Oval Hole A Style

[Sweetpea44]

It should be here by Thursday .... though I've already added it to my signature. :-) Will let you all know when it arrives. :-)

[Sweetpea44]

Ok - I've had my new Crystal Forest mandolin for just shy of a week now. Here is the link to the one that I purchased:

http://crystalforestmandolins.com/CF15sold.html

My first impression was that the instrument was stunning. The woods he chose were beautiful and I love the curly maple back, sides, and neck. The instrument has a great sound. I've noodled around on it with a few different songs to get a feel for the different sounds. I am by no means a great player, but I think others will think I know what I'm doing since the instrument looks so nice.

It has a surprisingly loud volume. I've never played a 'flat-top' army/navy type mandolin before, so I can not compare to other manufactures, but this one appears to have great projection. I can not find any flaws in the craftsmanship. You can tell that this instrument is handmade (which is a compliment) and a lot of time/energy was put into it.

The luthier himself, Terry, was great to work with. He was fast in email exchanges and honest with his work to me. He actually had a survey for me to complete (optional - but gladly did) so that he could learn how, or what, to improve upon for future instruments .... which I thought was honest and humbling. You don't get that from larger companies .... you can tell he takes great pride in his work and takes it seriously.

After playing my new mandolin for a few days I actually caught my husband on the website looking to see what other instruments he made!

Of course, I have to say, that my favorite part is the headstock .... my first name is Crystal, so I love having an instrument with my name right on it!

I'll try to get some sound clips up in the next week or so, but I'd be happy to answer any questions about it. I would definitely recommend the Crystal Forest mandolin to anyone out there looking for an oval hole A style.

[Charles E.]

Sweetpea44, or should I say "Crystal", (that is amazing how that worked out) thanks for the update. It sounds like you have a keeper.

[fatt-dad]

what a nice story!

Enjoy your pancake!

f-d

[Bob Clark]

Congratulations SweetPea44 (Crystal)! Sounds like you love yours as much as I love mine (#14). My experience in dealing with Terry matches yours. He's a great guy doing really nice work. Welcome to the Crystal Forest club!

Best wishes, Bob

[acousticphd]

Congratulations - it IS a nice story. I've admired the Crystal Forest mandos I've seen posted here. While I don't see myself adding a pancake mandolin, I do have a great Sawchyn pancake mandola that I use a lot. Given the high quality of your Weber, I think you did well to shift your aim to a nice handmade instrument for your second. Enjoy.