unbelievable

[cuppy65]

I bought this A 400 alvarez a few weeks ago and it has become my main instrument. I bought it to take canoeing or camping . If it got damaged , so what. To my utter surprise this thing plays and sounds awesome!
It sounds as good as my Pava pro but is louder . I can finally play in my little bluegrass Americana band and be heard. I have 6 mandolins now all bought in a effort to get that sound and volume I needed and this alvarez hit the mark??
I have heard on this forum many , many times , play it before you buy. There is nothing special about this A400 , it just came out right. It looks like it was never played and is flawless in finish and fit.
Go figure!

[Hudmister]

A friend of mine plays an Alvarez A style mandolin with ff holes. I don't know the model number but it is a great playing and sounding mandolin. Many of them age well.

[allenhopkins]

Another example of the individual uniqueness of mandolins, or any other instruments -- and also of musicians' ears and acoustic preferences.

Most of us would have rated a Pava much higher than an Alvarez, based on what we know about construction, design, materials quality, and other factors. We would have done this without playing an example of either instrument.

Most of us would still say that perhaps 90% of Pava mandolins are "better" -- look better, sound better, whatever -- than 90% of Alvarez mandolins. But in this individual case, the OP found the reverse was true -- for him/her.

The Cafe is always full of threads asking for recommendations of "what mandolin to buy." We respond based on a general knowledge of the various brands and models. Are we wrong? No, we give the questioner the "benefit" of our research and experience.

But we don't get to play the individual mandolins under consideration. The "cheapo" mandolin that, for some reason, fits the buyer's preferences better than the recommended brand. we don't get to hear.

There's an understood disclaimer that our recommendations can only be based on our personal experiences (with our individual instruments), our review of specs, and our understanding of relative reputations of builders. Our advice is, in the end, limited by these parameters, and really can only be "our 2¢." Even the wisest and most experienced among us cannot fill the questioner's shoes, play the instruments under consideration, and react with the questioner's unique perspective.

Doesn't mean I'll quit throwing in my 2¢, but might make me a little less sure of myself.

[fatt-dad]

I had one of these too! Mine needed a neck reset and I never bonded with it. Fun story though! Glad it worked out for you!

f-d

[sblock]

Even back in Roman times, this phenomenon was well understood. De gustibus non est disputandum, as they used to say in Latin. Translated roughly: When it comes to matters of personal taste, there is no basis for any dispute. Today, we say things like "The heart wants what the heart wants." If you prefer a certain Alvarez to a certain Pava, you are perfectly well entitled to hold that opinion. It is no more, or less, valid than the opinions held by the rest of us. As players, we tend to bond more with some mandolins, and less with others. Whatever keeps you engaged and playing, I say...

[fatt-dad]

by Mackay: Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, 1841. Not quite as old as the Romans; however. . .

f-d

[MikeZito]

That is why I love 'cheap' instruments . . . every once in a while you find a real beauty.

Congratulations and enjoy!

[cuppy65]

Every once and a while , That's it ! This mandolin was in Japan on a table in the late 70's , along with a thousand others and when the strings were added and it was tuned for the first time the builder said 素敵な .(cool lovely nice sweet)
I can't explain it other than to say we have been looking for each other .

[Rodney Riley]

For me, love the sound of my Weber. But I LOVE playing my Godin.