Pavlu mandolin

[jejemandolo]

hi everybody !
First, sorry for my poor English, I'm better player mandolin than English writer

I think ask to the czech luthier Hynek Pavlu to build a mandolin for me.

I should have recent information, (the last post date 2007) on his mandolin : are you enjoy ? unhappy? have you problem? It's alway good instrument ? ...

Thank's for all !

[billhay4]

Your English is fine, jeje. I've never heard of this builder but he does have a website listed on the Cafe in the Builders section. His instruments look nice and are priced reasonably, but that's all I can say. He also has a Facebook page here
Good luck.
Bill

[jejemandolo]

Ho thank's Bill ! but the facebook link is for Sucek mandolin, not Pavlu

Any user here?

[Jim Garber]

Here is his web site. No English but you can see what he does.

[HoGo]

I have seen one of his mandolins (I hope I'm not confusing it with other lesser known czech builder). It's owner was buying my mandolin and brought it with him if I can do something with it to play correctly. Strings were way too close together at the bridge, outer strings were almost 1/4" inboard from edge at 12th fret. The mandolin sounded thin and weak. Owner wanted me to adjust tonebars or regraduate from outside so I looked inside... tonebars were shaped like guitar braces more than 1/2" tall and ended abruptly (even without the ramp like on guitar). For "security" there were wide strips of leather glued across the brace ends and to the top. I declined to work on that. I would have to open the mandolin and the thick shiny (toned) lacquer would certainly crack and get damaged too much and would be very difficult to repair.
Certainly play before you buy.

[jejemandolo]

OH... thank's for this information Adrian !

[Derik Palmer]

OK, I know I'm answering a thread that's over ten years old, but - I own a Pavlu F5 and its a really nice instrument with a warm tone. I have to say that I don't recognise any of the demerits Adrian mentions above; I used a dental mirror to check the bracing and it looks nothing like he describes, and there's no leather reinforcement either. Its not a Gibson or a Weber that's for sure but neither is it in that price range. its possibly the best value-for-money mando I've yet come across though.

[HoGo]

OK, I know I'm answering a thread that's over ten years old, but - I own a Pavlu F5 and its a really nice instrument with a warm tone. I have to say that I don't recognise any of the demerits Adrian mentions above; I used a dental mirror to check the bracing and it looks nothing like he describes, and there's no leather reinforcement either. Its not a Gibson or a Weber that's for sure but neither is it in that price range. its possibly the best value-for-money mando I've yet come across though.

I rarely evaluate others' work but He asked just when I had that instrument and no one else had the info so I plainly described it as it came to my hands. Builders' work evolve and 10 years (an many instruments) later the work can be completely different (especially from their first efforts), even big factories retool and change technologies once over decade or so...