Anyone have any comments about the new J Bovier mandolins?

[mandobassman]

A good friend of mine just bought a J Bovier F5T Vintage Satin mandolin. I was completely blown away by the tone and volume of this mandolin. It has a beautiful warm, rich tone and volume to spare. What amazed me even more is that it only cost $800. Can anybody share some thoughts on their experiences with J Bovier. Is this just an exceptional model or are they pretty consistent? I had heard some good things about them but never expected it to sound this good. I'm considering buying one and would like to have some input about them. Thanks!

Also, I would love to read some comments about the A5X, which is the X-Braced A5 model. How different is the sound of the X bracing compared to tone bar F5 model.

[Chris Reber]

I own the F5 Studio which is the cheaper version of the F5T (bought mine for $650). All in all I've been very impressed considering the price. A lot of people I play with at jams play Eastman 815s and 915s, and I think the J Bovier's tone is easily on par with them.

I have started to notice some of the cheaper construction elements of the mandolin becoming problematic (after a year of very hard use). The tuners were never particularly good to begin with and one eventually broke, leading to me replacing them with Grovers. Not a huge expense or anything, but a little inconvenient nonetheless. Also I've started noticing some serious fret wear, which is disappointing after only having it a year. Not sure if they used a cheaper material for fret wire or what (maybe I just press too hard... I am a long-time bassist!). These things may be less of an issue on the higher up models, but I don't know anyone who owns one so I can't say for sure.

All that said, I like my mandolin a lot. For the price, I couldn't have asked for a better starter/beater instrument. I imagine their higher end models would be very satisfying instruments for a professional player, but that's just speculation since I've never gotten my hands on one. I'd be curious to hear from anyone who has experience with the F5 Special or F5Z.

[mfalkner]

I have a jBovier F5 Vine circa 2008-9. It's very playable and has a nice tone, but not just tremendous volume. Still, overall sound quality is as good as any Eastman I've played and a little more full than most Kentucky's until you get well over $1000. It is what it is, the neck fits my hand pretty well so I keep playing it. My next trip up to TN, I plan to drop it by Steve's for a little voodoo and see if he can awaken something more in it.

Regarding durability, the tuners are kind of sketchy. They hold well but are not smooth to operate. I've had zero issues with fretwear, but I don't have a real heavy hand either. I love the satin finish, and the fit/finish on mine is very good for the price point including the vine inlay on the fingerboard (see a pic on the Post a Picture forum here).

IMO, they are hard to beat for both tone and aesthetics for under a grand. Before I'd pay much more than that, I'd look for a good used Weber or F-9.

[Chris Reber]

It's very playable and has a nice tone, but not just tremendous volume.

+1 for this comment. That about sums it up: good tone, feels pretty good to play, but not particularly loud in an ensemble setting.