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tterral
Feb-06-2007, 5:09pm
After reading a lot of very positive comments from folks here about Keith Newell's mandolins, I decided to give him a call and ask some questions. As everyone has stated, Keith seems like a very nice, knowledgable and patient guy - he would have to be to put up with all my questions. Well, I am thinking about going with his 'F' style with Adirondack top and either Big Leaf maple or quilted maple back and sides. Curious what current owners have and how they would describe the tone of their mandolins. I am also going to go with a wider neck - either 1-3/16" or 1-1/4", but try to keep the mass and depth of the neck smaller than it would normally be with the wider neck. Did anyone get the pick guard and if so, how do you like it?

Let me know what you think. Thanks.

Keith Owen
Feb-06-2007, 5:33pm
Tim -

I have "F" model #27. #It has an open scroll and tapered headstock. #One piece Sitka top, one piece red maple back and sides.

I am not a great player (yet?). #As a result, I only have so many adjectives with which to work. #I can tell you that it is very, very loud in my opinion. #The tone seems quite balanced across the strings, maybe leaning a little toward the low end. #It has a very full sound on open chords, single notes ring true, and though I don't chop that well yet, it certainly has that dry, percussive sound that you look for. #Intonation is great, setup right out of the box was very nice. #

The fit and finish are to die for. #Keith will make you a mando that looks classy, yet most of all unique. #He will also tell you along the way if he thinks the mando "wants" to look different than the original plan. When we started mine, we were both thinking of a dark sunburst. When he started to finish the mando, he felt that the way the wood was taking the color was so beautiful that he did not want to cover it up with a dark sunburst. I trusted him on it and couldn't be more pleased with how it came out.

I think based on both tone and aesthetics you would be hard pressed to equal Keith's work without spending considerably more.

fwoompf
Feb-06-2007, 6:52pm
I have a Newell A myself but I just wanted to say that 1 3/16 is pretty big...1/4 would be too much almost.

I like my pick guard. I'm actively trying to work a way to build whacking it into percussion stuff. The technique lends itself to some interesting syncopation.

I'm horrible at describing tone but I have a thread on the first page of the post your instrument picture forum and I posted a sound clip in there.

Keith Owen
Feb-06-2007, 8:40pm
Garnet, that is a pretty mando and some darn fine pickin' too. By the way mine is 1-1/8" at the nut and I would not want it any wider.

fwoompf
Feb-06-2007, 10:38pm
Garnet, that is a pretty mando and some darn fine pickin' too. #By the way mine is 1-1/8" at the nut and I would not want it any wider.
Thanks barney! Mine is 1-3/16 and it reminds me of what Tim O'Brien says about his nugget - "Neck as wide as a baseball bat"

That's what I wanted though, and I love it http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

tterral
Feb-06-2007, 11:02pm
Yeah, I will probably go with the 1-3/16" neck, seems like it would be the wiser choice. Being a guitar player I think the wider neck would be helpful.

tterral
Feb-07-2007, 1:07pm
Garnet,

I have to second the nice looking mandolin, very nice. Enjoyed your tunes as well, nice pickin'. In listening to the tone of your mandolin, it sounds like it is more on the balanced, cutting and clear spectrum as opossed to the woody/dry spectrum - would you agree with that? Very nice tone. I am looking for something that has that warm, woody tone (chunky chop), as well as clear and cutting (I guess I want it all), would you describe yours like this. A lot of the sound clips I hear seem to be on the bright side, which I think is probably related to the compression of the files.

fwoompf
Feb-07-2007, 2:55pm
Sure, I'd agree with that...talk to Keith about wood combinations and what they can do to the sound. For what it's worth mine is Sitka on the top, big leaf maple on the back (one piece) and sides.

Keith Owen
Feb-07-2007, 3:01pm
Tim - I think my "F" has the qualities you are looking for. #It has the same top wood (Sitka) as Garnet's but different (red maple)back and sides...maybe that adds to the chop, I dunno, but mine is dry and woody when you drive it that way.

Mine is the bottom instrument on his "F" page on his website.

tterral
Feb-07-2007, 4:46pm
Beautiful mandolin Barney. It is a little hard to tell if the top has a burst finish or what, really like the color. I think the Snakehead headstock looks nice and is a little different. That is the headstock I would probably go with on my 'F'. Would kind of like a tradition scroll headstock, but I don't think Keith makes anything but his modified version. I will ask him about that. Is the scroll a little different on yours than his standard scroll? When I talked to Keith he said that for the sound I wanted I would probably want to go with the Adirondack top with big leaf or quilted maple back and sides, as the red maple is brighter. Garnet's mandolin sounds just like he described that wood combination and it sounds great, just wanting a little more wood/dry tone in mine

Keith Owen
Feb-07-2007, 8:29pm
No, it is not a burst. It is a uniform color, it's jus that in the middle the wood took the stain a little less when he rubbed it. I think it looks great and allows the grain of the wood to really pop out when you see it in person. The scroll is an open scroll, Monteleone-ish or Weber Gallatin-ish. I like the tapered headstock a lot. Keith's half-moon headstock is unique but just isn't my cup of tea.

His traditional scrolls as seen on the blonde mando on his website are very nice. If you want a traditional headstock, or maybe his take on traditional, , I bet he'd do it.

If he says that wood combo will work for you then go for it. He knows his stuff, I barely know what I am talking about!

Here's a couple different pictures I have here on my home machine.

Keith Owen
Feb-07-2007, 8:30pm
Whole thing

Keith Owen
Feb-07-2007, 8:32pm
Backside.

mandolooter
Feb-07-2007, 11:49pm
that is a sharp scroll!