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Paddydukes
Aug-15-2010, 1:20pm
Just wondering if anyone knows much about these mandolins? I have seen lots of other Flatiron pancakes but not much about either the 3 series, which i hear are the fanciest, and haven't seen any others with birdseye...and this thing is a little cannon! what was in the water out there Montana when they made these at "backporch productions"! If anyone knows much about it, I am still trying to figure out what to do with it...

Jim Garber
Aug-15-2010, 4:21pm
If anyone knows much about it, I am still trying to figure out what to do with it...

My advice... play the thing!! Are you trying to decide to sell it or not? it is unusual. I don't recall many of those. Mostly I see the oval holes.

Paddydukes
Aug-16-2010, 9:34pm
Part of me is trying to decide whether to sell it or not, the other part of me says "don't be an idiot!" I was unable to find ANY information about any other 3SB out there on the Cafe ( or the full on internet!), the closest was a 2 series that a miss Maggie from Alaska had that had a very similar looking but not quite the same...but until then I have been playing it...its a pretty incredible little mando!

frankenstein
Aug-16-2010, 11:23pm
Incredible and rare.. i'd keep it.

sgarrity
Aug-16-2010, 11:29pm
If you like the sound of it, then keep it and play it. If not, sell it. You don't see many of these for a reason. I've played two and they were interesting beasts. Flattops and ff holes just don't seem to work very well together. YMMV, etc.....

Maggie Jones
Aug-22-2010, 11:16pm
In regard to above post: To quote the Count of Monte Cristo:"Perhaps you should get out more!" These little mandos sing their hearts out. I believe the reason that more weren't made is because the man who crafted them just took another trail.

bobbyburns
Aug-23-2010, 8:07am
That's pretty cool. I have never seen one of those either.
By the way, flattops can work just fine with "F" holes, if the design is right. When they fail it's usually because of one of two things. Either the maker used a flattop round hole brace design, and just randomly decided cut "F" holes in it, or they used an arch top design and just randomly put a flat top on it. It's the random design process that doesn't work well, not the "F" holes.
Since I haven't seen one like yours, I can't really say if it worked or not, but if it's been around 30 years and it still plays good, I'd say your OK to trust it.

sgarrity
Aug-23-2010, 12:58pm
You're right Maggie. I've only owned 10 Flatiron pancake instruments and currently have two more, a mandola and an octave mando. I definitely need to "get out more." Ha!

If you enjoy your mandolin, then great. Play the heck out of it. But it is possible through a lot of expeience that someone will have a different opinion than you. Keep pickin' :mandosmiley:

96tele
Dec-22-2011, 7:08pm
Amazing. I worked at Back Porch Productions in 80/81 and probably built the body for this very mandolin.

mrmando
Dec-22-2011, 10:35pm
Cool.

There are lots and lots of Style 3 instruments out there ... just not very many in sunburst or with F holes. The Flatiron product line saw changes over the years, as with any instrument maker who operates on almost any kind of scale.

fatt-dad
Dec-22-2011, 11:01pm
Yes, the "3" series are out there. 1980s is early though. Also, the f-hole version of this mandolin is quite odd. I've seen like 3 of these f-hole pancakes.

I just love my 84 1N. I'd love to play this mandolin just to see how it compares to the oval hole version.

f-d

DerTiefster
Dec-23-2011, 2:20am
There is a sound clip posted in a hidden place on the cafe from one of these f-hole pancakes. If you ask nicely, I'll tell you where it is. Or you could look in the compulsive purchase thread. As fatt-dad says, there may be only 2 or 3 of these mandolins in existence. Sort of like the carved top Flatiron mandolas, of which I have seen actual mention of only one, but they were listed as catalog items.

Nathan Sanders
Dec-24-2011, 11:46pm
Paddy, I had one of those flat top f-hole mandos for a short time. Great, woody sound. And I don't mind sharing my hidden sound clip DerTiefster mentioned, with a picture of the mandolin. Although, I do not remember mine having the great looking back like yours. If you decide at some point you want to sell it, let me know. I might be interested. But if you like it, keep it! Here's a link to my clip:

Flatiron F-holed Flat Top Sound Clip (http://www.nathansanders.org/flatmando.htm)

DerTiefster
Dec-25-2011, 12:16am
And a Merry Christmas to all.

Yes, I should have put a little more effort into the answer when I made that post, but I couldn't remember Nathan's name at the time, nor exactly where in that voluminous and information-packed thread (nearly 1000 posts) the pointer to Nathan's f-hole Flatiron clip link was. If the interested reader wants to look, it's around post #942
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?3496-Compulsive-purchase-Flatiron-1N&p=723405&viewfull=1#post723405
with some pics of his instrument a little earlier. The clip is Nathan's. I'd seen references a sound clip of his (which was no longer actively llinked, as I recall) and asked him to renew the link. He kindly did so, and that pointer is still active. Thank you Nathan.

96tele
Dec-27-2011, 3:42pm
When I worked at Backporch I built myself a koa mandolin that had koa top/sides/back with hot dots installed under the bridge. The neck had an ebony fingerboard and a 5 piece laminated with koa and flamed maple. I had to sell it for food money in 1985. I wish I could get it back.