Sorensen Mandolins

[sgarrity]

That's something to be proud of!!!

[Skip Kelley]

What a year ! ! !

I am so excited and honored to have the opportunity to congratulate the awesome Sorensen mandolin Players who are 2017 IBMA Awards Second Ballot nominees for the "Mandolin Player of the Year" Award --

> Don Rigsby - Flashback/Band of Ruhks (Sorensen FX mandolin)
> Danny Roberts - The Grascals (Sorensen VX mandolin)
> Kelsi Harrigill - Flatt Lonesome (Sorensen VX mandolin)
> Darren Nicholson - Balsam Range (Big Dog Octave mandolin)



Steve

Congratulations, Steve!!!

[Steve Sorensen]

Thank you so much for the kind words, Shaun and Skip! I can't tell you how much I appreciate the feedback.

The challenge of creating new instruments which can keep up with such tremendous, talented players has really helped push my growth curve in delivering voice, power, and range of response.

So cool to see that the long nights of pouring over recordings and specs for great mandolins ranging from Loar-era (and Derrington/Roberts era) Gibsons to the great current builders like Ellis, Nugget, and Gil (to name just a few) is coming together for what these players need in the new designs that I am building.

It has been a nerve-wracking thing wandering away from the "Lloyd Loar safe zone", so it is really exciting to see a bluegrass super-star like Don Rigsby get "Instrumental Recording", "Emerging Artist", and "Mandolin Player" nominations while picking on a new design like the Sorensen FX! And to have a mandolin building legend like Danny Roberts picking on a Sorensen VX, which he says he likes because it is "beautiful and different, but not too different," is out of this world.



I am working with a bunch of incredibly talented young players right now . . . and I am so excited to see where this mandolin journey will go as they push their instruments into uncharted new territory!

Steve

[Ron McMillan]

Hey Steve,

It's been a year since you put up video clips from Grass Valley 2016, so I bet I'm not alone in hoping you have some fresh ones from this year. (I fully expect to hear from YouTube, asking me to stop playing this one because I'm in danger of wearing it out).

[Steve Sorensen]

Ron,
I've got some videos to edit together of young hot-shots at Grass Valley.

In the meantime, here are Don Rigsby and the men of Band of Ruhks delivering that great old LRB classic "Mary Ann" last week --



Steve

[Ron McMillan]

Ron,
I've got some videos to edit together of young hot-shots at Grass Valley.
Steve

Now you're talking. I'm looking forward to those

[Tom Haywood]

I got a good look recently at a new Sorensen custom build for an old hot-shot bluegrasser friend in NC. Very impressive instrument.

[Teak]

Hey Steve,

It's been a year since you put up video clips from Grass Valley 2016, so I bet I'm not alone in hoping you have some fresh ones from this year. (I fully expect to hear from YouTube, asking me to stop playing this one because I'm in danger of wearing it out).

Yeah, this is a favorite of mine also. Those Sprites sound great!

[Steve Sorensen]

Having a bit of difficulty downloading videos from my phone.

In the meantime, here are some FB links for videos from my little booth at Grass Valley with Josh Gooding and Jesse Personeni from The BlueJs --

https://www.facebook.com/11964550814...7646314341000/

https://www.facebook.com/11964550814...8215524284079/

And here are a couple of videos of an all-star jam at Bean Blossom with Danny Roberts on mandolin --

https://www.facebook.com/mike.krantz...5464519816197/

https://www.facebook.com/rlcart90/vi...0843486140827/

Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

Here is a YouTube compilation of the Danny Roberts at an all-star late night jam at Bean Blossom this year. I am really pleased with how the tone, balance, and power of his Sorensen VX mandolin holds up under these harsh real-world conditions!



Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

Here is a quick YouTube download of some of the picking by Josh and Jesse at the Sorensen Grass Valley booth. This was in the very noisy Luthiers Pavilion, but well worth the listen --



Steve

[Ron McMillan]

Well worth waiting for!

[AlanN]

Love that fellow's right hand!

[Steve Sorensen]

Josh Gooding is a student of Frank Wakefield and got to spend some time with Frank last summer. Other than that, he plays constantly . . . and has been since he was a wee tot. The hours of practice show.

Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

I'll admit, I am excited beyond words to hear this new CD from The Grascals with Danny Roberts on that Sorensen VX. The preview song is really an ear-grabber --



Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

Here is a bit of video from the first night IBMA 2017 with Zack Arnold (ClayBank) playing the brand new red Sorensen Stealth prototype and Danny Roberts (The Grascals) playing Zack's new Sorensen VX.

Both these mandolins are in their first few minutes of real play time here, so you get a really good idea of how new Sorensen mandolins sound straight out of the shop.

This was recorded on my Samsung Galaxy 7 phone and has had no adjustments to sound. We were in the hospitality green rooms for players at the California Bluegrass Association suite, so you can hear a bit of crowd chatter in the background.



Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

If you're interested in getting a really good read on the Sorensen VX in situ at a big bluegrass show, well I guess this will do it --



Criminy, Danny Roberts and The Grascals are great musicians.

Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

A lot of new music from amazing players in 2018!

Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

Love this --



Steve

[themandocello]

Steve do you make mandocellos, mandolas or bouzoukis?

[Steve Sorensen]

I think this video does a really good job of conveying the tone that I am trying to target.

Steve

[Steve Sorensen]

If you are curious about Sorensen mandolins, I sure hope you take a few moments to check out this article in BLUEGRASS UNLIMTED's March 2019 Instruments Issue.

When the Publisher sent me a note to ask if they could use some photos that I took of Danny Roberts' Sorensen VX, I never imagined one would make the cover!

Also, there is going to be quite a fine handful of Sorensen pickers at this weekend's 2019 EMS Sertoma Youth Ranch Spring Bluegrass Festival, hosted by Ernie and Debi Evans --



Steve