View Profile: allenhopkins - Mandolin Cafe Forum

May-26-2020, 12:54pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Is this really worth $70k? in eBay, Craig's List, etc.

Mandolins -- and houses, cars, autographed baseballs, antique Coke bottles, and Beanie Babies -- are "worth" what the seller can get the buyer to...

10 replies | 1117 view(s)

May-25-2020, 6:15pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Figlio mandolin repair in Builders and Repair

As an instrument tech, you probably have contacts with other repairers and instrument dealers in your area. Contact some of them and see if they...

7 replies | 477 view(s)

May-25-2020, 6:07pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread We got your Gibson snakehead mandola right here! in eBay, Craig's List, etc.

As a TL owner, I (mildly) demur. 'Tis what it is, and has its own niche in the mando-family lineup.

13 replies | 752 view(s)

May-25-2020, 6:04pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread From "an antique store", Kay? Sears? Silvertone? Thanks in Looking for Information About Mandolins

I like that guess; I've seldom seen four-post tailpieces on US-made instruments. Also, the pickguard surrounding the soundhole is less common,...

11 replies | 662 view(s)

May-25-2020, 1:06pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread b & s Barrington mandolin in Looking for Information About Mandolins

Has the nut been raised for "Hawaiian" playing (open tuning, steel bar)? That might imply a raised bridge saddle, which wouldn't comport with a pin...

8 replies | 2524 view(s)

May-24-2020, 2:21pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Doubt about a banjo for Bluegrass in Bluegrass, Newgrass, Country, Gospel Variants

Closest to "bluegrass on tenor banjo" I've heard was West Coast picker Joe Maphis: The cut puzzles me: does he switch from tenor banjo to...

23 replies | 795 view(s)

May-24-2020, 2:06pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread A real Gibson A two point? in Looking for Information About Mandolins

An attempt to replicate the Gibson A-5?

11 replies | 699 view(s)

May-24-2020, 2:01pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Gender and age distribution of mando players in General Mandolin Discussions

This article says you're a bit harsh; it's more like 73.6% On the topic at hand: I've taught a couple mandolin classes over the last two years,...

52 replies | 2625 view(s)

May-22-2020, 4:35pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Gibson A-5 in Vintage Instruments

Ya know, I've never had much luck with on-line dating...

10 replies | 831 view(s)

May-22-2020, 4:28pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Help me identify this bowlback please! in Looking for Information About Mandolins

Looks like alternating mahogany and maple staves; I have a marked Washburn mandola with alternating rosewood and maple. The alternating types of...

14 replies | 355 view(s)

May-22-2020, 4:18pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Learn to play multiple instruments at once? in General Mandolin Discussions

Get one "solid" before you add the second, third, etc. First one's the hardest; it'll also educate you about different chords and how they work...

25 replies | 1326 view(s)

May-21-2020, 5:52pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Ortega Mandolins Opinions in Looking for Information About Mandolins

Eighty-five buxx for an all-mahogany-plywood mandolin. Presumably not set up, at that price. You're not risking too much, but don't expect much,...

7 replies | 221 view(s)

May-15-2020, 9:22pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Are People Buying Less Mandolins Now? in General Mandolin Discussions

Our two local dealers, Bernunzio's and Stutzman's, have closed showrooms and are doing everything on-line or by phone. I'd think this might restrict...

64 replies | 3339 view(s)

May-13-2020, 8:33pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Are All Lloyd Loars Dropping In Price? in Looking for Information About Mandolins

Won't do me a bit of good; I'll be "'way under" by that time, most certainly.

78 replies | 6689 view(s)

May-13-2020, 8:27pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Beginner getting into Bluegrass in General Mandolin Discussions

Don't know where you're located, but another way to learn about bluegrass mandolin is to attend jam sessions, which bluegrass musicians love to put...

21 replies | 1289 view(s)

May-13-2020, 1:12pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Help Identifying Unbranded Mandolin in Vintage Instruments

Before you cleaned it up, it probably looked a lot like the one in this current thread. I'm going with the expertise displayed there, and guess...

