Collings? Weber? Other recommendation?

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Br1ck - " The brand name was probably over half the worth of the company.". I wonder how much it will be worth when folk begin to realise that it no longer has any relationship to Bruce & his son, & that any future ''Webers'' ain't ''Webers'',or will the TOH drop the brand ?. There again,is a Volkswagen built Rolls Royce,a real Rolls Royce ?. To some folks it will be,but to others.................!,
Ivan

[Elb2000]

From Ivan - "There again, is a Volkswagen built Rolls Royce, a real Rolls Royce ?. To some folks it will be, but to others.................!"

It depends, in part on the quality of the product.
I would not buy a Rolls Royce that was built by VW (or anyone else).
But I might a buy a post 1944 Gibson, that was built by Chicago Musical Instruments.

[Sothoth]

Update... I played a few Webers again and compared to a few Collings. My immediate findings are that 1) I highly prefer a nut width greater than 1-1/8", and really enjoyed a Weber Yellowstone in Honey with tortoise binding (signed by Bruce) with a 1-3/16" nut. I liked the neck on a Weber Diamondback with a 1-7/32" nut a little more in terms of the ergonomics but didn't like the sound or looks as much. The Gallatins seemed a little dull. The Yellowstone is out of my price range for a couple of months but may go back for it. Additionally, 2) I like the Collings' a lot, and think they're a little more consistent sounding from mandolin to mandolin but when I found the two Webers that I liked, I liked them better than the Collings.

My conclusion is that I want to play a mandolin a lot before deciding and so special ordering isn't a good idea for me. I need to visit the shops a lot and be ready to make a move when the perfect one is available.

Thanks for all the feedback!!