidly misidentified Salty Dog as you by assuming his early number and late number BRW's were yours, as I knew that you had an early and a late one. Yes, Ireally do like your Angeline the Baker/Here Comes the Sun medley. I listen to it at least 2-3 times a week. Love the tone, timing and (on the spot) arrangement. I encourage everyone to go to Ben's website and check out the audibles from Jason and Mike Marshall. Thanks for setting me straight.:p

[tterral]

Jason,

Talked to Ben a couple of weeks ago and he mentioned that you had picked up a new mandolin recently. Ben was giving me a little insigth as to his process and it sounds like he is refining his luthrie skills and that the new mandolins he is producing have a little fuller low end, Am I remembering this correctly. How would you describe the difference in your old and new one. Really enjoyed you picking.

[mandomood]

keep in mind, I had #28 for I guess almost 3 years or so...2 1/2 maybe...

to my ears, #28 had a great strong midrange to it. Using J75's, I was always able to get good full treble and bass and I tend to play hard at times, using a thick pick.

#58, still very new, has a great balanced sound to it but I can get the lows and full sounding highs without playing nearly as hard. #I've been using JS74's and still thick picks but can't believe how big it can sound with a light attack and this adjustment I have to make seems to help carry the sound more as well...takes some adjusting on my end but it certainly gives me so much more in reserved energy!!

I think it is making me a better, more dynamic player to be honest.

The dimensions of the neck are a little thicker than #28 which feels really comfortable to me ...

This may sound biased, and I do have a professional relationship with BRW so consider this my disclaimer, but I have had the chance to a/b it against a few gils, a monteleone grand artist, sam bush model gibson, steffey model gibson, couple collings F's, and 2 Heidens and I'm always left feeling really good about my mandolin...

I have enjoyed both of them in different ways (#28 & #58), and #28 is still a super mando, perfect for traditional bluegrass without a doubt in its' pronounced mid-range wollup.

I know that a player gets to really know his instrument and get to a point of pulling good tone without realizing the different things one does to do so, and playing any other instrument for just a few short minutes isn't enough to necessarily say which is better, but first impressions can still be determined fairly well.

I think we can all learn how to get the most out of our instruments and it makes things all the more better when you really like the 'feel' of what you're playing and pleased with the sounds coming out...

I think Ben is doing some fantastic work...

Jason Dennie
www.jasondennie.com
www.myspace.com/jasondennie1

[fwoompf]

Hey Jason I've been wondering what's been up with you! Did my emails get lost somewhere along the way? I think the last one I sent was about a month ago

hope everything is well,
Garnet

[Scotti Adams]

..yea Jason..I got your email a few days ago..replied to it..but havent heard back from you..hope alls well.