Red Line A5

[Kevin Briggs]

Hello, Fellow Mando Lovers!

I'm happy to say I just got off the phone with Steve Smith and I am now anxiously awaiting the arrival of a Red Line A5! It's been a while since I've been in the mandolin purchasing game, but I've got that old feeling, baby. You know the one. I think it's Steve's 8th or 9th A5, so that's exciting too.

I'll be sure to post a full review on my YouTube channel. He's even getting it to me in time for some gigs I have this weekend

[Jackgaryk]

Congratulations Kevin on your new Redline. btw..I have been looking and listening to your "beloved Morris A5" in the classifieds. Great looking instrument and sounds really good.

[Kevin Briggs]

Congratulations Kevin on your new Redline. btw..I have been looking and listening to your "beloved Morris A5" in the classifieds. Great looking instrument and sounds really good.

Thanks, Jack:

It's bittersweet for sure. MAS has struck and selling the Morris is the way to satiate it. Glad you like the sounds of it though. I can't say enough about Howard's work and his price point.

[DataNick]

Congrats Kevin!

Hope you get in time for the gigs; that's exciting!

[Kevin Briggs]

Congrats Kevin!

Hope you get in time for the gigs; that's exciting!

UPS says Thursday by the end of the day, so.... The challenge will be to let it acclimate a bit before opening it.

BTW, Steve Smith has been a pleasure to work with. He's been communicative, prompt, and very helpful. In a matter of 12 hours we communicated via Facebook, email, and phone. It's been great.

[Nathan Kellstadt]

If nothing else, you probably won't find yourself having to swap out the bridge on this one.

[Kevin Briggs]

Hi, Everyone:

Thanks for the replies. Does anyone have any experience with the Red Line A5s?

[kenny boy]

you will love your redline. I'VE seen 2or3 in the works played one back march a few hrs.Also you're dealing with some of best people I know. enjoy , an the bridge will last forever. set up will be great .

[darylcrisp]

i'm eagerly awaiting your review Kevin. You are an excellent player and will give it a good workout. i've wanted to see some talk on these for some time.

d

[Kevin Briggs]

Thanks, D!

That means a lot coming from a long time Café member. Oh, it will be heavily documented, lol. I'll keep you posted!

[bbaker2050]

So when you say A5 do you mean the Traveler flat top mandolin or is this a hand carved graduated top that he is making?

[Kevin Briggs]

bbaker2050:

It's a hand carved graduated top A5, like the Collings MT, Weber Gallatin A, or whatever other A in the $2,000 range. I think the one I just purchased is number 8 or nine. I haven't opened the box yet!

[Kevin Briggs]

Speaking of which. I got it today! Here's a picture of what I've seen so far:

[mandroid]

at least it wont have to sit days unopened like winter shipments have to , to not have temperature shocks.

[Kevin Briggs]

The box seems to be room temperature, so I'm going to do the gradual open technique. I've officially opened the box...:

[darylcrisp]

The box seems to be room temperature, so I'm going to do the gradual open technique. I've officially opened the box...:

you tease!

[Kevin Briggs]

One step closer. It's #8, by the way..:

[Kevin Briggs]

The case is unlatched. The air in the room is trickling in...:

[9lbShellhamer]

Nice! Looking forward to the full rundown and eval!

[Kevin Briggs]

And the heavens are beaming down on my office right now...:

[George R. Lane]

Well, Let's get to whipping her like a red headed stepchild.

[Kevin Briggs]

Okay.... Initial impressions...:

This is a finely built mandolin. It is sturdy and robust, like Webers and Collings I have held and played extensively. That is not to otherwise compare it to those brands. It is a simple, initial compliment, because those brands are, if nothing else, well-built.

As I said before, this is comparable to the Collings MT and Weber Gallatin A as far as trim goes. There is no top binding, etc. So, the look of the mandolin is simplistic. That said, the woods and the finish are stunning. It has what I think I'd call a tobacco burst, so it's a darker, decidedly brown stain. It's a high gloss finish, but not obnoxious at all. Very tasteful. The book matched maple on the back really stands out, and the grains of the red spruce top are visible and wide. I like it.

The neck feels great. It is beefier than my Morris, but not beefy otherwise, if that makes sense. Again, it feels like a well constructed neck I've felt on other mandolins in the same price range. It feels good and is easy to move around on. I haven't had a chance to strum it much or to pick out many notes, because I have it here at work, but the light picking and strumming I've done reveals a good response, and a kind of clarity. Again, I like it. The single notes are focused and clear. Maybe "dry" is the word.

I'll dig into it tonight at the first of three weekend gigs (Thursday is the first night of the weekend you know), so it is going to get a good workout right away. I'll probably post a YouTube review after that with a more lengthy review here on the Café, in a new thread.

The future is bright for these red line A5s. I can't wait to start picking it!

[JeffD]

I love these kinds of threads. The excitement of a new instrument is like nothing else. My theory is that the adrenaline rush of a new instrument is what fuels MAS. To consider that we have all the mandolins we ever will need, and the implication that we will never again feel that rush - well its unthinkable.

Congratulations, enjoy it, and share your fun with the rest of us.

[Kevin Briggs]

Well, gig number one has come and gone and the Red Line got a good, two-hour bluegrass run through. I play in a duo that does covers and originals, and the occasional fiddle tune(s), so it was a robust inauguration.

It is a clean, clean, clean mandolin. The tone is very precise, if that makes sense, definitely more Collingsesque than Weber. I was able to play on it very comfortably, never getting into any awkward positions with my hands, and I enjoyed the different types of things it was lending itself to.

That's one thing we don't discuss enough. I, for one, get locked into different ways of playing, in part because of what my instrument is lending itself to. When I get a new instrument, I quickly start finding new ways of doing things because of the tone that is possible in the instrument. It reinvigorates me to put a lot of time in on the instrument to see what is possible.

One thing I will note is the Red Line is a little tight right now. I don't mean it is hard to play or anything like that, I just mean I can tell it is a brand new instrument and is going to open up a bit. It doesn't really need to, but it will. The volume on it is outstanding. As much as I like my Morris, this Red Line has a different level of volume, and the red spruce enables me to really drive it if I need to. Along with the volume, it is a balanced mandolin. The mids are strong, but the low and high ends are significant. I guess the mids stand out right now, but nothing is too intense. There's just balance.

More bluegrass tonight, and then an indie kind of thing, for a grand total of four hours of playing. I also practiced on it this morning a little bit, running through some fiddle tunes and I'll go home to strum it over lunch, lol. It's getting a lot of work. My plan is to do a video review tomorrow. I'll start a new thread for that.

[Caleb]

Great thread.