I am lucky to have one of the first M's from the good folks at Northfield, and it's great. I was about to buy it, and my wife intercepted the process and gave it to me as a gift so I could never sell it, not that I would. . . read on.
I don't know where to start really. The sound is open, woody, extremely responsive. And the action, oh my, it plays like butter. The neck shape and varnish finish all enhance the great set-up. You can tell the design benefited from a lot of thought from the player's perspective: the sound, action, scoop, abbreviated pick guard, Nugget designed tail piece (in a classy flat metal finish), rubber grommets, modern set-up. I had my other mandolin set up last year by a well know pro luthier, and was amazed at the difference, and the action on this Northfied right out of the gate is right there with it. I know action and sound are subjective, but they are both right on to me. The Engelmann spruce yields a sweet warm sound, but she can already jump like a Willys in four wheel drive.
I'd say the finish is slightly more honey colored than in the photos. The overall look is classy. Sorry about the dust in the photos, but hey, the M has been out of the case ready to play. . .
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