Post #2 - 1 year in to the mando world

[LMF]

Hey folks. I came here last December after an exciting endeavor of purchasing a Rogue A-100 and immediately purchasing an Eastman 305 afterwards. I love the Eastman - I've gotten hours of enjoyment and practice in on what I believe to be a great sounding instrument. But I've got a few extra bucks burning a hole in my pocket and have convinced myself that a new mandolin is a worthwhile investment.

I am looking at two mandos and am torn. Hopefully you guys and gals can help me figure the differences between my two finalists. One is a Weber Rawhide and the other is a Northfield F5 S series. The pricing between the two is considerable and would love any opinions of either instrument. I'll leave my opinions out of this and hope to hear some great advice.

Thanks all!

[bigskygirl]

I have an Eastman 315 bought on a whim about a year ago and I love it! I play it all the time and even tho I just had surgery on my left index finger I am playing with the other three fingers. I love the look and the sound and everything about it. That said, I have a NF5-M on order scheduled for a December delivery.

I take lessons from Emory Lester so I get to hear his Northfield often and I spent time listening to just about every mandolin I could get my hands on. A local music store has some very high end Lebedas, Pruchas, Collings, and others but I kept coming back to the Northfield. To my ear it can handle any genre I am interested in. Some great mandos out there just sound good playing one thing and are not so balanced......to me....YMMV.

Check out the Northfield website, they have lots of sound files and videos to listen to, Adam Steffey, Emory, and a few others play the NF5-S so it's a great way to get a listen.

Here's a video of a kid getting his new NF5-S, fast forward to 2:30 to get to him playing it although I would guess its whats playing in the background of the video. Also, this kid and Emory play Bill Cheatum on the Zolla Boys Facebook page, good way to get a listen to both the M and S models.

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=LfNULR18TJg

[Marty Jacobson]

The Weber is probably not twice as good as the Northfield. (For the same reason that a $20k Nugget is not 4x better than the Weber). They are probably both excellent instruments for someone who has been playing for a year. I would probably buy whichever is cheaper and save the rest for either broadening your stable or to apply against the next big step, which might be in several years' time. Either one would be a lifetime instrument for the majority of players. So by buying the less expensive alternative, you open your options to accommodate your stylistic development in the future.

[LMF]

Thanks for the advice. I was leaning towards the Northfield due to the rave reviews I've seen on here and with it being half the cost my wife should only be half as mad with me, right?

Marty, your mandolins are beautiful. Maybe I should be commissioning you for my purchase! Honestly, my next may be a Jacobson. Wow.