Silverangel Mandolins Test Drive with Video [Archive]

eastKYmando

Sep-24-2013, 7:49pm

Just wanted to share the first of a few videos from a recent trip to the Silverangel Workshop. We were able to take several Silverangels for a drive and it was a very enjoyable visit for all involved. I decided to start out with a video of a Cedar Top F and Redwood A, both of which are fresh off the bench. I'd like to apologize for Steven Spielberg's videography, but he got a little over involved. Hopefully, this video can give you some indication of the quality of each instrument. This was recorded with a Sony Handycam....nothing professional, especially the camera man! LOL....he did give it his all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VscBNY8lZr8&feature=youtu.be

eastKYmando

Sep-24-2013, 7:55pm

Ken was very hospitable during this visit. He is a great fellar and fine man to do business with, not to mention, he makes a superior product....if you like mandolins. I'll be posting more videos from this trip soon.

shortymack

Sep-24-2013, 7:58pm

I really dig the tone of those SA's. Cool vid that was fun, nice playin' fellers.

eastKYmando

Sep-24-2013, 8:34pm

I really dig the tone of those SA's. Cool vid that was fun, nice playin' fellers.

Thanks man....we sure had a good time. I've liked the tone of Silverangel's for years now, really caters to my picking. I need all the tonal help I can get, and Ken's mandolins don't fall short in the deep and woody categories.

truck2242

Sep-24-2013, 10:21pm

almeriastrings

Sep-24-2013, 10:48pm

Really nice. Excellent picking and really showed off the signature Silverangel tones there. Deep chops. Warm, but clear and resonant highs. Great job!

Nick Gellie

Sep-25-2013, 1:02am

Ken you really make wonderful Cedar and Redwood mandolins. They sounded really good. Well done Shawn and EastKYmando for playing in such fine style.

Cheers Nic

Nick Gellie

Sep-25-2013, 1:15am

I love the way the silver angels sound, both of thes were great. Oldsausage plays an a model on some videos that also has this sound. I have Kentucky km-950 that I really like but to me these sound just like a mandolin should. When I grow up and get the money I am buying one. Rodger

Rodger, your KM-950 is a great mandolin. Nothing wrong with its tone or playability. These boys know how to make the Silver Angels sound really good in their hands. I have a KM-950 and it is nearly every bit as good as the Silver Angel. it just has a different tonality.

Nick Gellie

Sep-25-2013, 5:51am

I should add that own a Silver Angel A-5 like the one being played here. It has a Carpathian Spruce top.

I just found out today how to make her sing better. Here she is so you can see what she looks like. Number 329 made in October 2012.

107252

Bernie Daniel

Sep-25-2013, 6:29am

Beautiful sounding mandolins -- both cedar and redwood are great tone woods IMO. Both of those Silverangles sound really fine. Of course they are certainly in good hands too!

Astro

Sep-25-2013, 7:13am

Until now I have never heard an instrument played before the finish went on. That was cool. It would be fun to record some solos pre and post finish to see if there really is much of a difference.

bjewell

Sep-25-2013, 8:22am

Interesting hearing redwood. I lived in Mendocino CA for many years, was a woodrat out cutting up old stumpwood for grapestakes and fencing. We'd find the remains of old log decks form a 100 years ago and take what we needed never thinking it was anything more than outdoors material. Oh yeah, redwood will really stain you hands black and it was years before I discovered lemon juice would clean it off. And baking soda will turn a new redwood board grey instantly. Redwood splinters are the worst, they're difficult to get out entirely and they will cause an infection overnight.

Bill Baldridge

Sep-25-2013, 9:11am

Mighty fine pickin', and thanks for letting us hear the mandolins.

Timmando

Sep-25-2013, 9:18am

That was a really great video and great pickin! I liked all the close-ups of the instruments. You guys can pick, great guitar break too. Thanks!

shawnbrock

Sep-25-2013, 9:48am

Until now I have never heard an instrument played before the finish went on. That was cool. It would be fun to record some solos pre and post finish to see if there really is much of a difference.
Well I can tell you that before the varnish goes on, the E and A strings are a little more "edgy/ brassy/ bright". The varnish seems to tone down the highs a little and give them more focus, which is a good thing IMO. When the unfinished redwood A is finished, we will be able to do this again.

We have some more videos, but Donnie has got lazy on us here. :) We have more of the unfinished redwood A, a redwood A which is finished, a cedar F which is finished and a cedar A which is also finished. All in all I think we have 2 or 3 more videos to add to this thread. For the day we played 2 spruce 2 points which were finished, 2 redwood A's 1 finished 1 not, 2 cedar F's 1 finished 1 not, and a finished cedar A. Now that's a lot of mandolins!

I can tell you that when you order a mandolin from Ken he don't sit around and watch the grass grow. He'll work day and night and get it going for you. He's a considerate guy and will do everything in his power to get the product to you as soon as he can. Its mind boggling how hard that guy will work...

stevedenver

Sep-25-2013, 10:28am

mighty fine, mighty fine

Bernie Daniel

Sep-25-2013, 10:30am

... Redwood splinters are the worst, they're difficult to get out entirely and they will cause an infection overnight.

Yes to that they break up and come out in many little pieces... ugly splinters indeed.

