Fair price for Lebeda F5?

[nfire]

Looks like I may be able to get my hands on one. Not sure what they usually sell for. Any feedback? Or anything else to tell me as I consider this?

Thanks!

-Nick

[Ivan Kelsall]

Is this a 'used' instrument or a new one ?. In the UK a used one would possibly sell for around the £2,000 mark or so ($3,200 US).Personally,i've owned 2 lebeda mandolins,an F5 'Premium Plus' & my current Lebeda F5 "Special" which was custom built for it's first owner.Re.the build quality of the Lebedas,it's second to none !.The attention to detail is totally first class.As for the playability,they're usually first rate as well.Tonally,i suspect as with all makers,there will be a difference between each instrument re.tone as well,so it's what pleases you.If the instrument is 'used' as i suspect,if it's in good order & if you can buy it for $3,000 or less,then IMHO,you'll have a top quality mandolin that should last you for many years.I sold the Premium Plus mandolin after i bought my Weber Fern. In my ignorance,i didn't keep it & play it long enough for it to get 'played in' & to open up.
Here's my 2 :-
Ivan

921059210792106

[Handy Hummingbird]

Another UK player here...My Lebeda Premium Plus was built in 2001; I had a refret done recently and started using a tone gard and it sounds better than ever. I shelled out £1750 for it about seven years ago, which was a complete bargain, especially as it has only improved with time. Having played other Collings mandos and a Gilchrist, my experience is that the Lebeda is often better or as good as high end models, especially after a decent set up and some playing-in.

[nfire]

Thanks Ivan and Handy!!! you guys rock. Follow up question. Would this be a good mando for a bluegrasser? Woyld have a trial run with it before buying but interested to hear what you guys have to say. Thanks!

[nfire]

This would be a used mando.

[lenf12]

This would be a great bluegrass mandolin!! Lebeda developed his mandolins in response to the growing bluegrass craze in Europe. It must however be the sound you are personally seeking for your "sound". Play it and if it meets your sonic expectations, buy and don't look back.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Pete Jenner]

This would be a great bluegrass mandolin!! Lebeda developed his mandolins in response to the growing bluegrass craze in Europe. It must however be the sound you are personally seeking for your "sound". Play it and if it meets your sonic expectations, buy and don't look back.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL


I'd love to hear some original Russian Bluegrass tunes like 'Foggy Gulag Breakdown' or 'Paddy on the Trans Siberian Railroad'. :)

[Ivan Kelsall]

Handy - Mine was also built in 2001,it's number 86 & custom built for it's first US owner by the man himself. For info. - there was a fairly recent thread in the builder's section re.Jiri Lebeda.Through the kindness of a fellow 'Cafe member who has a luthier friend in the Czech.Republic,i managed to contact Jiri. He's still building,but only 'to order'.There was a post on here by a 'Cafe member in Europe. He'd met Jiri Lebeda & Jiri told him that his current instruments were better than ever - or words to that effect. Currently my biggest regret is that i can't afford to have him build me a new one.I suspect that his new instruments will be as good as any out there. If anybody wishes to contact Jiri,even if it's to express thanks for building such great instruments,here's his e-mail address :- jiri.lebeda@email.cz,
Re.being a 'good instrument for Bluegrass' - totally !!!.
Len - Jiri began building mandolins because as a player himself,he couldn't buy a decent instrument in a country that was then part of the Soviet Union.With a great tradition of making instruments of the Violin family in Czechoslovakia (as it was),Jiri simply applied those skills & built his first instrument.Word got round & the rest as they say is history.
Having read the comments above,it seems i'm not alone in having a very high regard for Jiri's mandolins.As much as i love my Weber Fern for it's 'own sound',my Lebeda is as close to the tone of the finest mandolins i've heard to date,
Ivan;)

[swampstomper]

@Blackheathn: Jiri is Czech, not Russian. He is a really good resophonic guitarist (he built those too). His mandolins are all good, some are excellent (the ones he did more hand-carving and fitting on). I have an A5 (see avatar) which is a first-class instrument.

@nfire: I bought a new F5 (a no-frills model but with a gorgeous "pumpkin sunburst" finish) from him a few years ago here in Europe and then thinned my mandolin herd by selling it in upstate NY for $2850 IIRC, cash transaction (my son exchanging bills for mando in a supermarket parking lot in Manlius NY!). The buyer was super happy with it. As for current prices, the whole market is down but depending on how fancy the mando is you can pay in the $2200 -- $3600 range, that would be (to my mind) a fair price.

@Ivan: A historical quibble: Czechoslovakia was never a "soviet republic" of the USSR, it was a "captive nation" of the eastern bloc.

[Pete Jenner]

Yeah it was a joke. You remember jokes?

