Interesting that last one is stamped "used" on the back of the headstock. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/...icons/rock.gif
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Interesting that last one is stamped "used" on the back of the headstock. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/...icons/rock.gif
All right, who let the cat out of the bag?
They are ALL stamped "used." Five SB-4s and one SB-8 so far. The SB-8 seller mentioned to me that his instrument was marked "Made in Korea," so my theory is gaining strength. My impression is that the UK SB-4s are slab bodies, like these.
I'm thinking, though, that if you have three of these and you want buyers to think they are "very rare," it's silly to throw all three of them on eBay at the same time.
P.S. The fellow with the three SB-4s also admits his are made in Korea. That means we're probably dealing with nato wood, cheap pickup, et al. Am I wrong in thinking that "reissue" implies "matches the original specs" and therefore this shouldn't be called a "reissue"?
I've always wanted a matching pair of 4-string and 8-string seafoam green emandos -- but I think I'll wait until the market is flooded with these things and the price tanks. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/...icons/wink.gif
Jim, that should happen within the next 72 hours, by my calculations.
The hits just keep on coming: here is another seafoam 8-string listing.
Firebot, the seller of the first active 8-string auction advised that the nut width was 1-1/16", which seems pretty narrow -- what is the actual measurement on yours?
Well, the three Buy It Now SB-4s are gone, and that seller claims they were the last three available from the distributor, Musical Instrument Reclamation Corp. in Tennessee. So the five SB-4s and two SB-8s we've seen may be all there was, or close to it.
Presenting Liz Prendergast of UK band "Bluehorses":
It's definitely an SB-4 (note pickup placement). Must be one of the "Sonic Blue" ones.
Hi,
sorry for the delay in responding. I've been traveling... I've never had the neck off my SB-8. It doesn't actually say "SB-8" anywhere on mine. I just hypothisized that name...
Quote:
Originally Posted by (mrmando @ Jan. 10 2008, 23:43)
Hey, anybody noticed they're being called "FM988"?Quote:
Originally Posted by (jimmacd @ Jan. 12 2008, 08:52)
And the first one says:
Our research has shown that this may be a somewhat rare model, manufactured specifically for a Canadian distributor around 2001. #It was made in Korea and may actually be a model SB-8. The SB-8 only came in Sonic Blue or Red except for a very small number made specifically for a Canadian distributor that were Seafoam Green. It is possible that some of those were stored in the distributor's warehouse all this time and recently sold to a US distributor / refurbisher.... This instrument is stamped USED on the back of the headstock and no factory warranty is available.
The second one says:
*Stamped Used the finish is a bit discolored on the edges of the body
....
There is a Used or 2nd stamp on the back of the headstock. #This is an imprint stamp, not a sticker or ink stamp. #If there is a serial number it has been partially removed. #All of our Used or 2nd guitars are stamped at the factory before they are sold to our distributor. #Our distributor is a large refurbishing center....#The Used and 2nd stamps in addition to the partial removal of the serial number protects you, the consumer, from someone selling a refurbished guitar as a new guitar and it protects the manufacturer from warranty claims as there are no warranties on these guitars.
and the second one clearly has a "2" stamp and a "Made in Korea" label on the back.
FM988 is how the distributor listed them, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything.
Both are up in the $240 range now, with the one Jim linked closing in 5&1/2 hours.Quote:
Originally Posted by (jefflester @ Jan. 14 2008, 18:46)
I actually got one of these mandolins, the eight string variant. The color is sonic blue. I have however removed four of the strings, running it as a four string since that sounds better when playing with overdrive.
I bought mine at a music store called "Gitarren" in Göteborg (Gothenburg) in Sweden. The price was 2000SEK at a discount (about 300$ with the current dollar price). I have however replaced the original pickup with one from SJ Ryder. I also did not like the sonic blue color so now I have the mandolin wrapped in newspaper.
Here is, however, a picture of me playing with my band before I wrapped it in newspaper:
http://www.snortingmaradonas.se/alcazar/4.jpg
There is also a picture of it at the mainpage of my Swedish mandolin site: http://www.mandolinist.tk
To hear what it sounds like, visit my punk band's MySpace and listen to the song "20 Spänn". The solo/melody is played on that mandolin: http://www.myspace.com/snortingmaradonas
Ooh, another funny thing I would like to add is that one of these SB8s (or whatever their name is) appeared on Swedish national television just a couple of weeks ago. It were played by a guy in the band "Triple & Touch" on the television show "På Spåret", aired on prime time. It was a big suprise for me to see a copy of my own mandolin on TV. It had the same color, sonic blue.
Snorting Maradonas >>>>>>>>>>>>&g t;>>>> Crimson Dynamo
I'm sorry? I don't understand a thing http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/...icons/rock.gifQuote:
Originally Posted by (delsbrother @ Jan. 18 2008, 10:08)
Sorry, Erik, it's sort of a private joke. "Crimson Dynamo" is the name of a comic book villain, but it was also reportedly the name of a Japanese punk band featuring electric mandolins, discussed several years ago on this forum. However, no proof was offered that the band ever actually existed. I tend to think it was a hoax.
But now, thanks to you, we know there is such a band, only it's in Sweden, not Japan. Who would have guessed?
