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Avi Ziv
Nov-28-2004, 8:50pm
Hi,

I saw this item on eBay eBay link (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3764436107&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:1)

Can anyone post some first hand experience or familiarity with these instruments?

Thanks,
Avi

otterly2k
Nov-29-2004, 9:37am
No, but I saw the ad too... I emailed the luthier and suggested that he visit these boards. From the looks of it, he's making solid wood 'dolas and OM's, handmade (and willing to do custom work) at a fairly low price point by selling direct rather than to retailers... He also claims to have a pretty short waiting period. Of course, if he gets a lot of business, that may change...

I'd love to hear from someone who has played one of these. If they are any good, they'd make a fine alternative to the mass produced models that are currently occupying that price range...

KE

bones
Feb-22-2005, 11:53pm
i received one of daunt's mandolas for christmas and can say I am very happy with his work. i got it as a gift from my loving wife (god bless her), so I can't say what the cost was, but I know the turn around time was a month, not inc. shipping.

otterly2k
Feb-23-2005, 11:10am
bones-- can you say more about the instrument? woods? tone? scale? action?

bones
Feb-23-2005, 8:24pm
I got a mandola with a 20 1/4 inch scale length (long for a mandola - had to get a tenor banjo case to fit it). #it's got a cedar top which gives a warm creamy tone and indian rosewood back and sides. #two-tone binding around the top. #the set-up was fine except for a tiny adjustment on the bridge for intonation. #the neck is mahogany with a rosewood fingerboard and an adjustable truss rod. it is a bolt on neck. #it plays real nice, is well made and smells awesome. #it was loud enough to cut through a decent bluegrass jam. #i wish I could post an mp3 that I recorded when i first got it. #i sent it to Daunt so he could hear it played - he was happy the mandola had found a good home. # #
It is my first mandola, so I'm not really an expert - I'd never heard one before. #I've played many a fine mandolin in lots of semi-pro settings though, so I like to think I have a decent ear! #Also, I should say I don't know Daunt - never heard of him before this instrument. #His business is a little spin-off of Garrison guitars - that's all I know!

steve V. johnson
Feb-23-2005, 8:59pm
Thanks for the mandola info, bones!!

It appears that Daunt does really nice work. I had a little correspondence with him after seeing his three OMs on eB**, and I'm really intrigued with his work. When I sell a couple of microphones I may buy one! <G>

The only thing I found odd was the severe angle of the bridges in the pics. I asked D about it and he replies with a sort of standard primer on intonation, but if those angles are necessary for proper intonation, that suggests that his fret math might be a bit off. I hope not, and the bridge in the mandola pic here looks much more usual, at a more standard angle.

It also looks like D makes his bridges from a three-piece laminated section that he carves, and I'm very impressed with that!

The Buy It Now price for a Sapele/spruce OM was $519 and the Rosewood/cedar was $589. Now that's tempting!! Right down there with the cookie-cutter Pacific Rim stuff in price, but clearly nicer in construction.

Thanks,

steveV (now I've done it... the wait will be over a year for one soon.... <GG>)

otterly2k
Feb-23-2005, 9:55pm
Thanks bones...
at 20.25" scale, that COULD be a short OM or a 'dola, depending on how you string it, and where its sweet spots are...

And Stv...the grass is still probably greener around your Crump if you think about it...*(-; Not that it isn't fun to "play the field"...
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

steve V. johnson
Feb-26-2005, 9:36pm
<<nd Stv...the grass is still probably greener around your Crump if you think about it...*(-; #Not that it isn't fun to "play the field"... >>

Girl, the TRUTH! LOL!! It's OMAS, fer real. When I have a big bagful of $$ I'll ask Bill Bussman to make me a C# OM.

Well, we just finished the Culchies CD, so you'll get to hear this Crump sometime soon. The Dervish and Teada CDs have 'em, too, but I left all the bass of it (very old strings...) on this recording.

Peace, Otter!

stv