24 replies | 1509 view(s)

May-12-2020, 10:16am

allenhopkins replied to a thread a guide to instrument valuations in General Mandolin Discussions

I go one better with the SWAG system -- Scientific Wild A**ed Guess. This allows for sophisticated numerical manipulations of unfounded,...

11 replies | 961 view(s)

May-12-2020, 9:58am

allenhopkins replied to a thread My band asked me to stop playing guitar in General Mandolin Discussions

I've been in groups that have asked me to stop playing entirely. Also stop singing. And, stop showing up for gigs and rehearsals. Then they...

18 replies | 1374 view(s)

May-11-2020, 9:06am

allenhopkins replied to a thread Bradbury mandolin in Vintage Instruments

Here's a Google search on "1900 flat back mandolin images": unfortunately, it includes quite a few bowl-backs, but there are similar-appearing...

6 replies | 391 view(s)

May-10-2020, 8:41pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Bradbury mandolin in Vintage Instruments

The Mugwumps Index of American Musical Instrument Makers lists Benjamin Bradbury in Brooklyn NY 1882-1890, and there are a couple of Bradbury parlor...

6 replies | 391 view(s)

May-10-2020, 8:29pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Are All Lloyd Loars Dropping In Price? in Looking for Information About Mandolins

The one constant, is that Lloyd Loar F-5's cost more than I can afford. When they were $25K decades ago, I couldn't afford them then. Now that I...

78 replies | 6689 view(s)

May-10-2020, 12:07pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Gibson F5 in General Mandolin Discussions

1. I'd say a Gibson F-5 is worth relaxing social distance guidelines for. 2. Generalizations are just that; they apply to any individual...

3 replies | 512 view(s)

May-08-2020, 12:20pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Any idea where I can find more music like this? in Old-Time, Roots, Early Country, Cajun, Tex-Mex

You sound like an excellent candidate for Grayson & Whitter. Here's a sample of their version of Down In the Willow Garden/Rose Conley: ...

17 replies | 1309 view(s)

May-06-2020, 11:44am

allenhopkins replied to a thread 1930 Stradolin in eBay, Craig's List, etc.

1. The Stahl mando-bass set me back about $4K, though I did a no-cash swap with John Bernunzio for a really fine 1957 Martin D-18, a '70's Guild...

21 replies | 1732 view(s)

May-06-2020, 11:31am

allenhopkins replied to a thread Help to choose first mandolin (Harley benton vs recording king) in General Mandolin Discussions

agree with the above, 100%

5 replies | 494 view(s)

May-05-2020, 12:46pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread The Hollies - Look Through Any Window in General Mandolin Discussions

My old bluegrass band used to do Look Through Any Window, including the modulation to a higher key. Made a really good BG song.

12 replies | 775 view(s)

May-04-2020, 5:53pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread 1930 Stradolin in eBay, Craig's List, etc.

Yes, Larson brothers, 19-teens I guess. Here's a pic of one of the Larsons holding it: Ya know, I owned the F-5 decades before I bought the...

21 replies | 1732 view(s)

May-02-2020, 9:13pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Looking for Mandolin Recommendations that hold their value in Looking for Information About Mandolins

Maybe, maybe not. There are skills needed to build a carved-top mandolin that are different from those needed to build a flat-top guitar. I'd be a...

35 replies | 1908 view(s)

May-02-2020, 3:38pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread Banjo Mandolin in Equipment

I assume it's this instrument, or one just like it, to which you're referring? The "Roberts Tanneries" label on the head refers to the company that...

3 replies | 428 view(s)

May-02-2020, 3:22pm

allenhopkins replied to a thread 1930 Stradolin in eBay, Craig's List, etc.

You have no idea what scale variances I deal with, really -- from a Weber "sopranolin" at 10 1/2 inches, to a Stahl mando-bass at 39 3/8 inches. ...

21 replies | 1732 view(s)

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