Re: Hamlet Two-Point Review
Congratulations, both on the ownership of this great mandolin and gaining sobriety. Keep up the good work on all fronts!
Re: Hamlet Two-Point Review
I don't have a PhD, but I have an MA (biology). Writing and defending that thesis was one of the most stressful and intense experiences in my life. To think that you did that on an even higher level while entering and sustaining recovery.... You deserve that mandolin for sure. That's an amazing achievement. All the best to you in music and life.
Sue
Re: Hamlet Two-Point Review
Play it in good health! Congratulations on finishing the degree, and on many months of sobriety. Here's wishing you good work in your chosen field and a never-ending supply of friends to make music with. The Hamlett is gorgeous.
Re: Hamlet Two-Point Review
Enjoy that thing!! :mandosmiley:
Re: Hamlet Two-Point Review
Beautiful instrument, Kevin, use in good health (as my mother would say). As someone with a partner who has been many a thesis advisor, I have seen so many struggling students, made worse by the stress of the university environment. Sounds like you're doing great!
Re: Hamlet Two-Point Review
Sunburst can 'Bring It.'
Briggs can 'Send it.'
And Briggs' family made it so we can all enjoy it.
I do enjoy it.
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Congratulations on all fronts, Kevin!
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Hey Everyone,
Thanks again for all of your supportive comments. I really appreciate it.
Today I put on the third set of strings.... What a great experience! The tone is crisp, the strings' tuning is solid, and there's some real woofy thump in the chops. In addition, the highs are notably stiffer. Really cool. I recall a similar exponential evolution with the few new instruments I've owned. Each new set of strings reveals another layer, perhaps something more. It's very gratifying and inspiring and of course makes me want to play it like heck.
I'll let the strings settle in a bit before giving a video/audio update.
Stay tuned!
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kevin Briggs
It's very gratifying and inspiring and of course makes me want to play it like heck.
Now that's a lifer! :mandosmiley:
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
First, congratulations on all fronts! I remember really enjoying your videos back when you used to post regularly - maybe that was a decade ago. So happy to hear you are moving forward in your life with a new instrument at your side.
But a question, too: are you changing strings every week? Is that a new mandolin thing, like changing the oil in the car during the break-in period?
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Thanks so much, A4!
Yes, the older videos documented that sweet Fern I had, which I so wish I still had. I was able to track down the fellow that bought it, sort of. Hi whereabouts are actually unknown, which I learned from his brother and sister in-law. It's too bad. If he re-emerges and still has it I will find a way to buy it from him. His disappearance is a bit of a sad story and I hope he's okay.
No. I'm not changing strings every week. It is more like every two weeks so far. My approach is I play them until they start to have some thud. Once they do, I continue to play them until it's clear they aren't holding the tuning as well. By that point they sound pretty flat. It's feasible to change strings weekly or so if I'm playing a lot, which I am. Back in my frequent gigging days I'd change them every 2 or 3 shows depending on how long they were and how much practicing I did between.
I've found that new instruments evolve exponentially, and something about changing the strings shows it very well. Perhaps it's because you get repeated benchmarks. For example, this new set versus the previous new set has revealed a much stiffer and more resonant sound. It's clearly "bigger." I'm very excited for the new string brightness to mellow to see how they settle in this time. What a wonderful process!
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Got to play it out today for the first time. I don’t usually sing a play solo mandolin, but the event was a reverential celebration of the 58th anniversary of the March on Washington. The tone is exquisite. It also held up very well to a hot, humid day.
https://youtube.com/shorts/YhguRnUrevQ?feature=share
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
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Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Very nice - playing and mandolin - welcome to the Hamlett club. It’s a great place to be.