I enjoyed the clips on your MySpace page. I like the sound of your Fender and hope you find more opportunities to use it in your band. I also liked the horns!
The TEKNO story, from Martin's (mrmando) emando site:Quote:
Originally Posted by (mrmando @ Jan. 18 2008, 10:38)
http://emando.com/tekno.htm
Yes, Erik, I am saying your band is MUCH MUCH greater than (>) TEKNO! (And I love the idea of TEKNO) It's great to finally hear emando in this context!
Hey CLeRIK, could you post a pic of your mandolin after you wrapped it in newspaper? Thanks...
Yeah, I've read about the Tekno thing on emando.com earlier. I just didn't remember the name of the "band" http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/...cons/smile.gif
And yes, I use my emando on some songs. We're making a new album now and the mando is used on many of them, it's primary function is that of a lead guitar so I'm playing mostly solos and melodies. I'm the lead singer in the band also, and we only have one guitar and since I can't play guitar I use the mando instead http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/...cons/smile.gif There is actually acoustic mando (an Italian bowl-back made in 1916 in Sicilia) on the tracks "Att släcka en eldsjäl" and "Kungliga Jiggen", also at our MySpace.
I haven't got many good high-res pictures of my mando wrapped in paper, so you can't see much of the detail. Here is however two pictures from a gig this summer:
http://SnortingM.bilddagboken.se/index.p....W1nPTcw
http://SnortingM.bilddagboken.se/index.p....W1nPTgw
It's great to hear that you like the stuff we do. If you wan't us to play at your place we're ready to go! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/...ns/biggrin.gif
It's apparent that FM-984 and FM-988 are the correct model numbers for the instruments now being sold on the U.S. eBay site. Reportedly some of the Fiesta Red and Sonic Blue ones were sold under those model numbers in Germany and Sweden; I guess they would include Eric's. Perhaps "SB-4" and "SB-8" apply to these models only in the UK.
Here's a complete list of the Seafoam Green instruments that have appeared on the U.S. eBay site in the past month. So far it appears that sixteen 4-strings and eight 8-strings have been listed. Six of the instruments have appeared twice (and one of these has appeared three additional times): four sold and are being/were resold by the winning bidder; one didn't sell and was relisted; one sold and was refunded, and was sold after being relisted.
A couple of the instruments in the following list have also appeared on the Cafe Classifieds. In addition, one Cafe member says he knows of two instruments that have sold privately, and may have never been listed on eBay.
Yes, 370016994226 went to me. All that obsessive searching finally paid off.
URL Model Price Closing date Comment
360009728158 FM-984 $1,000 5-Jan
270202087935 FM-984 $226.07 8-Jan BIN
310014296431 FM-984 $299 11-Jan BIN
300189713968 FM-984 $635 12-Jan BIN
300189714922 FM-984 $650 12-Jan BIN
300189711297 FM-984 $650 12-Jan BIN
110212097558 FM-984 $855.01 13-Jan
160197975490 FM-988 $305.99 16-Jan
180205429776 FM-988 $310 17-Jan reserve not met, relisted in 180211696683
290199913343 FM-988 $259 20-Jan BIN
370016994226 FM-984 $246.50 24-Jan BIN
150209916930 FM-988 $256.88 24-Jan BIN; refunded, relisted as 150211977189
330206503706 FM-984 $798 25-Jan
300194212463 FM-984 $775 27-Jan BIN; same instrument listed in 300189713968
300194222558 FM-984 $259 27-Jan BIN
180211696683 FM-988 $304.95 30-Jan BIN; relisting of 180205429776
150211977189 FM-988 $256.88 31-Jan BIN; relisting of 150209916930
300194059652 FM-988 $510 2-Feb same instrument listed in 290199913343
220196206650 FM-984 $590 2-Feb
250210484524 FM-984 $545 3-Feb looks more like Sonic Blue
150210784310 FM-984 $410 3-Feb
170189495311 FM-988 $384.01 3-Feb
310019988822 FM-988 $379 3-Feb BIN
150211404135 FM-984 $510 5-Feb
170190043628 FM-988 $481 5-Feb
180212991225 FM-984 $1,495 6-Feb BIN; previously listed; most likely 110212097558; did not sell
180213833159 FM-984 $1,495 9-Feb BIN; relisting of 180212991225; did not sell
200199061112 FM-984 $1,495 12-Feb BIN; relisting of 180213833159; did not sell
330211832749 FM-984 $450 20-Feb
330211825634 FM-988 $440 20-Feb
180215763095 FM-984 starting bid is $0.99; relisting of 200199061112
200201286644 FM-984 $995 BIN; previously listed; most likely 220196206650
350027823561 FM-984 $449 20-Feb BIN; case and strap included
And why, you ask, are people going nuts over seafoam green 4-string electric mandolins in this country?
Two words: Eva Holbrook!
Wow Martin, thanks for all the research.
Check out 250210484524 and compare the color to the others that have been listed. This one's definitely Sonic Blue, unless the seller's camera is way off.
I'm getting that Guitar Center X9 feeling all over again! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/...ticons/wow.gif
I don't know what that is, but it doesn't sound like a good thing.