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Attachment 117937Attachment 117938I've just bought a Teardrop Special. Does anyone own/play one of these models or any other Oakwood model, and what do you think of it?
Mine plays incredibly well, and even though it's a shallow bodied flat top rather like a pancake/army navy model it has all the sound of a much deeper bodied mandolin.
This what it looks like!
I kinda like the sound of a flat top. Nice looking one you have. Hoping to find my own someday
The flat-tops are a lot of fun. How does the Oakwood compare with the Fylde?
I played a bunch of Oakwood instruments at a tent they had set up at Sidmouth a number of years ago. It was all really nice stuff and the people with the company were very nice.
That's a great looking mando!
I'll let you know tomorrow.
Our Orchestra just took delivery of these this week and we get to try them out from tomorrow and keep each for a month at a time rotating through the orchestra........
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Can't wait :grin:
2 totally different mandolins. The Fylde has a richer/deeper sound and I must say a slightly nicer playing neck what with being longer and wider. The Oakwood cuts better but I really need to get used to the neck and the action to compare playability.Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve Zawacki
I've played a few, all have been excellent, great sound and beautifully built, they have an excellent reputation in the UK.
Dave H
My wife has an Oakwood Octave. I would give it top marks. Really nicely built, first rate materials. Sounds superb.
FYI, this company is now out of business and has been removed from the builder database. Info that confirms on their web site.
That's a real shame - I've done a few setups on Oakwood instruments and they were really nice. IMO much nicer than Fylde's at a similar price point. Some of them were a good number of years old and were holding up well too which is always good to see.
Aye, I'm sad to hear this as well - when I took tenor banjo lessons from Angelina Carberry I got a chance to have a quick go on her Oakwood short scale tenor banjo and it was a lovely instrument, and what a testament to the build, playability and sound quality of it, it's still Angelina's main banjo as far as I know.
+1 from me too. I've owned a "Meridian" style bouzouki for nearly 12 years and a "Traditional" style mandolin for just over a year, both beautiful instruments for sound, playability and looks (especially the mando in English sycamore) and for sheer craftsmanship both in design and construction. Besides which, Martin and Gordon are such nice guys.
As Dave Hanson said, they have an excellent reputation here in the UK. They're going to be missed.
There is a very good luthier who lives near me called David Lim who used to work for Oakwood. The info on his website suggests that he worked for them from 1989 to 1996, making mandolins, guitars and bouzoukis https://davidlim-uilleannpipes.com/about-me/
He also plays and makes the Uilleann pipes. As far as I know, the instruments that he made for Oakwood were all flat top but more recently he has started making carved top Gibson A style mandolins, here are a couple that he has made:
https://davidlim-uilleannpipes.com/lutherie/
I had a go on both those instruments which unfortunately means that my MAS in no longer in remission...