Flatiron A good price ?

[Loubrava]

Not sure about the value of this but it seems like pretty good deal & thought maybe someone here might be interested.

https://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/msg...373728366.html

[Josh Levine]

Definitely a fair deal at minimum.

[Stevo75]

That one has the integrated fretboard. So it’s not as good as the Flatirons you normally hear about.

[Loubrava]

That one has the integrated fretboard. So it’s not as good as the Flatirons you normally hear about.

OK, good info. Now I remember reading about the integrated FB here awhile ago, if I ever want to buy a used mandolin I'm going to ask about it on the Cafe !

[doublestoptremolo]

That's a pretty good price and I would check it out if I were in the area. I'm agnostic on the integrated/elevated fretboard difference (haven't been able to really compare that much) but I can say I really like my elevated fretboard 99 Nashville Performer.

[fatt-dad]

These are fine mandolins. That integrated fretboard warning makes no sense to me! Just recall that all a-model, oval hole Gibson's (paddle head and snake head) and all oval hole f-models have such integrated fretboards. Heck, Andy Statman played a mandolin with an integrated fretboard for decades!

There's a local bluegrass band and the mandolin player uses the same instrument. Has for decades!

I'm just not sure why folks always make such warnings about these mandolins! It's like there's a curse against these a-model mandolins and it makes no sense!

f-d

[CES]

Agree, you've got to evaluate each mandolin individually. My Silverangel Econo has an integrated FB (from his 2009-ish batch, iirc), and it lacks nothing in volume and tone. I kept it over a Collings MT with an elevated FB because I preferred the tone of the SA. No knock against the Collings, which was an excellent mandolin, the SA just won for MY personal tone preference.

Worth trying out in person if you're reasonably close...

[colorado_al]

My personal tastes are for an elevated fretboard, but mostly because they are generally attached at the 15th fret whereas integrated fretboards are usually at the 12th fret. This is based on ergonomics rather than sound. I prefer the longer neck.

[fatt-dad]

The mandolin in the OP has a 15-fret neck joint. So, it provides similar access.

Clearly the paddle- and snake-heads along with the F2s and F4s all have the 12-fret neck joints.

f-d

[Josh Levine]

My bad looked like elevated to me. I had one of the integrated ones for a little and wasn't too fond of it. But it was the same one that another cafe member had, so maybe we just didn't get a good'n.

[CES]

My SA is a 12 fret neck join. I do like the access a 15 fret join provides, but I rarely get up the board enough for it to be an issue for me. That said, understand how those who do get high up the neck often would like the extra room. I've got a couple with 12 fret and a couple with 15 fret joins, but I really only notice it on my Martin Style A, which also has the shorter 13"scale.

[5bassman]

I had an Montana made F style Flatiron Performer, 1996 I believe, about 6 months ago and it had the intergrated fretboard, which means it isn't actually floating above the top, it's attached to the top. Mine had very little volume and didn't project good at all. Very little resonance. I tried different strings and a CA bridge but nothing worked. I gave it my best but ended up getting rid of it. I'm sure there are some good ones out there.