Ellis #140

[bcoryh]

Hi All,

I just wanted to share some pictures of my Ellis #140 Special. What a wonderful instrument. Clear, loud, articulate, balanced, pure.... I could go on. The neck is a dream and the workmanship absolutely flawless.

I had the pleasure of hearing Steve Smith play it the other day - what a treat. He sure can make it sing.

Tom Ellis is a class act -- you won't find a better person.

Here is a link to some hi-rez photos:

http://web.me.com/cory_hawryluk/Site_2/Ellis_140.html

Cory Hawryluk

[R. Kane]

Nice mandolin, and nice photographs. An Ellis F5 is a permanent cure for MAS - it is for me anyway. I played Steve's last summer, and spent the fall and winter selling stuff to come up with the $. The way mine feels, and sounds, and looks, there doesn't seem to be any reason for another mandolin. Curious if you agree. Did you order with the silver hardware/no pickguard?

[Chris Biorkman]

Congrats. I love mine too.

[bcoryh]

The way mine feels, and sounds, and looks, there doesn't seem to be any reason for another mandolin. Curious if you agree. Did you order with the silver hardware/no pickguard?
I share your enthusiasm for Tom's instruments! I did request it with the silver hardware, and it came with a very nice bound pickguard which is easily removed.

[sgarrity]

That's a beautiful mandolin. I've only played one of Tom's but it was very, very good. Looking forward to playing Steve's tomorrow night!

[Chris Biorkman]

I share your enthusiasm for Tom's instruments! I did request it with the silver hardware, and it came with a very nice bound pickguard which is easily removed.

The only thing I would change about mine is the unbound pickguard. It just doesn't look right to me. I'm not sure I dislike it enough to request a bound one though.

I don't think anyone builds a more beautiful, finely crafted mandolin than Tom. They are fantastic in every respect and are an absolute joy to play. He is defintely among the building elite.

[Bob Stolkin]

Just lovely. How would you describe the Ellis sound?

[red7flag]

In the Collings camp, by that I mean the newer sound, but with way more bass and complexity. While my Ellis was getting fixed, I played the Collings a great deal and came to appreciate that instrument again, but once the Ellis returned, there was really no comparison as far as tone. This is no knock on Collings, more a reflection on how good the Ellis is. I bought the Ellis soon after buying the Collings MF5. Normally after buying a class instrument like the MF5, I would have put buying a new instrument on hold, but the Ellis just sold me. The instrument that I think sounds closest to me that I have played is an older Will Kimble F5.

[bcoryh]

The tone is very articulate and clean. Individual notes just ring for ages. It has a strong fundamental and you truly hear chords as a combination of individual notes. The E and A strings are glorious. They seem to chime forever. The D and G strings are very balanced. There is plenty of bottom heft, but the tonal palette is not dominated by woof and thump. Up the neck, the intonation is spot-on.

It's quite loud and cuts well in a group. That said, it just shines when you are picking alone at home. Sometimes, I just like to let the notes ring to see how long they will resonate.

I have tried a variety of strings and it seems to like J74s and J75s best. Tom also likes the standard GHS on it, which I have yet to try.

Something that can't be overlooked is how easy it is to play. I have tried a lot of mandolins and the Ellis plays exceptionally well. It fits perfectly in your hands, and it frets like a dream. Tom's set-up is magic.

[Chris Biorkman]

I've also had an MF5. I currently have an Ellis F and a Kimble A. To me, the Ellis and Collings sounded very different. The Collings was very bright whereas my Ellis is a much bassier, more complex sounding instrument. The Ellis is a lot more resonant. No knock on Collings. I liked my MF-5. They just sound different to me, that's all.

[red7flag]

Chris how does the Ellis compare with your Kimble A, please?

[bcoryh]

I also owned a Collings - an MF5 Varnish -- and I would echo Chris's comparison. Heck, I owned a Kimble F, too. In my experience, the Kimble and Ellis are tonally different instruments. YMMV.

[bcoryh]

That's a beautiful mandolin. I've only played one of Tom's but it was very, very good. Looking forward to playing Steve's tomorrow night!
Steve Smith's Ellis is a beauty and his playing does it justice. That makes one of us!

[Chris Biorkman]

Just out of curiosity, what number was your Kimble and when was it made?

[bcoryh]

My Kimble was the Butch Baldassari '25 #001, a Loar replica prototype that Will originally built for Butch. Here is a link to it on Butch's website: http://www.soundartrecordings.com/bb25.shtml

I also briefly owned another Kimble F, #116, which was made in the summer of '07 (I think).

[Chris Biorkman]

I would agree with you that Kimble and Ellis mandolins are tonally different, but I think they are both exceptional. I'm very happy with both. Your new Ellis looks really, really nice. I hope you enjoy it.

[bcoryh]

Yes, Will makes a very nice instrument, too. The only reason that I let go of my Kimble BB#1 was so that we could get it back to Butch, who had a fondness for it.

Kimble and Ellis are both great, and just a little different. You have the right approach -- one of each!

[red7flag]

The Kimble that I was comparing it too was a pre-Loar sound Kimble that I played at Cotten Music here in Nashville. I understand from the great folks here that his sound has changed quite a bit.

[Jason Kindall]

Gorgeous!

[Capt. E]

Yesterday Tom Ellis gave me a tour of his shop. Got to meet some of the staff, see the work in progress and inspect a newly finished A ready to be picked up. First class operation with some ingenious hand-made jigs and forms.
Some people don't know that Tom does ALL the inlay work for Collings, Taylor, Gibson's acoustic guitars and mandolins, and many others. He saves the best abalone for his own instruments. One F he showed me that was in the white ready to be finished had a flowerpot inlay with the most gorgeous color I have ever seen.
If you are ever in Austin give him a call and tour the shop. You'll never meet a better craftsman or a nicer guy.

J in Austin

[Michael Cameron]

I was lucky enough to get to meet Tom Ellis and gawk around his shop.
(He was not making mandolins back then.) He made me feel like we were old friends/very much at home. I recall the whole family getting ready to ride out to their favorite spot to watch a sunset.

He did make me a new nut for a Gilchrist I had back then. He did it while I talked his ear off;in about 5 minutes...perfect!

I think I,easily, coulda got a full-time position cutting pearl at that time. :))