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Swampy - Thanks for shooting me down !. :))Czechoslovakia was a country behind what was named 'The Iron Curtain',prior to the collapse of the Soviet Union 'as it used to be'. Am i correct in thinking that it was your good self who met up with Jiri,& it was to you that he mentioned the quality of his new instruments ?,
Ivan;)
92149

[Handy Hummingbird]

Thanks for the info Ivan, I may well drop him a line! I don't actually know anything about the original owner of my Lebeda, number 52 - if anyone out there has any leads that'd be great! I purchased it from the Acoustic Music company back in 2006.

nfire - As for it's suitability in bluegrass: I currently play in a four piece band with guitar, banjo, double bass and mandolin. The Lebeda cuts through perfectly, and barks impressively on the chop. I'd say it errs more on the modern tone, and isn't particularly woody on the low end, but crisp and clear.

[swampstomper]

@Ivan, I've met Jiri quite a number of times at EWOB when he was still building "mass market" (relatively) instruments. I visited him in Prague when he was still living there (he's relocated to the mountains now) and picked up a mandola he had built for me. The last time I saw him, I think 2009 at EWOB, is when he told me his plans to relocate and refocus his business on exceptional instruments -- his words were something like "sell all your current Lebedas so you can buy one of my new ones". I have not seen or heard any of his new instruments so I can't say if they are better or not. All I know is it would be very very hard to do better than my A5 Master Model, to my ears.

@Blackheathn, I doubt many Czechs would appreciate your "joke".

[Pete Jenner]

The 'joke' wasn't directed at Czechs ...or Russians or any other nationality mate. It was merely a light hearted joke regarding the concept of eastern and European bluegrass in general. Geez - I normally don't have to explain them I just tell them.

[Ron McMillan]

The 'joke' wasn't directed at Czechs ...or Russians or any other nationality mate. It was merely a light hearted joke regarding the concept of eastern and European bluegrass in general. Geez - I normally don't have to explain them I just tell them.

It might have helped if it was funny.

[Pete Jenner]

It might have helped if it was funny.

Fair comment.

[lenf12]

I'd love to hear some original Russian Bluegrass tunes like 'Foggy Gulag Breakdown' or 'Paddy on the Trans Siberian Railroad'. :)

In Blackie's defense, funny or not, he did use a smiley icon so I took it as an attempt at humor. Not being Czech or even eastern European, I was not offended and (for those of you who know him) hope that I didn't mischaracterize Jiri's intentions for starting to build mandolins in the first place. In my limited experience with Lebeda mandolins, I am quite impressed their quality and value.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Pete Jenner]

Thanks Len. Apologies if I offended anyone. Especially Jiri.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Swampy - Honestly,if i had the cash,i'd be first in line for one of Jiri's new build instruments. My current 'Special' was built by Jiri himself for Jeff Cowherd,the J.Bovier mandolin guy as a 'showpiece' mandolin when JC was Jiri's main US dealer. If his 'new build' instruments are 'only' as good as the one i've got,i'd still buy another,
Ivan

[Willie Poole]

I have a good friend that had a killer Gibson mandolin and he played it for years and then at one fedtival I ran into him after he played on the stage and said to him that his Gibson was sounding better than ever and he opened his case and let me see what he was playing and it was a newer Lebeda, I couldn`t believe it because the only one I had ever seen before sounded like it had a wet rag stuffed inside of it, this fellow told me he had never seen one that sounded as good as the new ones that Jiri is building...

So with that I would say it is worth looking into buying it and hope that you get a "return policy" just in case it isn`t what all of us say it should be....

Best of luck if you do buy it....

Willie

[FatBear]

If his 'new build' instruments are 'only' as good as the one i've got,i'd still buy another,

When did his "new build" series start? I read that he "recently" downsized his operation and is making them all himself, presumably to very high standards.

I mostly play old timey, Italian, and some pathetic attempts at Celtic. I play very little bluegrass. I do not know what "bark" or "chop" mean. I just play my own little solo act in the living room and I have no intention to vary from that. I recently saw a ten year old Lebeda F5 for what seems like a very good price. Would it likely have the disposition for my style of music? How was the quality of these production instruments?

Thanks.

[swampstomper]

FatBear, the new builds are from a few years ago and continuing now. These are all one-man builds (Jiri); the old builds were partly out-sourced to other craftsmen in the Prague area and finished up by Jiri -- that would be the 10-year old instrument (I have a 2005 A5 Master Model from that period -- see avatar). Then the old-old builds were some of the Stelling brand. All of these are from OK to excellent. He experimented with different woods, gradations, headstocks, body shapes over the years so there is quite a difference in individual instruments. They are all quality instruments which will give a lifetime of pleasure -- but for your (or anyone's) style it's important to try the individual instrument. Some Lebedas have the "bark", others are more jazz-oriented.

[Ivan Kelsall]

FatBear - Try the Lebeda you saw & see how it suits your playing style & musical genre - you've nothing to loose !. The only thing that i'll add to Swampy's remarks above,is that the Lebeda build standard is second to none. Weber instruments have a deserved reputation for build quality,but in some aspects,my Lebeda makes my Weber Fern look cheap(ish).Tiny attention to detail is almost a trademark of Jiri's build quality,
Ivan