Stanley vs Passernig

[dorenac]

I may be ready to upgrade my mandolin and am looking at both Stanley and Passernig instruments. I play a variety of styles so I want something that can cross over from bluegrass to jazz to a bit of old tyme, etc. And of course with that in mind there will be compromises. If a generalization is made then I would say I want good clear, even articulation across treble to bass, perhaps with a bit stronger bias towards the bass end.
Both of these two makers have fine reputations so there's no question about quality of mandolin here. I've found an early #16 Stanley for sale, no Passernigs right now--but I can wait. To sum it up I would like to hear from owners or past owners of both as to their experiences with the sound and tone these two mandolins.
Thanks

[Mike Bunting]

I am more than satisfied with Stanley #20. While designed for a real Loar-like bluegrass tone, I use it for oldtime and anything else I might play. #20 has great tone and playability. I've never played or heard a Passernig but I was speaking to Doyle Lawson a couple of years ago and he spoke quite highly of them.

[dorenac]

Of the Stanley, I've heard and read that it has that "Loar" tone. I'm unsure what that means. Is it referring to a more balanced emphasis on bass, mid, and treble? I think the only Loar I've really listened to is Mike Marshall's which is a fine, smooth tone, 86+ years notwithstanding.

[Mike Bunting]

More focussed on the midrange. There are lots of Loars to listen to, Bill Monroe, John Reischman, Frank Wakefield to begin with, lots more.

[Andrew B. Carlson]

Never heard a Passernig, but I'll second that Mike's Stanley sounds very nice. My first impression was noticing how much air it seemed to move on the low end. Very thumpy in my mind and wonderful.

[pickloser]

I've played quite a few Passernig's, brought to Kaufman camp from Smokey Mountain guitars. Very, very impressive. Full, round tone, in the Loar camp. If I didn't love my Phoenix. . . . Just by chance, I was this morning discussing Passernig with my mandolin friend at work (Hutto man). A mutual friend of ours--excellent mandolinist--just bought an F, and he is wild about it. The Hutto guy also thought it was a great mandolin. I'm looking forward to getting a go on it.

[OldGus]

Passernig A5 FTW IMO YMMV.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyiMpmsMy_0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adEiFNqdoFU.But then again I like THAT Altman, every example is a bit different. Based on price I'd go for the A5, they all sound great. You might call Fiddler's Green to see when one is due to come in, it's been a while...

[jhbaylor]

I just traded an '06 Passernig for a 2012 Stanley last month. They are both great mandolins, but very different. Stanley is a great Loar-style mandolin, while the Passernig was a bit more modern sounding. Passernig had wonderful mids and trebles, and maybe a bit less bassy. These are completely subjective obviously. The Stanley has a more traditional Gibson F5 "look" and that also influenced my decision - pure vanity on that part of it. Ultimately the Passernig fingerboard was a bit cramped for me due to the radius, I wanted a flat board, so that is just personal preference. I think you would be happy with either one. I played the Passernig almost daily for 5 years and it took me that long to find another mandolin I liked better in the same price ballpark. I was a bit reluctant to give up the Passernig because I really liked it but I have no regrets, the Stanley is a loud, cutting, balanced mandolin that gets better each day I play it. I am not used to it yet, but I really like it.
Hope this helps.
JB