MAS: Doyle Lawson

[MediumMando5722]

I spent a good bit of time on my dad’s Doyle Lawson F-5 last night. After almost two clean years, MAS is rearing it’s ugly head. Believe it or not, I’m still happy with my Eastman, but I’d sure love a Gibson to be sitting next to it

[William Smith]

MAS is a funny thing, I've owned some of the cheapest instruments and they've made me real happy, I've owned some of the best instruments and they made me extremely happy, I find most satisfaction with a mandolin that's already been played in so to speak, wear and tear is fine with me. Too me its about sound. There are just so many great mandolins out there impossible to own/or try them all out by all the builders. So I've kinda stuck with Gibson's, I think each model is special and unique, for sure with the pre-war stuff but wouldn't mind trying out some newish stuff, I've always wanted to play a Lawson model, bound F-holes are KOOL and I've heard they're built different? I've also really wanted one of those rare "Victorian" F-5's that Master David Harvey put out a few years ago, I seen Lawson playing one of those in a pix and well don't think I ever heard one but Harvey blended the old and the new for that mandolin! Awesome but I haven't ever seen one for sale? In the past few months I bought 2 1924 Tenor Lutes and soon to have a 1935 Gibson A-50 with the rare elevated board-some of those I've had sound as good as an original F-7 IMHO. I love depression era Gibsons for all the oddities, even now there is so much just in Gibson, Its krazy with all the different models. My MAS is in older Gibsons but not to say I won't throw something else in the mix? MAS is a funny thing, one never knows when it'll show up but when it does hopefully you'll have the cash on hand to feed the beast if not they'll slip away and this has happened to me on more occasions than I can count..Sorry about all my MAS problems I guess I'll go look in the classifieds/evilbay/gbase/reverb/dealers..mmm maybe I should just go play LOL!

[Willie Poole]

For me, the name on the peg head don`t mean a lot as long as the mandolin plays and sounds like I want it to....There is a lot to be said for collecting old Gibson mandolins and speculating that they will sell later on and make you a nice profit but with the Internet now offering so much information that is hard to do, a lot of the Loars are going down in price in the last few years if that is any indication....There are pickers and there are collectors and I am sure a person can be both but it will take a huge bankroll..MAS has hit me but my wallet said "NO" so I have sold some nice mandolins in the past.....

Willie

[Denny Gies]

My MAS was cured in 1993 when my wife supported me in getting a Randy Wood F 5. In all honesty it sounds better than a lot of Gibsons and Gilchrists that I have heard in person.

[Mark Wilson]

I've played a couple of Gibson varnished F-5s that were mash your mas meter special. It's cool when you find one that has it going on

[William Smith]

Randy's the man and has done and still doing some old F-7 conversions for me, and in all honesty they are better in some cases than a real Loar! Willie is right about the name on the headstock, but I play and collect old 30's Gibsons for all the variety in em and they sure aint making them like that anymore! Plus you usually can get your $ back on some, sure prices are going down on Old Gibson F-5's because there are just so many great makers out there. Heck some Loars and other types of F-5's have been sitting for years at some dealers. Pac Rim mandos, some sound great also but ya have to go through a bunch to pick one out ya like if possible and they just don't hold value-what here on the café a week or so ago there were a few A-900ish Kentucky's for sale for cheap, maybe 500 bucks and heck they cost over a G new don't they, I was too late on the one I wanted. great deal but value used is better save some hard earned $$!
I had an 04 V-fern that was pretty good but on it went, it didn't have the "IT" factor for me anyways, It still was a great mandolin don't get me wrong and in those years rare with less than 25 made? I think I'd like one better if it had the red spruce "Adirondack" top like the originals instead of the sitka that was used. People say ya can't tell the difference but I've played enough mandolins where I know that I like red spruce tops-call me nuts but that's what I like. I have played some sitka topped mandolins that are GREAT! That V-fern was great but at the time I had too many better sounding mandolins to me anyway so on and on the story goes.

[Mandoplumb]

I bought my lifetime mandolin in 2000 a Dearstone with a redwood top, so I no longer have mas right? Wrong, while I’ll keep the ‘stone I still want others and have bought several since, the last being a Kentucky KM 900. I am a firm believe that he who dies with the most good mandolins wins.

[William Smith]

Above Mandoplumb hits it, there just is so many great mandolins out there? I tend to stick with the vintage for some reason and have been eye ballin a bunch of obscure 20's-40's mandos! Yep its all a good bit of fun for sure. MAS never subsides,you may think it does but then something shows up and ya say wow that's different!

[addamr]

Chris,
I am with you on the Doyle Lawson Models. I have not had a chance to play one, but I sure like the way they look.

Adam

[f5loar]

Forget a cure for MAS. I've had it going on 50 years and just bought another one tonight because the deal was too good to pass up. And don't think owning a vintage 20's Gibson F5 will cure it either. Think of those who got one, then got another one, then got a new one, then another something else. I can think of Ricky Skaggs, David Grisman, Bobby Osborne, Alan Bibey, Chris Thile and Dewey Farmer to name a few.

[MediumMando5722]

Chris,
I am with you on the Doyle Lawson Models. I have not had a chance to play one, but I sure like the way they look.

Adam

They sound and play pretty good, too. At least this one does.

I've also been playing his Sparks F5 a lot lately. It's a totally different tone from the Gibson, but it has huge frets and plays great. Don't get me wrong, I don't dislike my Eastman in any way. If this was me 15 years ago with electric guitars, I'd be selling all mine because I was so disgusted with them after playing nice ones. Rather than parting with the 315, I'm thinking of maybe getting it Mandovoodoo'd and refretted with huge wire.

But that Doyle Lawson with its almost guitar-like full tone sure is haunting me