The 'Perfect' Mandolin?

[Steve Ostrander]

I've owned several perfect mandolins. Problem is, I keep going back to Elderly and playing other perfect mandolins...

[Benski]

Mark Gunter's comment above (post #33) resonated with me:

The Perfect Mandolin would be the one that gives you a whole lot of pleasure at any given time. Happiness, joy, enjoyment - that's perfect, we need as much of that in our lives as we can get.

For me, no matter how many great mandolins I play, none gives me more reliable consistent pleasure than my Ellis F5.

Life is short...play more.

Cheers.

[JeffD]

I think: if you see yourself dedicated to one genre of music, and perhaps one way of participating (You might play in a band, and not jam, and not record. You might play for yourself at home and not jam or perform. You might jam only. You might record only..) AND if you see this position as static, that you won't likely be evolving in any different directions, then the idea of a perfect mandolin for you makes sense. You want to get what is optimal for what you play and how you participate.

[JeffD]

Also, the better you become the more you ask of a mandolin. So there is perfect for right now and perhaps the near future, but then...

Heck for the first several years I didn't need any frets about the sixth.

[Benski]

OK so now you got me thinking…
Normally I never post anything longer than a sentence or two, but my wife is gone visiting relatives and left me bouncing around our empty nest house for a week, so….

I played the same mandolin (a 1914 blacktop Gibson A) from 1973 until about 6 years ago. That A-model put me thru grad school playing bluegrass 5 nights a week and got played for fun and also to help pay the rent for many years afterwards in Irish, folk, BG, folk-rock and whatever-else-came-along bands.

Then, unfortunately, I contracted scroll fever, which resulted in a few things: 1) I sold my trusty blacktop to help finance a Gibson F5, 2) I became obsessed with “tone” and 3) I acquired a gawdawful case of MAS.

In the meanwhile, I also saw Sam Bush with his ever present Hoss. I saw Mike Marshall and John Reischman with the Loars that they apparently love. I saw Don Steirnberg with his iconic two-pointer, Marty Stuart with his carved up Gibson, Sarah Jarosz with her Collings mando and trademark Brock octave, etc. etc. and I wondered: is there a “THE” mandolin for me out there as well?

So…about seven years ago, I embarked on a pretty serious journey to learn as much about different mandolins as I could…how they felt, how they sounded, does a radiused fretboard make a difference? Does a James tailpiece? Is varnish better than lacquer? Are Waverlies really that much smoother? Do A- models sound intrinsically different than F’s? Are Gibsons really all that? Do I like a sharp Collings V-profile neck or a more rounded one? Is the wider nut on a Sam Bush mando a help or hindrance or neither? Fat frets vs. skinny? Speed-neck or no? Discussions and opinions on such questions as these fill the Café’s servers, for sure, and I’ve probably read every one of them. I travel for work so got to spend time noodling on anything in sight at Fullers Guitars, Carters, Gruens, Mandolin Brothers, Randy Woods’ shop, Tom Ellis’ shop, Matt Umanov’s, Bernunzio’s, Fiddler’s Green, Retrofret, etc. etc.

Also, I was lucky enough to be able to throw some seed money into the pot and began a very enjoyable “catch-and-release” program, acquiring mandolins, keeping each for a few months, tweaking each to its best potential, living with each for a while then letting each go in favor of a new one. I always had at least two mandolins here and would A/B or A/B/C them until my wife kindly offered to murder me if she heard the same tune played “just one more time” at 11:30pm. I’ve had numerous Ferns, a Goldrush, two Sam Bushes, a Derrington MM, and had beautiful instruments pass thru here from the shops of Altman, Red Diamond, Gilchrist, Ellis, Randy Woods and others, both A-models and F’s., All got put thru the paces at our fairly large local BG jams, in our church band, in intimate music circles, in a mandolin orchestra, at festivals and in all different musical genres. All of these mandolins were beautiful, well-made and great sounding instruments that anyone would be proud to own, and I have to say, I’ve met some really great people along the way buying, selling and trading, many of whom I remain in touch with. It’s really been a very enjoyable journey.

