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I play a 1987 Flatiron A5 Artist signed by Steve Carlson. It was made in January 1987, before Gibson bought Flatiron. I am curious about the similarities and differences between these late 80's A5...

I already pre-ordered my copy. I have to keep my Don Stiernberg collection up-to-date !

Thanks to everybody for all of this great info! I like the flat top sound of the EFT76, but that is not their main selling point for me. It is the .53 on the bottom. I think I can live with a...

I just found out that D'Addario is no longer making the EFT76 set. I have used this set for almost 10 years. It is a particularly heavy gauge - 16-53. I have a 17" scale Weber Alder mandola. With...

Thanks for the great video! I am not at the Gilchrist/Nugget level; more at the Weber/Flatiron level. For some reason, I prefer the Wegen for the Flatiron and the Blue Chip for the Weber. The...

I contacted Elixir directly, and I got a very nice email in reply. They have cut back operations due to COVID restrictions. I can't blame them for trying to keep their staff healthy. There is no...

I like the brightness of 80/20, and I like the Elixir coating. They are not for all mandolins, but they really make my Collings MT sing. I went to buy some more, and I cannot find them anywhere. ...

Can't wait to try a set and play Dark Star/China Cat Sunflower/I Know You Rider - the three hour version !

"And ULEE.. Know why? The vowels." (as said by Ted Mosby to Will Shortz when Will guested on How I Met Your Mother). Thanks Scott. I really enjoyed this.

When I first heard the Acoustic Disc CD Swing Low, Sweet Mandolin in the 1990's, my world changed. I bought the other one the next day, and started listening to Lester Young and Charlie Christian...

Unfortunately, that is true of EXP74 and EXP77 (my personal; favorite - I like coated 80/20). I think the EXP74CM's are still being made.

"I switched to the Elixir nano web and love them. They sound great and last a long time."

Thanks! They look like just what I need. I will try them next change.

I have found the XT to be a good replacement for the EXP74. But what about EXP77? Evidently they are no longer made, which leaves D'Addario without a medium gauge 80/20 coated string. I liked the...

I had the great pleasure of jamming with Ricky at the Swannanoa Gathering Mandolin Week last summer (2018). We were there for Swing/Jazz with instructor Don Stiernberg. There were many fine players...

Andy Taylor: "The boys sure are talkative today"
Briscoe Darling: "Oh yeah, they's real worked up about this"

RIP Dean, and thank you for showing us 60's kids what a mandolin sounds like.

A -30 here. I take it to mean "likes bluegrass, but still wants to see other people" .

Charlie McCoy is my favorite too. He can be heard in two contexts. He made some rural jug band type recordings with one or another of those many Chatmon brothers. But he also did some more Uptown...

I play mandola in the Philadelphia Mandolin Ensemble. We tune the mandola to the European/tenor tuning - a full octave below the mandolin. I have been playing the Cello Suite #3 on my mandola using...

I have a Lafferty LA-5B and I am very happy with it. It has an F-hole bark and a bluegrass chop. I play mostly swing jazz (Don Stiernberg is my role model) and it is great for that too. A lot of...

Thanks for the great interview! I met David at the Swannanoa Gathering in 2012. When I came back in 2014, he remembered me (no one else did). He is kind, intelligent, and a fine person. And what a...

I picked up a copy at Mandolin Camp North, where I was lucky enough to take a class from Don. I listened to it all the way home. We all know Don as a Jethro Burns protege, but he plays electric...

I believe that when Hendrix destroyed a guitar, it was a Mustang (more like today's Squire). Not sure about Townsend. As for The Hateful Eight, this was painful to watch and I cannot bring myself...

I think I might be able to play 10-20 percent of this arrangement - which is the best I ever hope to do with an Aaron Weinstein chord melody! At least I recognize some of the chord forms. Thanks for...

Joe brought the Tolley to a Philadelphia Mandolin Ensemble rehearsal and he let me play it for one tune. It sounds as good as it looks. I have to confess that I violated the Tenth Commandment that...

I feel like I lost a good friend.