What Mando does Tim O'Brien play ?

[grandmainger]

I recently bought Tim O'Brien's Two Journeys off a cafe member and I'm loving it. On track 5 (The Apple Press/The Apple Cart) O'Brien plays a mando solo intro and it has a very particular and interesting sound (which my Bean Blossom simply cannot reproduce no matter what I try!)

I'm curious about the instrument he uses for this.

You can listen to the samples
on this Amazon page (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00005OKT7/)... though the intro is not on the sample.

Cheers

Germain

[Jonathan James]

Trying to remember that cut off Two Journeys, which is one of my favorites from Tim. If he's using a mandolin, it is his Nugget (#3 or something like that). Or, if it does not sound like a standard mandolin, it could be his Corrado Bouzouki (Italian-made octave mandolin)...

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

O'Brien plays a mando solo intro and it has a very particular and interesting sound (which my Bean Blossom simply cannot reproduce no matter what I try!)
Heck, I couldn't make Tim's mandolin sound like Tim!

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[grandmainger]

Trying to remember that cut off Two Journeys, which is one of my favorites from Tim. If he's using a mandolin, it is his Nugget (#3 or something like that). Or, if it does not sound like a standard mandolin, it could be his Corrado Bouzouki (Italian-made octave mandolin)...
Thanks for that. The liner notes state that it's only a Mandolin on that track, no Bouzouki used. I'll rip a bit of the intro and will post ir here for you guys to listen to. It's awesome...
If it is a Nugget, then I have one more reason to want one!

[Mandobar]

if you watch tim's dvd lessons he plays with a fender heavy pick. he also goes into how he holds the pick, etc. a good dvd to have.

[danb]

I expect it's his Nugget A

[grandmainger]

Right, here's the 30 seconds intro sample:

The Apple Press/The Apple Cart (http://homepages.uel.ac.uk/G.Mesureur/timobrien_apple_press_cart_intro_sample.mp3)

MP3, 700kb

Have a listen, it's great picking and really cool sound!

[Jeroen]

Grandmainger, I hear no reason why it should not be his Nugget, but it is probably just played with a large, thin and pointed pick to get the specific sound. Borrow a thin electric guitar pick somewhere and you will get closer to emulating that sound. It will save you about 20,000 dollar if it works.

[grandmainger]

Borrow a thin electric guitar pick somewhere and you will get closer to emulating that sound. It will save you about 20,000 dollar if it works.
Thanks for that! I'll give it a shot, at the moment I'm picking with a golden gate, I'll try somehting else as well. Heck! I can buy a few picks for that price http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[Mandobar]

in the homespun dvd time is playing with a fender heavy clown barf pick.

[cameron]

The Nugget bass strings have what I have heard described by some Nugget players as a "nutty" sound. I had a '99 Deluxe F-style Nugget(#223) that had it too(couldn't afford to keep it....). I hear it in Tim's outstanding mandolin bass-string runs;one of my very faves is his tune "Land's End". I think that it is incredible that Nugget can get that roundness and overall balance in an instrumemnt;they really are the epitome of mandolin art IMHO.

[danb]

Not sure tim's picks, but you'll get varying amounts of treble and bass out of your mandolins with thick & thin picks. Thicker tends to draw out more of the bass, thin has a satisfying "click" to the attack. Both have their advantages. T-shell picks of the right thickness get a nice mixture of snap and bass.

Picks are cheap, buy one of each http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[Greg H.]

By all means get multiple picks and try different sounds, but I don't think Tim is changing picks here. I believe he is actually picking closer to the bridge rather than than playing only in the 'sweet spot' over the fingerboard so many of us prefer. I remember reading an interview (I think it was from Mandolin Magazine a few issues ago) where he said he liked to pick close to the bridge for a different sound. Anyway, give it a try varying the right hand attack. I tried that and it seemed closer to the sound Tim was getting (or as close as my playing's ever likely to get to his). Also, a Fender heavy is going to still be a fair bit lighter than a Golden Gate.

[grandmainger]

Thanks everybody for the advice, I'l get a good bunch of picks and will also experiment with picking close to the bridge to see what sound it produces. I can't get over how nicely different the sound of that intro is! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[jasona]

I want to sound like that! Amazing stuff.