News from Altman Mandolins

[Scotti Adams]

Just reserved a booth at IBMA's World of Bluegrass in Nashville TENN. Sep. 30 and Oct. 1!
Please stop by, visit, and play with Herschel Sizemore who will be at our booth all day Friday and Saturday.
We will have four new Altman F5 Loar Series Mandolins with us, and Herschel will have his Loar that these Mandolins where copied from.
Look forward to seeing everyone there

[Mike Bunting]

Scotti, how do the older Altmans compare to the new ones tonally speaking?

[Scotti Adams]

Scotti, how do the older Altmans compare to the new ones tonally speaking?

Sorry..I couldnt tell you. Ive never played an Alltman...its on my Bucket List though.

Just passing on the info.

[Big Joe]

The newer Altlman's are much closer in tone to Herschel's Loar. Bob and Hershel have worked very closely to get the Loar tone in his mandolins without losing the Altman tone either. I played a number of the earlier Altman's, and they were good mandolins but not near as good as his more recent ventures. Bob has worked very hard to build a great instrument and he is a very cool guy to talk with. We got to spend some time during a couple events this past year and it was a joy to be with him. While I don't think any mandolins sounds as good as one of Herschel's Loars, Bob's mandolins are a close second.

[Buddah]

Just passing on the info.

Kind've seems from your original post that you're associated with Altman mandos...is this the case Scotti? If so, very cool; if not, well, that's OK too...

[grassrootphilosopher]

Altman mandolins better be good for the price of over 16 grand: http://altmanguitars.net/mandframe.html

In that price range you´re looking at Heiden (F-style), Red Diamond (F-style), Gilchrist (A-style), Nugget (A-style), Dudenbostel (A-style), Monteleone (? A-style)...

[Big Joe]

They are all good, but so is the Altman. Which is best? That is up to you. Pick one you like and go for it. Again, all are extremely nice instruments and will certainly be a great choice.

[AlanN]

A few pickers have Altman F-5 mandolins round here. Heard one up close and personal this past weekend. This one is maybe 1-2 years old. Terrific mandolin - clear, focused, tight, deep - everything you want in an F-5. A young man has a lefty F-5, a newer one, same qualities.

Bob has rather quickly established himself as a top-tier builder. Pricing is reflected.

[Scotti Adams]

Maybe I should clarify something. It is not me setting a booth up. It is Altman mandos. I cut and pasted this info directly from my Face Book page.

[JFDilmando]

I have two Altmans, an older two point, and a "torch and wire" of this year.... both are extrodinary mandolins... I also have a 90's Gilchrist F and two Monteleones, a two point "baby grand" and a grand artist, so I can play and compare... to my ear the Gilchrist is a joy, the Altmans are close... very very close.... while the Monteleonres follow kicking butt in the rear.... not the greatest analogy, perhaps.
Worth the $$ ? only the person who spends the $$ can say.... I just buy em, play em, and at some point pass them onto another person lucky enough to be able to "rent" them for awhile.... We are all renters ... custodians of pieces of wood and metal that can make wonderful sounds.
I have been meaning to get some pics of the "torch and wire" on the cafe, but just haven't gotten to it....

[Big Joe]

Hey John... I was in Naperville a week ago this past Sunday. I had not been there in many years. You certainly have a great collection and I would concur on your observations about the brands. While each mandolin must stand on its own, your observations would be very close to mine. Bob has done a great job of observing and listening to others and is working very hard to improve his instruments. Herschel has taken quite a bit of time to spend with Bob to help him get that little extra from his instruments. That often is the difference between good and great. It is not a long trip... but only a few can make the run. Bob certainly has.

[Brad Davis]

I was at a festival a few weeks back (Turkey Track in AR) and I met this great guy that is from Texarkana. After he finished a song me and him got to talking and I noticed he had a Gibson and I asked him what year it was ect. He had a 1991 F5-L....beautiful sounded great and he is a really great player. The next day he and I were jamming together and he asked to play mine after a little bit. I have a The Loar LM 700. I didn't think he was going to give it back to me. After a few songs he leaned over and said "Man this thing is loud". You could tell he liked it and he said so later when he left. I got to play his....First time I played a Gibson. I've only been playing for about 7 months now so I sound just as crappy on a Gibson than my The Loar. It's all about the player. The quality of the mandolin will only take you so far. I love my mandolin and it makes no sense for me to buy a Gibson at this point or any other mandolin that is in the 5-6K range. But there are some that have to have "the best" and I have seen YouTube posts of people with brand new Gibson's that can't play a C major scale. Makes no sense.
It's not just mandos. People will lease $50,000 bass boats for 30 years too when they don't have a pot to pee in and they fish 10 times a year. :)) Whatever.

[Brad Davis]

Hmmm....posted a reply on the wrong thread. I think that is a sign I need some sleep. Sorry!