Fliss
Aug-19-2008, 1:34pm
I'd been thinking for a while that I'd like a really good A5 style to contrast with my Phil Davidson flat top, and I'd also admired photos I've seen here on the Cafe of Keith Newell's work. So when Keith recently advertised a beautiful used A-style in the classifieds, I pounced on it!
So this is my new mando - built by Keith in 2005, red spruce and big leaf maple. I've only had it a few days, so these are only my initial impressions but - my first impression is that it's absolutely beautiful. The quality of it just shines out, and the wood is gorgeous. I really like the look of Keith's mandolins, and this one with its clean lines and tortoise binding is no exception. I also love the one-piece tailpiece, I find this kind of taipliece much easier to use than the Gibson type, and I like the look better, too.
The tone is still developing, since it had been de-tuned for a little while before it came to me, but it's already lovely and a great contrast to my flat top, which is also lovely but in an entirely different way. The flat top's tone is rich and complex, whereas the Newell is crisper and more cutting. Both are loud and have very good sustain; the Newell is louder, I think.
The playability is also excellent, with a lovely low action and a radiused fretboard which I like.
I'm going to have some fun with this one http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Fliss
So this is my new mando - built by Keith in 2005, red spruce and big leaf maple. I've only had it a few days, so these are only my initial impressions but - my first impression is that it's absolutely beautiful. The quality of it just shines out, and the wood is gorgeous. I really like the look of Keith's mandolins, and this one with its clean lines and tortoise binding is no exception. I also love the one-piece tailpiece, I find this kind of taipliece much easier to use than the Gibson type, and I like the look better, too.
The tone is still developing, since it had been de-tuned for a little while before it came to me, but it's already lovely and a great contrast to my flat top, which is also lovely but in an entirely different way. The flat top's tone is rich and complex, whereas the Newell is crisper and more cutting. Both are loud and have very good sustain; the Newell is louder, I think.
The playability is also excellent, with a lovely low action and a radiused fretboard which I like.
I'm going to have some fun with this one http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Fliss