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Doug, is that the one from TME?
Gorgeous - now that you've taken off the plastic gloves, how does it sound?
Enjoy that beautiful 2 point. Such a cool design and Will gets the tone!
I was actually shocked by the number and extent of the scratches on the top. TME showed a few, but they didn’t convey the extent! If I were thinking of future trades, the scratches would have probably killed the sale. I know that varnish is soft, though, and TME did say it had play wear, lol. I do plan to play it out, so I guess I won’t worry as much about the danger of getting a scratch. (From a few feet away, you really can’t see any damage unless the light strikes the wood just right.)
It sounds great! When I first played it, it seemed shrill - my initial response was horror! I was using my Wegen pick which I had been using for a dark Silverangel, so that was probably a factor. I changed picks, and a Blue Chip pick and a Prime Tone had the Kimble sounding rich and strong. I’m sure part of it was my adjusting my playing to the mandolin. Bass is strong. The trebles stay clean even when played at volumes that hurt my ears.
I’m loving it.
Welcome to the Kimble club! That's a beaut!
Try lots of string/pick combos - my A is responding spectacularly to the D'Addario Monels.
Ears are funny things. They get accustomed to a sound, and at first don’t like another. They do adjust though. Going from dark to bright can sound harsh, and the other way sound muddy. Fortunately they adapt.
I wonder if that was Will’s personal mandolin for awhile? I think I played that one. It was a killer mandolin!
That’s a great looking mandolin! I love that the neck & headstock aren’t bound - gives it an understated elegant look. The sunburst is gorgeous and beautifully done to complement the 2 point body.
Try different picks and strings to see what suites your ears best. I prefer Nickel Bronze strings on mine ...
You mentioned that it has scratches, but I can’t see them from the pictures. No worries about putting the 1st ding on it and can now get down to enjoying it for what it is.
Enjoy it in good health!
Here are some of the scratches. Easy to see with the eye but harder to capture in a picture.
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To be fair, the price is about $1k less than a new one, and if I remember correctly, this one has a radiused board. I bought a new one, which due to the thin finish, had some marks on it a few years back. Varnish marks easily, but a competent luthier could buff a lot of that out.
Years ago, I purchased an expensive varnished mandolin that had been on consignment by the builder at a well known shop. The shop took it out to a few festivals, and the mandolin sustained a lot of finish damage. The builder sold me the mandolin at a very reasonable price, and I used it for several years as a beater. I left if for a few weeks with my luthier for set up work. When I picked it up, it looked different. I asked him, “what did you do?”. He’d buffed all the finish crackle out....part of me was ecstatic, but another part was kind of disappointed. I liked having it as a beater.
Wasn’t the first time he’s done it. I had a nice guitar with a dent on the top. I left it for a setup......dent free when I picked it up. He’s a perfectionist.
Unless you tell him "not to", he'll go with his instincts. I like him already ;)
Len B.
Clearwater, FL
Those are just pick marks in the varnish. Mine have plenty of wear like that. As Mary said, it's relatively thin varnish which is part of Kimble tone recipe. I've played somewhere in the neighborhood of 30 Kimbles and that one was a standout. I played it when it was relatively new and if I hadn't already had an F5 at home, would have tried to buy it on the spot. You got a good one. Enjoy!
FWIW I like the nickel bronze D'Addarios with a Blue Chip pick on mine.
I can't tell him anything...............he just does what he does. I've seen John Hiatt's guitars (one had what looked like a screwdriver stab mark through the top) on his bench, and they get the same treatment. He had a guitar that belonged to Roseanne Cash that was flattened by the airlines (even in a road case) that he put back together again. One of Crosby's vintage Martins that fell off a stand on stage (headstock shattered off)...................all put back together, meticulously. Amazing guy.
I always expect that what I leave with him will look, feel, and sound 200% better when I pick it up.
Getting back to the subject of UPS: I have installed their app on my phone and they give me all kinds of information and options. I can "sign" for a package there; I can tell the driver where to leave it (front door, back door, etc.); I can follow the progress of the package as it makes the journey to my house; they can notify me when it's delivered.
I guess I'm lucky because the UPS delivery man nearly always arrives in a 45 minute window on delivery day.