So…what have I learned so far? The main thing is that every mandolin has its own voice and each is an individual. Ellises may sound, look and feel similar to each other, but each still has its own personality (I’ve had four so far). I’ve learned that some mandolins seem to “fit me” better than others. Each has its own balance, both physically and sonically. I’ve learned that mandolins seem to have good and bad days…or at least we interact better some days than others (humidity? temperature? mood?) but, happily, we have more good days than bad. I have become a believer in mandolins “falling asleep” and “waking up”. I’ve learned the incalculable value of a good set-up, and that a given mando can really have a “sweet spot”. I’ve learned to keep the back of a mandolin off my belly and how magically that little tweak improves a mandolin’s sound. I’ve learned that mandolins can sound different to the player than to the listener. I’ve learned that recorded video samples are, at best, rough approximations of a mandolin’s sound and that the only way you can really tell is by having it in your lap and playing it…for a few months. I could probably fill a book with what I’ve learned…mandolins can be quite mysterious and enigmatic. And two mandolins can both sound awesome, and yet sound totally different from the other, nevertheless.

I definitely agree with JeffD in that your needs/perceptions/preferences in a mandolin may change for any one of a number of reasons, which can definitely move the goalposts on your idea of mandolin perfection. At 66 years old, I know my high-frequency auditory perception is dropping off (so my ENT guy tells me and the hearing tests prove out). Arthritis can be a b*tch some days. Time gets compressed. I don’t play out like I used to.

In addition, my musical tastes continue to expand, well beyond bluegrass. This morning I spent a lovely time YouTube video hopping, playing along with Sarah Jarosz, Tommy Emmanuel, Mark Knoffler, Sam Bush, Tim O’Brien, I’m With Her, The Teseschi Trucks Band, Michael Daves, Santana, Alberto Lopez, Mike Marshal and…well you get the idea. I love CT’s riff on “genre-hopping”.

But I also find this: whenever I’m playing, either in the house or out in the world, I’m happiest when I have this particular Ellis in hand. The tunes that I hear in my head seem to come out my hands better on that mandolin than on any other. It both blends as well as stands out. It just feels right…like it’s a part of me. I close my eyes and I enjoy its sound…its overtones, its decay rate, its clarity and intonation, its balance…in short, for me, at least for now, it’s the perfect mandolin and I look forward to continuing to grow together.

OK…I’ll climb back into my box now….

[Dagger Gordon]

Yes probably - my 10 string Sobell mandolin has been my 'signature' instrument for over thirty years.

I've also had a Windsor tenor banjo for over forty years, which is the only one I've ever owned and still play at every gig.
I have a Sobell octave mandolin which I've had for nearly thirty, but it was a replacement for one which got stolen and which actually probably was my perfect instrument.

More recently I got a Lowden guitar, and I find I'm not interested in playing anything else, and a Collings mandolin which I like very much and is a good alternative to the ten-string if I want a regular mandolin for teaching and certain other situations.

I'm not planning to get anything else. If I can't get what I need out of those, then the problem is ME!

[Caleb]

I'm not planning to get anything else. If I can't get what I need out of those, then the problem is ME!

This is very well said and pretty much how I feel. I have my Collings MT and my Larrivee dread and they are all I need. Also, both are way better instruments than I am a player.

[Capt. E]

Rather than search for the perfect mandolin, I feel a long term relationship with one "good" mandolin may be the answer (for me at least). I acquired a 1919-20 Gibson A-2 about two years ago and it just keeps getting better. I have learned which strings seem to work best, what pick gives the best tone (Bluechip 50 3R), whether an armrest is preferred (it is), the tiny little adjustments to the nut, saddle and tailpiece that make a difference, etc. (I did replace the original non-adjustable bridge). My skill at playing will never reach the level that would pull the best performance from an Ellis, Gilchrist, or even a Gibson F-5, yet I am quite satisfied with my steady improvement with my lovely A-2.

[Marcus CA]

The tunes that I hear in my head seem to come out my hands better on that mandolin than on any other. It both blends as well as stands out. It just feels right…like it’s a part of me.

THAT'S IT!!!!!! That's the description of the perfect mandolin!

I had that experience four years ago at the Healdsburg Guitar Festival, when I played Lawrence Smart's F5. Not only did I get a better tone out of it than I ever got out of any mandolin before or since, but the neck felt as though he had custom tailored it to fit my hand.