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Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Hey Everyone,
Here’s the full clip:
https://youtu.be/FuFlaWgAnno
It’s actually the entire event, which is wonderful in its own right. But, if you’d like to hear the entire song and some different tones from the Hamlett you can skip to 59:26…. I’m playing it through a Schertler DYN-M pickup into a Schertler Yellow preamp. The broadcast is from our local cable station, so it’s not high def, but it still sounds pretty good. :-)
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Kevin Briggs
Got to play it out today for the first time. I don’t usually sing a play solo mandolin, but the event was a reverential celebration of the 58th anniversary of the March on Washington. The tone is exquisite. It also held up very well to a hot, humid day.
https://youtube.com/shorts/YhguRnUrevQ?feature=share
that outdoor sound was swell Kevin, i love 2 points and that thing just has it all, thanks for updating with excellent video, this is fun to watch and hear the changes
d
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Thanks Daryl!
It’s really settling nicely. Today it seemed to round a corner in terms of the sound seeming a bit louder and together, if that makes sense. The highs up the fretboard are impressive to at the least. They somehow retain a roundness, even though they’re super high. All around goodness. Here’s an original song to get it across. I’m still getting back into fiddle tune shape but will be able to play some I feel good enough about in a week or two I suppose. Apologies for my singing!
https://youtu.be/9jN09VlmruE
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Hey Everyone,
Some zealousness here…
Tonight I tried J75s and the Hamlett Two-Point and whoa…. That slight increase in tension/gauge made an impact. First and foremost, it’s loud, and the notes simply sing. It’s really wonderful. There is a bit of a trade off with the action being a bit tighter/stiffer, but it’s sort it so far. Itll be interesting to see how they settle in and lose the new string jangle.
J75s haven’t always worked for me. Sometimes they seem to bring the heart out of a mandolin, but other times they seem to restrict the tone because I assume it’s a bit for the instrument. For example, I had a great Collings MT that didn’t respond favorably to them, although it sounded really good with J74s. So, I’m happy the Hamlett took them kindly. There’s big tone in this mandolin.
I’ll post a video tomorrow. Too busy playing, lol!
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Well honestly, a unbiased review this is not - but I do enjoy your swooning a lot :)
I hope if I ever can muster the courage to comission a custom build I'll be as happy as you are! Rightfully so, btw, because the mandolin sounds beautiful. In that regard I find the outdoor sound via the Schertler pickup to be even more meaningful than the home recordings - so sweet and natural.
And don't forget, when you go for higher gauge strings it might allow for a setup with lower string action!
Best Wishes!
Willi
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Thanks so much, Will! I took your suggestion to lower the action and gave you a shout out in the video. :-)
Here you go, folks. Check out the impact if J75s. Please pardon my playing. I’m still getting my hands back in shape. The notes are pretty clean, but not much speed going on right now.
https://youtu.be/hpaXoWBVG2w
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Kevin, I have been enjoying your series on the Hamlett 2-point review. It is both entertaining and helpful to learn about other builders. Thanks for sharing and playing on video. You sound great and so does that beautiful instrument. Dan
Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Thanks so much, Dan!
This Hamlett two-point is the gift that keeps on giving. I’ve recently been using J75s on it (XT) and Golden Gate Clown Barf pics, and boy do they sound amazing. It’s such a delight experiencing a mandolin settling in/opening up. Every day is a revelation.
Here’s and audio clip (no video) from tonight. I feel it captures the sound two months in pretty well:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hPI...w?usp=drivesdk
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Re: Hamlett Two-Point Review
Hi everyone,
I’m taking this opportunity to post a total Mando-geek picture from a gig at The Lancaster Roots and Blues festival last night. We had a great time, and it was one of those gigs during which we lost the battle with a cavernous room that consisted of a metal ceiling and tile floor, resulting in not being able to hear much through our monitor. It provided a good opportunity to hear the Hamlett after not being able hear it while playing for two hours. When I got home I played it for about ten minutes to see if I could discern any “opening up.” To my ears I definitely could. It was more responsive/alive, the volume took on a life of its own, and I could really hear the tone echoing through the body. Very cool. I’ll add, the highs seemed to fatten up a tad as well. In a sense, it seemed to level up:
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