Just saw this Sonny Morris on Ebay, for a reasonable price. I've never seen one of his instruments that wasn't great sounding and feeling.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12570499090...mis&media=COPY
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Just saw this Sonny Morris on Ebay, for a reasonable price. I've never seen one of his instruments that wasn't great sounding and feeling.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/12570499090...mis&media=COPY
I've been looking for an instrument like this one to suggest in another thread, but the lack of an adjustable truss rod combined with the described "bow in the neck/body area" make this one hard to recommend.
Nice looking mandolin. I bought a used Morris from someone but when it arrived there was a bow in the neck. The seller believed the weather during transit caused it. Sent it back. Here's another with some bow. Makes me think that Mr. Morris should switch to an adjustable truss rod. Even if a majority of his mandolins don't suffer this problem.
I'm pretty sure the reason he doesn't include an adjustable truss rod is that his goal with these A styles is to make a no-frills instrument that sounds and feels good at the lowest price he can.Quote:
Originally Posted by Cary Fagan
He says the bow is at the body, I have expensive mandolins that have a dip or slight hump at the body after time. They have truss rods. As long as I can play to the 15th fret I don't care. It could be dealt with when it needs frets tho.
A truss rod is about $20. I have a A model Newell, Keith used carbon fiber for the truss rod, it has held straight for the last 11 years.Quote:
Originally Posted by milli857
It takes a lot more time to install a truss rod than to epoxy in a steel bar though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tiderider
I actually took the gamble on this one…hoping it finds its way into the mail tomorrow (or Friday at the latest). I had the opportunity to visit Sonny over 10 yrs and have wanted one of his mando’s since, but it was never the right time. This one really caught my eye though.
At the end of the day, I’m headed back to Oregon in a few months and can hopefully drop it off with Sonny to take a look at if there really is something weird with the neck/joint.
I’ll try and remember to drop back into this thread once it arrives! Wish me luck.
Quote:
Originally Posted by bjz
Let us know how it is when you get it! The other Morris oval holes I've heard and played have been excellent.
It arrived! High level thoughts…I’ve been wanting an oval, and used to live near to Sonny and have been keeping an eye out for something that spoke to me…this one screamed at me from a visual standpoint.
This so called “bow”, I was never able to get a detailed description from the seller. There is a small amount of neck relief near the nut, then things flatten out, and there is ever so slight a rise after the neck joint. It remains to be seen if this is a problem or not. I am not a skilled player, nor do I use frets way the heck up there. If anything a fret level and dress will likely take care of things long before the fretboard needs plaining.
Now that that is addressed, I’ll cover the not so exciting. Upon arrival, the bridge had slidden out of place and was tangled up in the strings a bit. I’m still fiddling around with position and height but am confident I’ll arrive at something of a sweet spot.
Again, not so exciting is the fact that there are numerous large (as in very long) cracks in the top finish. Admittedly, I have become used to super durable poly finishes and forgot that Sonny typically advertises a nitro finish…this thing traveled across the country from a cold location, through a not so cold location to me, where earlier this week the low was -27. As I understand, real cold temps can cause cracks in nitro finish. Had I not been so distracted (and excited), I would have waited for this cold snap to have the seller ship. So be it, certainly not the end of the world and let’s be honest, these mandolins have a following for their tone and playability, not their showcase fit and finish.
Tailpiece…I’ve never been a fan of these super light traditional style tailpieces and will undoubtedly replace with either an Allen or one of those nifty northfield/nugget pieces! This is 100% a personal preference thing and there does not seem to be anything wrong with the original!
The good (or maybe mesmerizing)…the wood on the back and sides is awesome (somehow neither the back or sides have the finish cracks that the top has). I’m not entirely convinced this stuff is maple, but will be reaching out to Sonny to find out.
Once I zero in on the best bridge placement/setup I’ll report back on overall tone and playability but for my intended purpose and expectations, I am beyond excited!
The instrument came with a case, a Levi’s strap, what seem like new Martin monels strung up as well as an extra pack in the case. For the price paid, it’s a lifer for me!
Thats too bad about the finish cracks. At least they shouldn't affect function. Hopefully when you get the bridge where you want it it'll sound real nice!