View Profile: allenhopkins - Mandolin Cafe Forum

Yesterday, 1:32pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread How low (temp) would you go? in General Mandolin Discussions

I have two pairs of fingerless mittens, suitable for below-freezing temperatures, though not for long! I've done outdoor peace and union rallies in...

6 replies | 955 view(s)

Yesterday, 1:17pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Mandolin recommendation for new player in General Mandolin Discussions

OK, the Beatles broke up 52 years ago, am I right? I know this is a beside-the-point hijack, but I have often wondered over the past few years...

12 replies | 734 view(s)

Yesterday, 12:49pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread RIP Jerry Jeff Walker in General Mandolin Discussions

Just saw him on a Nitty Gritty Dirt Band PBS special; of course Bojangles was the NGDB's biggest single. He kicked the song off, then the band came...

15 replies | 861 view(s)

Oct-23-2020, 10:55am

allenhopkins replied to a thread The Myth of Perfection in General Mandolin Discussions

Geez, I'm still striving for adequacy. I think a musical life spent with folk music, has taught me that what we might call "imperfections,"...

22 replies | 1881 view(s)

Oct-22-2020, 11:01am

allenhopkins replied to a thread Help..problem with strap and looking for ideas. in General Mandolin Discussions

There are also the little plastic tabs used to seal bread wrappers. Free, and fairly effective. Perhaps less esthetically pleasing than some of the...

17 replies | 1455 view(s)

Oct-22-2020, 10:58am

allenhopkins replied to a thread Advice on a Mandola? in General Mandolin Discussions

And just to mention, we do have a CBOM Forum devoted to larger mandolin-family instruments, including mandolas.

28 replies | 3224 view(s)

Oct-21-2020, 4:18pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Advice on a Mandola? in General Mandolin Discussions

Having a bunch of mandolas, I'm not the typical owner Jimmy P apparently runs into (Post #10). Right now, my most-played mandolin family instrument...

28 replies | 3224 view(s)

Oct-20-2020, 11:05am

allenhopkins replied to a thread Ortega RMFE100AVO yes or no in General Mandolin Discussions

All solid woods, built in pickup (I presume piezo), F-model mandolin. Doesn't say "carved" in the specs, so don't know if it's carved or pressed. ...

2 replies | 1531 view(s)

Oct-19-2020, 12:26pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread on Reverb: When a scroll isn't a scroll, or is it? in eBay, Craig's List, etc.

Or the "lump scroll," one of Gibson's less inspired ideas -- the F-model silhouette without all that expensive actual hand-work. At least this one...

9 replies | 2811 view(s)

Oct-18-2020, 9:56pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread 1906 Gibson F-4 "tree of life" mandolin in Vintage Instruments

"Fair market price" is what some buyer will pay for it. Not many 3-point F'4's listed as for sale that I could find, and none near the asking...

9 replies | 1731 view(s)

Oct-18-2020, 9:37pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread What is this amazing-looking instrument? in Looking for Information About Mandolins

Looks like a Portuguese guitar (or guittar) to me: Can't vouch for all the historical facts in the video, but some useful info. On the...

21 replies | 3286 view(s)

Oct-17-2020, 6:17pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Il Globo mandolin in Looking for Information About Mandolins

More than a half-dozen Il Globo mandolins currently listed on the internet, almost all bowl-backs and almost all in the UK (although one from British...

9 replies | 2134 view(s)

Oct-16-2020, 1:54pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread An evening with the Martin harp mandolin in Vintage Instruments

I agree it's not a part of the tailpiece; it's not attached, and it doesn't seem to have a way to attach it. It somewhat resembles the Lyon & Healy...

28 replies | 4647 view(s)

Oct-14-2020, 11:24am

allenhopkins replied to a thread A4, A5, F4, F5--what do the numbers mean? in General Mandolin Discussions

And the Florentine Controversy marches on! 1928 Gibson Florentine tenor guitar, with all the Venetian fretboard inlays, rhinestones all over the...

19 replies | 4266 view(s)

Oct-13-2020, 10:22pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Looking for a Sweet Sounding Roundneck Resonator Guitar in Equipment

I tried one of the Johnson Chinese-made brass-bodied tricones. Had it for a year, and swapped it. I wouldn't go there, though it was a decently...

