Northfield Big Mon Engelmann Top

[yankees1]

Anyone own or played a NF Big Mon with an Engelmann top ? Opinions/thoughts ? Especially in comparison with the standard NF F5 with a red spruce top.

[yankees1]

Evidently, no one has played a Big Mon with an Engelmann top ! How about an Artist model 5 Bar Northfield with an Engelmann top ?

[George R. Lane]

My Weber Yellowstone has an engleman top, but I don't think helps .

[yankees1]

This is a start !!

[bigskygirl]

Hi yankees1, my Master model has an engelmann top and I love it, I think it’s a warmer sound but Can hang in there with a nice loud bluegrass chop and clearnotes for melody playing.

[DPrager]

In my experience, the difference between Red and Englemann can be subtle, but it can be heard. My red topped mandolin (Bob Schneider) is bright, loud and clear and totally satisfied me. MAS was at bay. For a few years, everytime suggested another mandolin, I was able walk away. One night at Wintergrass in Bellevue I played an Englemann topped instrument and had to have one. It's sound is softer, but as loud. Most significantly are the overtones that I perceive from the Englemann. They're both fine instruments, but A-B testing makes it simple for me to hear the difference.

dp

[Lane Pryce]

I prefer englemann too. Not as edgy or cutting like red. I have played a couple of NF5S with englemann tops. They were exceptional to my ears. Lp

[yankees1]

I prefer englemann too. Not as edgy or cutting like red. I have played a couple of NF5S with englemann tops. They were exceptional to my ears. Lp

Big Mons or F5's ?

[Lane Pryce]

F5S. The Northfield no frills F5. Lp

[almeriastrings]

Someone (I forget who) once described Engelmann on a mandolin as a bit 'warmer and fuzzier, in a nice way' over most examples of Red, but you have to be careful with any such generalities as there are multiple factors involved. The builder, finish, individual example of wood, etc. I have played some very nice mandolins with Engelmann...ultimately, find a mandolin you like and play it, irrespective of materials, however.

[FLATROCK HILL]

There are builders out there, people who know a lot more about tone-woods than I do, who say you can't tell the difference. No characteristics in the different species of spruce that can be discerned by listening to the finished product. Yet there are other builders and players who claim there are these differences. Northfield and Steffey for instance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-dakTwb4fX4 (see around the :28 to :30 minute mark).

I have an Englemann topped Northfield MM F5. It's loud. It has a nice, deep chop. It has a full, mellow voice that favors the low end in my opinion. Not that the highs are lacking; they're clear and sweet. They just don't have the piercing ring that some people want in a bluegrass mandolin. Whether the tonal characteristics can be attributed to the Englemann or not, I have no idea.

[Spruce]

There are builders out there, people who know a lot more about tone-woods than I do, who say you can't tell the difference. No characteristics in the different species of spruce that can be discerned by listening to the finished product.

In my experience, the difference between Red and Englemann (sic) can be subtle, but it can be heard.

I can't tell the difference between the raw billets of Engelmann, Red, White, and European with certainty, and yet I'm going to be able to tell them apart by playing them in an instrument...?
But...but...

I recently split out an Idaho Engelmann, and if I handed it to a dozen builders, they would unanimously say it was Picea rubens...
I know I would...
Hard, heavy wood, with "that" uneven graining you see in Red all the time...it just screams "Red Spruce"...
...but no...

I think the reason that luthiers (and thus, players) tend to generalize about tonewoods is that they select a certain batch of say, Engelmann, and apply those qualities to the species from then on...
"Engelmann is softer, lighter in weight, soft to the fingernail, than Red Spruce"....
...but, it ain't necessarily true...
When makers order wood, you ask them the qualities they would like to see, so the lightweight stuff goes to the folks who want lightweight wood....
But Engelmann (or any other species) is not always lightweight, and Red is not always heavy...

So-ooo, builders can make predictions about species and tone based on their stash of wood, but you can't really apply those qualities across the board...

Some pics of the "Eclipse Engelmann"...does that look like Red or what?

[FLATROCK HILL]

Some pics of the "Eclipse Engelmann"...does that look like Red or what?

Even with the pics, there are still lots of ambiguities to me. And with only half a bowl eaten, I can't even say for sure if Mikey likes it or not!)

[DataNick]

er englemann...Not as edgy or cutting like red...

I'm glad he said it first, for Bluegrass and the need to cut through against other instruments, I'd go red or sitka, YMMV

[Deyoung]

I have a A model Northfield Englemann Big Mon. It is has a lot of volume. I not sure how to describe sound but ill try, It has a strong chop that I've heard descried as "moving a lot of air" & "woof". I might explain the tone as "sweet" not as "dry", but I'm not sure about this. The d string seems to be pretty strong. I'm not sure if its as "cutting" as some other mandolins and does not have the high headroom.
In mandolins I've played i feel like there is a trade off in cutting tone and sweet tone and mine leans towards sweet. I don't know if this has anything to do with englemann vs red. I'd like to A/B this against the exact same mandolin with red spruce to compare

Keep in mind that i have no idea what I'm talking about

[108 Mile]

Keep in mind that i have no idea what I'm talking about

This is the best quote I've ever read on the internet, But I can't prove it..

[StefanWeigand]

I just bought a brandnew Northfield Big Mon with an Engelmann top. I will come back to talk about it, at this point I don't want to stop playing. It's just great!