Ode (Givens) mandolins

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

After buying Ode banjos, Baldwin/Gretsch just used the name "Ode" on its mandos. But these Ode mandos are a bargain because they were designed by Robert L. Givens, who along with Tut Taylor, supervised the construction of these mandos and did most of the difficult work. Givens later made Givens mandos, which are some of the best ever made. Tut Taylor went on to start Crafters of Tennessee, another builder of fine instruments.

IMH but infallible O, the Ode (Givens) A body with f-holes is the real bargain.
They are usually priced at about $1,500 Ameros. That's not much more than the A
body with an oval hole, but to my ears the A body with f holes sounds a lot
better. The Ode (Givens) F bodies (came only with f holes as far as I know) seem
to be priced at twice as much, but I don't think they sound twice as good as the
A body with f holes. (However, hearing varies from person to person rather like vision does.) Givens mandos cost two, three, or four times as much as Ode (Givens) mandos do.

<bad link removed by moderator. If anyone has the correct link feel free to post it>

Then click again to expand it.

There is an Ode (Givens) A body with f-holes on ebay right now, but I know nothing about that particular instrument or the seller.

[barney 59]

I get a " bad address" notification when I click the link. There has been a buy it now Ode on ebay for $1500 for practically forever. I think that price is high as apparently everyone else does. They were a pretty good mandolin when they came out in the 70's when there was very little choice but these days there are many choices in that price range that are at least that good. A Givens Legacy built by Steve Weil in Idaho is not that much more than that price and maybe that price used and closer to a real Givens.

[Spruce]

I think that price is high as apparently everyone else does.

Yep...

I've had <link removed as per Posting Guidelines (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/faq.php)> for sale for quite some time, and I'm surprised I still have it...

1.5K for a well-made 35 year old mandolin with some hours on it seems like a deal to me, but what the hell do I know? ;)

[barney 59]

An Ome is not the same thing as an Ode. Odes were a product of a production shop -(the old Grammer factory)and was an attempt at building for the trade. Omes were definitely a cut above and eventually morphed into " Nugget." I think someone should jump on that at that price.

[MikeEdgerton]

Here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?48344-OME-mandolins) is pretty much the definitive thread on Mike Kemnitzer's Ome mandolins. There's a whole lot of misinformation out there.

[Willie Poole]

I owned an Ode(Givens) A model mandolin and it had a great sound but not very loud, it recorded great...I tried off and on for years to remove some of the thick varnish from the top and each time it got a little louder but I was getting tired of doing it, rubbing with steel wool and then polishing it and re installing the bridge every time just got old so I put it up for sale and sold it right a way to a lady in Texas, she came all the way to Maryland to buy it and sure was happy to get it, I sold it about five years ago for $1000 without a case....I know it had a good sound in it but I couldn`t get the loudness I wanted....The bridge base is also very short and to buy a standard bridge it would take a lot of work to cut it down to the right size....Willie

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

Mike,
As always, thanks for the helpful info.

barney,
I've heard good things about Weill's Givens legacies, so I asked him a few years ago if he'd be interested in making a mandola, but he wasn't in a position to do so at that time. I hope he will someday. I don't think there was an R. L. Givens, or Ode, or OME mandola ever made, but I hope I'm wrong.

These youtubers give some indication of the sound difference between an Ode A with F holes vs an Ode A with an O hole:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8__GW20f__0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gGcTyQNsZY

[MikeEdgerton]

Givens mandola information (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?23909-givens-mandola&highlight=givens+mandola), or lack thereof.

[Mark Gibbs]

My Givens mandolin is one of the Tut Taylor era Givens F-5 #7562. I bought it new in 76 and have had played it all these years. I have never considered it anything other than a Givens mandolin. The label says The Givens Mandolin, not ODE. There is a long story as to the Gretech/ODE nomenclature, some of the details i have forgotten over the years. Makes me want to Google the history the mando to refresh my memory. More to come!

[barney 59]

As I understand it Steve Weill took sometime and was building snowboards or something a while back. He appears to be building mandolins again now. I don't know if he has done any mandolas. Interesting reading that Omes and Nuggets have not very much in common at all.

[H.P.]

I see that Mr. Bernunzio has an Ode Style O on his current list.

[allenhopkins]

I see that Mr. Bernunzio has an Ode Style O on his current list.

I have played that one at John's shop and IMHO it's nothing to write home about (YMMV). It's in good shape, though.

[Coy Wylie]

I recently acquired a Givens A3 and it is an awesome mandolin. I was looking for something very strong and in contrast to the Gibson sound and I found it in a Givens. It has great volume and an open airy tone that sounds great driven hard or played softly. I've never played one of the Ome/Givens but the A3 I bought it outstanding.

[Spruce]

Yep...

I've had <link removed as per Posting Guidelines (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/faq.php)> for sale for quite some time, and I'm surprised I still have it...

1.5K for a well-made 35 year old mandolin with some hours on it seems like a deal to me, but what the hell do I know? ;)

Scheech, I'm an idiot... ;)