Redwood looks and sounds great for a carved mandolin top though.

eastKYmando

Sep-25-2013, 10:41am

Here is the second of a series of videos from our visit to the Silverangel Mandolin Shop. Here we highlight a couple of A5 model Redwood top mandolins, one with a slightly distressed oil varnish finish and the other unfinished.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qJlamAFv5Lw

shawnbrock

Sep-25-2013, 11:31am

We should also point out that the finished A is quite a looker! Except for the fact that Donnie was a cheep-skate on his tailpiece, that mando is one of those that you dream about! You should have went with the James Man... Or an Allen, anything other than a stamped tailpiece... LOL

wildpikr

Sep-25-2013, 12:32pm

That was some good picking on some fine mandolins. Thanks for the video clips!

eastKYmando

Sep-25-2013, 4:45pm

That was some good picking on some fine mandolins. Thanks for the video clips!

Thanks for all the compliments guys. Sure had a great time. I'm in the process of gettin a couple more vids up.

eastKYmando

Sep-25-2013, 5:46pm

Here is the third video of a series of Test Drives from our visit to the Silverangel workshop.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vqza7TJJiSk&feature=youtu.be

Nick Gellie

Sep-26-2013, 3:25am

All the videos are awesome. They provide a wonderful home concert feel. I love your intros Shawn.

Ken looks very happy hearing his mandos played so well.

kyken

Sep-26-2013, 6:46am

I want to thank Donnie, Shawn and Frank for their fine playing on these videos. Playing like that for them Ky boys is like breathing for most people. I've known them for years, fine fellers!

truck2242

Sep-26-2013, 10:49am

Earlier in a post I said "when I grow up", being 66 that could happen just any day now. I was fortunate to have come from a family of backwoods okies who lived to hunt, fish and play music. From the time I was a little fella I have been hearing some of the finest music being played on porches, in yards and living rooms. These videos are another example of that, these off the cuff sessions produced some mighty fine cuts that would compare to good studio work. Thanks a lot, I surely enjoyed them.

Frank Farley

Sep-26-2013, 12:03pm

shawnbrock

Sep-26-2013, 2:37pm

I've known them for years, fine fellers!

Now Ken I fear you might be stretching the truth for my part of that statement. The other two aint bad though. It is always a pleasure to visit such a wonderful humble craftsman like yourself. You have turned out a lot of great mandolins for us. Now if I could just learn to play the thing...

eastKYmando

Sep-26-2013, 8:13pm

Just want to mention what great fun I had playing Kens mandolins that day! Man there were mandolins all over the room! I felt like I was in a mandolin paradise or something. I might add what a honor it was to get to spend a day playing these great instruments with my dear friends,Shawn and Donnie. I can't remember a day that I've enjoyed more. Thanks Ken for the hospitality that you always show and can't wait til my mandolin build. Thanks as well for the compliments,certainly is nice to be a part of the Mandolin Cafe brotherhood!

Unfortunately, for the sake of the video...Frank played guitar (not that he's a slouch on guitar, one of the finest actually) and didn't get to showcase his talent on the mandolin. Frank is a fine mandolin player, and if I could play a guitar a fraction as good as him, I would have gladly relinquished my mando duties to him for the videos. Maybe we can get some videos of Frank playing mandolin on soon. We actually played quite a bit that day....only four songs were deliberately recorded. I do have some running video of us beating and swarping on all those mandolins, maybe I'll go through and try to post some clips from that material.

eastKYmando

Sep-30-2013, 10:49am

I'll be posting the final video, from our visit to Ken Ratcliff's, within the next few minutes. It was recorded with a couple of cedar top mandos....awesome instruments. Plenty of volume and excellent warm tone, not to mention, fun to play!

eastKYmando

Sep-30-2013, 10:50am

Here you go.......hope you enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RDTGr7PbMfQ

Leon Peoples

Sep-30-2013, 11:15am

I now have a different opinion of cedar topped mandolins, as far as I'm concerned that's as good as it gets.
Best/joe

eastKYmando

Sep-30-2013, 3:52pm

I now have a different opinion of cedar topped mandolins, as far as I'm concerned that's as good as it gets.
Best/joe

Joe, the F5 in this video is being played by a buddy of mine...Shawn Brock, he is an awesome picker and does that mandolin justice, fortunately for me...It's my mando! And I must say, this is the first Cedar top mandolin I've ever owned. I had a spruce top F5 Silverangel that I felt was the best mandolin I had ever owned, but when I went up to Ken's a few months back and played them side by side, I did not and would not leave without making a trade!!! It's one heck of a mandolin, and I'm here to tell you that my Spruce was one a hard cat to clean after. I was picking the A in this video, and I must say, forget the A vs. F argument, this A model mandolin is a flat out Hoss of a mandolin. Ken is really cranking out some good stuff, entirely hand carve, no CNC....and he can really get those A models sounding right. That Cedar is some good stuff, came from an 1830's telegraph pole. He still has of that left, but he also recently acquired some pretty special Redwood too!

clintross

Oct-01-2013, 9:51am

That's my A model in the last video, recently retopped, and on it's way back to Tennessee!

eastKYmando

Oct-01-2013, 12:18pm

That's my A model in the last video, recently retopped, and on it's way back to Tennessee!

I'll be honest with, in my opinion, your A-model is a hoss of a mandolin. I really liked the neck and playibility, and of course Ken's trademark tone. This mandolin held it's own with the whole batch, and there were some great ones in house. I don't know if you could ask for much more mandolin than your A. Everyone there commented on it, and I've talked to Shawn and Frank several times since....we all agree that yours was a pretty special instrument. Sure hope you like it!