Danny Ferrington

[Ken]

Watched the movie the Ladykillers with Tom Hanks with my wife the other night (on DVD). One of the bonus features was a long interview with luthier Danny Ferrington and included a look at a mandolin he's building for Tom Hanks. I liked a lot of what he said in the interview and wondering if anyone had info our pictures about his mandolins. A friend of mine does have the book about his work that came out about ten years ago and I'll also take a look at that when I'm down there next.
Ken.

[johnsmusic]

I believe that Danny studied under Randy Wood when Randy was in Nashville, so he should be able to build a pretty nice mando. John

[ManjoMan]

Tom Hanks plays mandolin? That's incredible. I like
his acting and have seen most of his movies, but to
find out he plays the mando - I'll have to see all
his movies now. I wonder if he is a member of
the MandolinCafe? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Moose]

Manjoman..: YUP!! - my interest is really "piqued" now ; Everybody picks...; a mandolin in every pot!! ; maybe he'll get MAS , get real serious.., become a Bluegrass fanatic ...; an' drop outta' the Actor's Union...mmmmmmm!!!http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif

[delsbrother]

Did the mando in question look like a traditional F or A, or was it like his guitar shapes? I'm a fan of his wonky Kramer stuff (well, the shapes at least..). I'd be cool if there were Kramer-esque emandos out there.

[mandroid]

A number of years ago I found a book 'Ferrington Guitars' harper-collins 92,
[Isbn 0-06-016897-8 , included CD Isbn 0-06-099268-9] no mandolin content, but the cutaway violin family was interesting, as long as you are not used to locating upper positions over the body edge.

[mrmando]

Fellow named Larry Sledge plays a Ferrington electric mandolin, more or less a Mandocaster copy from what I understand. I've seen pictures of an F5-ish Ferrington acoustic if memory serves.

Also check out this
dissertation (http://www.mandozine.com/resources/CGOW/ostroushko.php) by Peter Oustroushko on a Ferrington he once owned.

[Ken]

That's quite a story about Peter Oustroushko's Ferrington, hard to believe but I can sure see it happening. I guess when you are using anything as your template you'd better check it our first, even a Loar.

delsbrother - the shape was not tradional, I don't know what his guitars look like, but this could be like them. Sort of an upper body "horn" instead of a scroll, also the body was deeper than normal. It was an oval hole, too. Also the neck joint was more like an electric with no heel on the neck and the neck fitting into a mortise along the top of the mando.

Ken.

[Professor PT]

I have that book, too. I recall him saying something about the fact that back in the 70's, he built an F style mandolin and was quite proud of the accomplishment, but a friend told him to work on his own original ideas/ designs instead. I guess he took that to heart. He built a couple of instruments for Elvis Costello that mimic some of the F style lines, but I don't think he builds many mandolins. My guess is that if he did, they'd look somewhat like a Rigel.

[AlanN]

I believe our own august board memeber Charlie owned an F-5 built by Danny Ferrington, ain't that right?

[mrbook]

Tom Hanks plays the mandolin? I think that is what someone meant by celebrities with mandolins in a recent thread.

[delsbrother]

Finally rented this DVD, and the mandolin in question (not his F5 copies) looks very "Ferringtonesque" - double cutaway with his signature tri-oval hole and headstock shape. A lot like one of his basses shrunk to mando size.

[edit] Just finished the movie, and I gotta say the only things to recommend are the Ferrington bit and the Gospel numbers in the bonus menu. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[sunburst]

Did anybody else catch the part about the landlady having a fife made by her late husband Otha?
Seemed like a reference to Otha Turner to me. Makes me think the people that made that movie have more than a passing interest in American music.

[adgefan]

Makes me think the people that made that movie have more than a passing interest in American music.
That would be the Coen brothers who also made 'O Brother Where Art Thou'.

[delsbrother]

Ferrington F5 (already on hold). Interesting label. (http://www.vintagemandolin.com/76ferringtonf5_1.html)

[JEStanek]

Coen brothers and T Bone Burnett collaboration again. I thought the movie was great, same with the soundtrack. The bonus on Ferrington was a real plus too. The story of the fiddle was cool as well.

Jamie

[Spruce]

Danny's a great guy and a very interesting character....

I love his approach to instrument making (making a guitar for Ry Cooder in a couple hours out of a 2x4 comes to mind), and his sense of whimsy...