24 replies | 4367 view(s)

Oct-13-2020, 10:08pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Ecuadorian Bandolin in CBOM

I'd contact Joe Todaro at WorldFrets in Landsdowne PA and see if he has any suggestions.

2 replies | 2024 view(s)

Oct-13-2020, 10:03pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Merrill Aluminium Mandolin in eBay, Craig's List, etc.

I have a fancier Merrill, also purchased on eBay perhaps 20 years ago or so; think I got it for $150. Merrill instruments were manufactured by the...

2 replies | 1824 view(s)

Oct-13-2020, 9:39pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread A4, A5, F4, F5--what do the numbers mean? in General Mandolin Discussions

Mike, right about the banjo, but wrong that it was "the only thing" called "Florentine." For no apparent reason Gibson called its EM-200 electric...

19 replies | 4266 view(s)

Oct-13-2020, 1:44pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread A4, A5, F4, F5--what do the numbers mean? in General Mandolin Discussions

Gibson listing above omits "LG," which was assigned to some smaller acoustic guitar models. I once heard it was for "ladies' guitar," but that might...

19 replies | 4266 view(s)

Oct-13-2020, 1:37pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread I don't like F styles. Anyone else? in General Mandolin Discussions

One of the many dumb decisions by Gibson over the years, was not patenting/trademarking the "F" silhouette -- which they surely could have done. How...

192 replies | 11717 view(s)

Oct-12-2020, 2:26pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread impulse purchase - non-mando in General Mandolin Discussions

Quoting from the OP, Post #6: I have known several bass players who have said they took to bass because they felt overshadowed by better...

34 replies | 4648 view(s)

Oct-10-2020, 4:06pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread We've said it before, we'll say it again. in General Mandolin Discussions

So's Sydney, Australia, I guess...

12 replies | 2761 view(s)

Oct-10-2020, 4:02pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread A4, A5, F4, F5--what do the numbers mean? in General Mandolin Discussions

There are also Gibson "A" mandolins with f-holes, the A-40 and A-50 being the most common. The A-50 had a solid, carved back; the A-40's back was...

19 replies | 4266 view(s)

Oct-09-2020, 12:00pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread impulse purchase - non-mando in General Mandolin Discussions

1. Bass players always seem to be in demand. 2. Many of them claim to have taken up bass after being frustrated in learning a "lead" instrument. ...

34 replies | 4648 view(s)

Oct-09-2020, 11:56am

allenhopkins replied to a thread Eddie Van Halen RIP in General Mandolin Discussions

Regarding Van Halen's smoking habit (Post #8): listening to a morning "talk" show (Rover's Morning Glory, if you must know), I heard him quoted that...

30 replies | 4605 view(s)

Oct-08-2020, 12:03pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Snakehead vs. Paddlehead in Vintage Instruments

And I'm thinking Beldar and Prymatt (or Ackroyd and Curtin, if you prefer):

12 replies | 4123 view(s)

Oct-08-2020, 11:57am

allenhopkins replied to a thread An evening with the Martin harp mandolin in Vintage Instruments

Well, I haven't seen Jess since I started this thread. He worked in the band Miller's Wheel with fiddler Kit Fallon, and I have contact info for...

28 replies | 4647 view(s)

Oct-06-2020, 9:47pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Help identify this in Vintage Instruments

Almost all the English zither banjos I've seen have had slotted headstocks. Not saying this isn't one; the pot/resonator assembly surely looks like...

5 replies | 2779 view(s)

Oct-06-2020, 9:36pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Not a Gibson in Looking for Information About Mandolins

Hey bgmandolin, step back a few feet and take pics of the entire instrument, front & back, not just vignettes of sections. Will make ID-ing it much...

7 replies | 3417 view(s)

Oct-06-2020, 9:26pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Eddie Van Halen RIP in General Mandolin Discussions

I remember when Guitar Player and other instrument-oriented pubs covered Van Halen 24/7. When we make a list of influential instrumentalists, he'll...

30 replies | 4605 view(s)

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