Goldtone GM-70

[dobro2407]

I've been offered a Goldtone GM-70 for a pretty good price but I can't find any reviews of this. Well none that haven't been written by the distributor anyway. Does anyone have any experience of this mando? The spec looks reasonable. I'll get to try it next week so I'll see how playable it is. It's being offered at £150 off list so I'm tempted.

Any thoughts anyone? :mandosmiley:

[allenhopkins]

Never played one. Only offering an opinion based on general satisfaction with Gold Tone instruments; I own a cello banjo, "banjola" (mandola body, 5-string banjo neck), and piccolo banjo made by Gold Tone. Their instruments are Asian-made, but inspected and shop-adjusted in the US. I've been impressed with their quality for the price. Gold Tone has carved out a niche, by being willing to manufacture "specialty" instruments, like mandolin-banjos, ukulele-banjos, "banjolas" etc. The GM-70 is all solid woods, has a "carved" (not necessarily "hand-carved") top, and sells for around $600 in the US. Gold Tone has also been licensed to build Rigel mandolins and Beard resonator guitars in Asia, using designs and specs from these respected US builders -- not to say that the Gold Tone instruments are equivalent to the originals built by Rigel and Beard!

So, insofar as one might judge from overall manufacturer quality, I'd speculate that a Gold Tone mandolin would be a respectable Asian import. I strongly agree with your plan to get the GM-70 and give it a tryout before purchase, though.

[Jim]

I haven't played the GM70 but I played a Gold Tone oval hole A at a jam a few weeks ago and it was a nice instrument.

[dobro2407]

For anyone who's interested here's a pic


64586

[pyrrho]

Hi guys,
I'm new to the forum and new to mandolins. I've just bought a used Gold Tone GM70 with a rosewood neck and abalone dots (which I can still return). This is a one of a kind, as it is supposed to be ebony with the fancy decoration, and the rosewood neck with abalone dots is supposed to be only on the GM60, now discontinued. Otherwise, the mandolin has all the same appointments as a GM70: gloss finish and gold hardware. My question is: will this difference in the neck affect its resale value, if I had to sell it years down the road? I know that with guitars, it probably would. Is this the same with mandolins?

[Folkmusician.com]

I wouldn't worry too much about the fingerboard or inlays. This kind of thing comes up all the time. Often no one catches it until it makes it to a dealer or the customer. Will it affect resale value? Maybe, but if it plays well and everything else looks good, keep it. :)

[Hazelnut]

This is a clone of my own mandolin - a Vintage VFM300VSB. Identical in every detail, except for the brand name on the headstock! But all the specs match mine, as do the fret inlays and the design on the headstock.

I'm delighted with mine. The tuners are grovers, the fingerboard and bridge are radiused, it's all solid wood and (once you change the stock strings!) is just a joy to play.

One of the better Chinese exports. If anyone's in the market for this Gold Tone (or the Vintage), the following website gives all the specs and a video of how it sounds:

http://www.goldtone.com/products/details/w/instrument/90/GM-70+-GM-70+-Mandolin

[Eddie Sheehy]

A friend of mine picked one up at NAMM. I played it last weekend. I was surprised, it didn't need a set up - action was great, intonation was good, nice tone, clear sound. The appontments: Pickguard, Allen-style tailpiece, Grover Tuners, fit & finish, ornate fretmarkers, ivoroid binding, radiused ebony fretboard, solid woods, were all very well done. The list seems to be $1,010 and the street -with a gigbag - just over $700. A really good price for an F5, makes it a contender for the 'F5 under 1K' award...

[Steve Jones]

A friend of mine picked one up at NAMM. I played it last weekend. I was surprised, it didn't need a set up - action was great, intonation was good, nice tone, clear sound. The appontments: Pickguard, Allen-style tailpiece, Grover Tuners, fit & finish, ornate fretmarkers, ivoroid binding, radiused ebony fretboard, solid woods, were all very well done. The list seems to be $1,010 and the street -with a gigbag - just over $700. A really good price for an F5, makes it a contender for the 'F5 under 1K' award...

Tried the Goldtone GM-70 at NAMM with the owner of Goldtone. We compared all his mandolins and banjos. Fell in love with the GM-70. It really "speaks" well, even in the noisy environs at NAMM. The sound is great and the look is superb. A true delight in an affordable price category.

[cayuga red]

Tried the Goldtone GM-70 at NAMM with the owner of Goldtone. We compared all his mandolins and banjos. Fell in love with the GM-70. It really "speaks" well, even in the noisy environs at NAMM. The sound is great and the look is superb. A true delight in an affordable price category.

That is really good news. The quality of "affordable" instruments continues to rise. Thanks for posting!