[Boge Quinn]

I believe our own august board memeber Charlie owned an F-5 built by Danny Ferrington, ain't that right?

Charlie Derrington was a great friend, and my mando mentor when I started playing. After MANY years of searching, I finally found Charlie's old Ferrington F5, which was THE mandolin he played during the mid to late 70s when he was coming up. Today I brought it home with me. I will cherish this mandolin for the rest of my days.

[DataNick]

Pics?

[Boge Quinn]

Very soon! Just picked her up this afternoon.

[Jeff Mando]

Charlie Derrington was a great friend, and my mando mentor when I started playing. After MANY years of searching, I finally found Charlie's old Ferrington F5, which was THE mandolin he played during the mid to late 70s when he was coming up. Today I brought it home with me. I will cherish this mandolin for the rest of my days.

Ferrington and Derrington -- what are the odds of that?

[Boge Quinn]

I always thought that an odd coincidence too. early on I thought Charlie had built it himself, not knowing who Ferrington was at the time.

[Boge Quinn]

Pics and info here:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?118269-Charlie-Derrington-s-1970s-Danny-Ferrington-F5-Mandolin

[DPrager]

There was a guy in the Seattle area with a Ferrington F5 during the 2008 -2012 time frame. We used meet at the same jams sometimes and once decided to swap mandolins for a few weeks. I got the Ferrington and he got my Bob Schneider. My memory of the Ferrington was that it was light and lightly built which made it fun to play. I do seem to remember that we were both glad to get our own instruments back:)

As far as I know that F5 is now in Ashville, NC.

dp

[mandroid]

Luthier to the LA Stars.

I got a remaindered Book on Ferrington's Guitars 20 years ago .
the interesting ones are not quotations of regular pre existing standards , like F5s

Looks like Amazon has the used book /CDs http://www.amazon.com/Ferrington-Guitars-Book-Cd-Danny/dp/0060168978

[Boge Quinn]

I ordered the book/CD used on Ebay last night!

[MikeEdgerton]

It appears there was more than one Ferrington F5. It also shows where Charlie might have picked it up.



I met Danny Ferrington in Nashville back in the mid 70's. He was working as a builder and repairman at Randy Woods old shop 'The Old Time Pickin Parlor'. He and I hit it off really well, and formed a friendship. He had just finished a F-5 copy and had strung it up when I came to town. I played it and instrument lust bit me hard. Of course that mandolin was spoken for so I asked him to make me one. He obliged, and about a year later I got my mando via the UPS truck. At first I loved it. It was a deep honey colored instrument fading into black around the edges. It had a curved fingerboard with wide frets as I asked for. Most importantly it sounded just like a good F-5 should sound like.

http://www.mandozine.com/media/CGOW/ostroushko.html


And more here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?21563-interesting-mando-on-Ebay).

[Petrus]

He likes mandos so much even his guitars look like 'em. :grin:

138322
138323

[Boge Quinn]

Thanks! I have been looking for that article.


It appears there was more than one Ferrington F5. It also shows where Charlie might have picked it up.




http://www.mandozine.com/media/CGOW/ostroushko.html


And more here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?21563-interesting-mando-on-Ebay).

[darylcrisp]

there's a real neat article with lots of pictures in an issue 31 of Fretboard Journal:

http://www.fretboardjournal.com/issue-31
www.fretboardjournal.com/features/magazine/danny-ferrington

[Dacraw54]

Time to resurrect this old thread. There's a 1976 Danny Ferrington F5 on Ebay - actually two listings for the same instrument. Ships from Japan. Seems that there are some major instruments being offloaded from Japan: A givens F5, a Gibson Goldrush, A Gibson Sam Bush etc. - all for major bucks. The headstock has an ornate "F" only, whereas Charlie's Ferrington had the full name on the headstock.
I have requested pics of any labels or signatures.

[Boge Quinn]

Wow, that's WAY cheaper than mine was, and less than half of Gruhn's appraisal of mine.

[mrmando]

https://www.ebay.com/itm/1976-Danny-Ferrington-F-5-Mandolin-Free-Shipping/283013206792?hash=item41e4e6d308:g:0sAAAOSwStdbJ2B E

That would be Ferringfun to try and Ferringflip.

[Dacraw54]

Way to put the FUN in dysFUNctional, Martin...