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Having owned a Collings and a Pava, I can tell you that I’m skeptical that there is better build quality out there. They were both pretty flawlessly constructed mandolins. That said, there are...

For acoustic folk played alone within your price point, I’d look for a domestic flattop with an oval hole. Brands to consider would include Flatiron, Big Muddy, Gypsy, Redline, or a Mid-Missouri like...

This long-haul keeper appears on the move again, having gone from Charles Johnson to the OP and more recently TR Crandall to the classifieds in the last year. I hope it finds a good home.
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Might it have been more visually appealing for pricier instruments?



Engelmann too I would imagine.

Spruce tops yes, but often birch in lieu of maple backs and sides.

You most likely already know the answer to your questions from your other Gibson ovals, as birch seems to have been used on most of the instruments they produced during that era. And it worked, where...

That Gregg fella really carries the unit. ;)

I believe that Collings ovals join at the 13th fret.



I certainly hope so. It’s been about four years since her last batch — ash89’s Griffith Loar A5, Darryl Wolfe’s A5-z, and Joe Mendel’s...

Still is. That blonde is gorgeous, though I’d prefer it with a shorter neck (and asking price).

And marry your widow! :))

If they have somewhat similar sound, have you considered keeping the Collings and rehoming the Hester? :whistling:

The only variable that I can imagine is that flattops are general lighter built (as Allen noted) and therefore lighter strung (typically with medium-lights).

They’re really two very different instruments. The Gretsch is a ~$200 archtop built in an overseas factory and cuts cost through labor and materials (laminate back and sides). The Northfield is an...

As The Loar website does not specify the back and sides to be solid maple, I suspect that they are laminate: https://www.theloar.com/p/lm-310f

These two statements don’t seem to reconcile. On the one hand, you are saying that supply is low, demand is high, and prices are rising. On the other, you are suggesting that it’s not a good time to...

Certainly not if your name is recognizable from the fora, particularly if you have an interesting mandolin listed at an attractive price.

daryl offers really good perspective here. There’s lots of advice repeated in this forum about playing an instrument before you buy it, and while that approach may work in some instances and for some...

I struggle with the dollar point because it’s based on supply and demand and not necessarily “high quality in fit and finish, tone and playability.” Take our friend Gail Hester. I don’t know what...

There are a couple of expired ads from Elderly and listings from Reverb (at attractive prices), but I don’t think that I’ve seen a live offer either. I ended up buying a used tenor built by David...

I’d also consider an offer on this one:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/167691#167691

In your experience, what is that “point,” Tony?

Having followed this thread, I nearly the posted the same as Shaun once or twice. It's awfully hard to find "the one' -- I'm not sure that I have -- and extremely difficult to achieve with one's...

That’s a beauty, Jim. Where did you score it? I don’t remember seeing a Fletcher used in three or four years of looking.

I might consider an American made Breedlove.

Depends on the state.