Results 1 to 8 of 8

Thread: New Lafferty Deluxe OM

  1. #1

    Default New Lafferty Deluxe OM

    Hi Everyone. This is my first post to the Mandolin Cafe. I have gotten a ton of great information off of the forums here though, what a great resource!

    I am posting this for anyone thinking about getting a Lafferty Octave Mandolin. There is not a lot of information on the Lafferty models yet, so read on if you are interested!

    I am relatively new to mandolin. I am a saxophone player and high school band director who bought an Eastman 505 a year ago. I really enjoy playing mandolin but most of the time I am playing alone, so I wanted something more in the guitar range for singing. After much research and debate I decided to buy an Octave Mandolin. I settled on the Lafferty based on the Mandolin Store's reputation, some great conversations that I had with them, the price, and the fact that the one that I wanted was on sale.

    So now I own the Lafferty "Deluxe" Octave Mandolin. Here is a link: https://themandolinstore.com/product...-walnut-cedar/ It has Walnut back/sides and a Cedar top. It has nice sustain and a really deep, full-bodied, almost guitar-like sound. This is especially true when strumming the open chords, which I do a lot of. You can definitely tell that it is a mandolin, just a nice mellow mandolin sound with a sweet tone. Melodies (when I play the right notes) sound great as well.

    I'm not an expert, but the build quality seems top-notch. The instrument itself is beautiful, especially the dark-brown walnut on the back and sides. I can't find anything wrong with the build. The finish, the binding, the frets, the nut, all of it is done exceptionally well.

    As a bonus, there is a pick-up installed on this model. I don't actually know what kind of pick-up is in it, I'll have to find that out. It didn't list a pick-up on the website, but they did tell me about it over the phone. I plugged it in to my amp and it really sounds fantastic. I was very pleasantly surprised with how "acoustic" the OM sounds plugged in. A very nice addition to the instrument!

    This OM responds very well to a capo, especially on the second fret. I have heard that sometimes a capo can hurt the sound of the instrument, so far I have used a capo up to the fourth fret and I have not noticed any problems.

    It comes with a hard case. It is a nice case and the instrument fits well, no concerns there either. I think it is probably a banjo case, though I am not sure.

    The mandolin was packaged for shipping very well and there was no damage to the case or instrument in transit. It shipped from the Mandolin Store in Arizona to Western New York State in exactly one week.

    Overall I would highly recommend the Lafferty Octave Mandolins as a great option if you are considering getting a flat top octave mandolin. To be fair I should say that there are no stores in my area that stock octave mandolins so my experience with other brands or models is extremely limited. Those arch-top Weber OMs look like amazing instruments, but they are just too expensive for me. I really didn't want to get a Gold-Tone or a Trinity College. They seem like they can be fine instruments, but I really liked the idea of buying something made in the US. And since the Lafferty brand is fairly new I thought it would be fun to dive in and give them a try.

    Of course the Mandolin Store was great to work with, and very patient with my many questions.

    Hopefully this review will help someone else out if they have questions about the Lafferty OMs. If you have questions for me feel free to ask. Keep in mind I am really just a want-to-be mandolin and Octave Mandolin player. A typical performance for me happens in my living room. But my family hasn't told me to stop yet so we'll roll with it.
    Last edited by Jonathan Neff; Mar-02-2016 at 1:37pm.

  2. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Jonathan Neff For This Useful Post:


  3. #2
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Conneaut Lake, PA
    Posts
    4,147

    Default Re: New Lafferty Deluxe OM

    Welcome to the Cafe!

    I was very, very close to making a deal with Dennis on that very instrument. He and I had agreed on the value of my trade and I was within a hair's breadth of sealing the deal when he informed me that the instrument had been sold the previous day even though it was still listed in stock on his Web site. I almost settled on the maple one but changed my mind. I had my heart set on the walnut. But I should thank you. In hind sight I realize I should not be spending that kind of money right now. So it all worked out for the best, as such things usually do.

    I have really enjoyed playing my humble Fender, which is a Korean made Trinity College clone. The Trinity College extended family under their various names are actually a lot of bang for the buck, with all solid woods, the short scale most people want, and pretty decent build quality. It is more than adequate for me at this time. Someday, though, a better one is certainly in my future.

    Retired middle and high school orchestra director here. After 30 years of classical, in retirement I have swung my pendulum over to folk genres. Fiddle, mandolin, octave, harp, hammered dulcimer. Such fun! You are in for a treat. Octave mandolin is a blast to play. Enjoy!
    Don

    2016 Weber Custom Bitterroot F
    2011 Weber Bitterroot A
    1974 Martin Style A

  4. #3

    Default Re: New Lafferty Deluxe OM

    Hi Don! Sorry I stole your instrument. It is pretty great! I see that you are in Western PA. I'm going to PM you to ask you a few questions!

  5. #4

    Default Re: New Lafferty Deluxe OM

    Great review, Jonathan. I think you are dead on with your observations.

    I live not too far from TMS and have had the opportunity to play many of the Lafferty Flat Tops Dennis has brought into the store. He really did his homework and has come up with a good, well made instrument that is at an above average level of quality/playability for the beginner, and will also satisfy the needs of a potentially more-demanding and experienced player.
    Last edited by Gerry Cassidy; Mar-03-2016 at 11:54am.

  6. The following members say thank you to Gerry Cassidy for this post:


  7. #5

    Default Re: New Lafferty Deluxe OM

    Thanks Gerry. I am very pleased with the quality of the instrument. The more I play it the more I like it. It would be fun to live near a store like that to get to try some things out! Oh well, maybe someday someone will open one near me.

  8. The following members say thank you to Jonathan Neff for this post:


  9. #6
    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Co. Mayo, Ireland
    Posts
    3,570

    Default Re: New Lafferty Deluxe OM

    Just checked out that link and then checked out the prices on other Lafferty OM's - really competitively priced, super tempting at those prices I might add too.... I need to be good and wait to see what the taxman has in store for me this year though.
    2018 Girouard Concert oval A
    2015 JP "Whitechapel" tenor banjo
    2018 Frank Tate tenor guitar
    1969 Martin 00-18




    my Youtube channel

  10. The following members say thank you to Jill McAuley for this post:


  11. #7
    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2013
    Location
    Fort Lauderdale, FL
    Posts
    3,859

    Default Re: New Lafferty Deluxe OM

    Are the Lafferty flattop instruments made by Jim Wilson of Red Valley?
    1924 Gibson A Snakehead
    2005 National RM-1
    2007 Hester A5
    2009 Passernig A5
    2015 Black A2-z
    2010 Black GBOM
    2017 Poe Scout
    2014 Smart F-Style Mandola
    2018 Vessel TM5
    2019 Hogan F5

  12. #8
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Feb 2011
    Location
    Conneaut Lake, PA
    Posts
    4,147

    Default Re: New Lafferty Deluxe OM

    Yes.
    Don

    2016 Weber Custom Bitterroot F
    2011 Weber Bitterroot A
    1974 Martin Style A

  13. The following members say thank you to multidon for this post:


Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •