Collings? Weber? Other recommendation?

[Michael H Geimer]

...brand being sidelined...

Once upon a time, 'branding' was used to indicate origin. Now it simply means 'graphics placed upon the product'.

[Denny Gies]

If you want a Rolls Royce call Randy Wood. I have one of his F 5's and will never need anything else. Good luck in your search.

[Paul Hird]

If you cab find a Montana made Weber, you will have a keeper.

Hey, come on. Both my Bend, Oregon Webers are keepers! Great Tone and Volume, just like the Montana Webers! Just sayin'.

[George R. Lane]

Hey, come on. Both my Bend, Oregon Webers are keepers! Great Tone and Volume, just like the Montana Webers! Just sayin'.

Who signed the label?

[Bill Kammerzell]

Hey, come on. Both my Bend, Oregon Webers are keepers! Great Tone and Volume, just like the Montana Webers! Just sayin'.

The same with my River F made in Bend, Oregon in 2014, the same year yours were made. Love it. Definite keeper, wouldn't sell.

[doc holiday]

Sothoth, There are lots of great mandolins around. I've owned a bunch. I think you'll get a great instrument from any number of makers. There are lots of Collings and therefore quite a few on the used market. I've owned Webers in the past. I think Pava K is making a great mandolin...& her new F styles are beautiful (if that's what you're after). I think you get a lot of mandolin for the money ...& they are beautifully made. I think highly of both Tom Ellis & Pava. (Pava carved the neck on my Ellis A5 & it's perfect for me).

[Paul Hird]

Who signed the label?

Bruce Sr. on both.

[George R. Lane]

Bruce Sr. on both.

Enough said. They are keepers.

[red7flag]

Once upon a time, 'branding' was used to indicate origin. Now it simply means 'graphics placed upon the product'.

There is so much of that going on in the corporate world, that brands that really do mean something, ie., Collings, Pava, Ellis and Brentrup, to name a few, make us cherish that they are brands that represent quality, integrity and a particular instrument that has its own identity. I think that is why many of us are so defensive when we see a brand being taken down step by step from that pinnacle.

[trevor]

Agreed, to go off topic.. I am always amused by loyalty to Triumph motorcycles. As far as I know the current company simply bought the brand as has no history with the original Triumph company.

[doc holiday]

On the subject of availability & good deals (& no personal interest in this one)...There's a Collings MT2 in the classified for $2250 shipped....

[George R. Lane]

Trevor,
Are the new Trumphs' better than the ones from the 60's. I had a friend in High School who had a 64 Bonneville. That bike was fun to ride but, something always seemed to come loose, carb, exhaust even the headlight fell off. We stripped it down and used for racing in the California desert.

[trevor]

That's why I never owned one. I preferred to ride them than fix them.

[Sothoth]

Charles, I'm checking this out today

[Sothoth]

Dave, to me it's more about wanting to support smaller, local luthiers now that I can afford to do so. I also want the mandolin to feel like my soulmate this time. My Eastman was a great value and sounds good but it's not what I would have bought today knowing just a little more about mandolins.

I have lots of Asian made guitars and a Bruce Wei ukelele that I love. I just upgraded my previously favorite electric to a Collings 290dc and will upgrade my Gretsch to a Collings Statesman. I think for the mandolin they are more of a thing of beauty and feeling like I'm playing someone's piece of handmade art with all the attention to detail that comes from an artist is more important to me than on other instruments.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Michael - In this instance,i was referring to the actual name 'Weber' as the brand. That had far more meaning than just ''geographic origin'' It was a symbol of the quality of the instruments & after sales service we'd come to expect from Bruce & his team,which, in the opinion of most folks on here, was as good as it gets.

I must assume that Bruce has the right to use his own name as the 'brand name' for any forthcoming mandolins ?. If that's the case,then TOH won't be producing any Weber mandolins ??. Hopefully somebody will make the position clear in the coming weeks / months,
Ivan

[Mandobar]

Ivan, don't assume that. George Lowden signed that right away at one time and had to fight to regain control of his name, and Leo Fender had to use G&L as a brand name after selling his brand name. There is a lot involved in developing and cultivating a brand name, and some companies never quite understand the value in the process. In many cases the real value lies in the name itself, which is why the concept of goodwill in accounting is very important.

[multidon]

Sometimes with businesses the name is the last thing to go. Many people are not aware that The Atari company still exists, even though they no longer manufacture video games or computers. They exist solely to license the name and logo. There are other examples. Bell and Howell, for example, does not make cameras any more but you can buy various products so marked. Name recognition is part of a company's assets and has value.

If Bruce is not allowed to make "Weber" instruments any more, I bet there's nothing to stop him from using "Sound to Earth", his old company name. Some of his earliest mandolins have "STE" as their logo.

On a personal note, even though I suspect it will never happen, I would love to see a return to the flat top line. Aspens and Sages and Pancakes oh my! Probably not a big enough market, which is why they were cancelled in the first place. Too bad.

[trevor]

I just heard from Weber. It is confirmed that there will be no move to China and all specs are exactly as before as taught by the two Bruces.

[multidon]

Perhaps they got a negative response to their survey question.

Of course there are plenty of people willing to spend a thousand or more on a Chinese made mandolin. Happens all the time. Perhaps the Hippies decided that segment of the market was already crowded with Eastman, Kentucky, and Northfield offerings.

Their assertation does not change the fact that Bruce will start building again. Whatever name he chooses to use, that will be a happy day. My suspicion is that he will most likely make the very best instrument he knows how to make, the culmination of everything he's learned about instrument making through the decades. That type of instrument would likely be very expensive and out of reach for most of us. Would a fine quality instrument made personally by Bruce Weber (assisted by Bruce Jr. of course) rise to the level of a Dude or a Gil? Maybe so. But it would be nice if he would make some affordable ones for the rest of us too. Unlikely, I admit, but one can dream.

[Denman John]

When I first got interested in mandolins and wanted to upgrade, I heard a lot of great things about Weber mandolins and bought a used Yellowstone and later on an oval hole (both sight unseen/unplayed). I wasn't very impressed with either (tone, fit, and finish) so I moved them on and haven't looked back. I've never owned a Collings, but I have played a number of different models and definitely prefer them over Weber.

If I were looking in that price range, I would throw Pava and Northfield into the mix.

Playing before paying makes it a lot easier to know what you are getting, but I know that isn't always possible.

Good luck with your hunt and enjoy the experience

[Mandobar]

I don't think you can slog Northfield in with Eastman and Loar. There's is a unique model, which involves a small handful of skilled luthiers. It's more small shop than factory.

[Frank Russell]

To the OP: if you want to support a small, local luthier who has an excellent reputation, give Bill Bussman at Old Wave a call. I've owned four of his f-hole A models, and they were all top-notch. He'll build it to your specs, and you get the added bonus of dealing with one of the most humorous, creative guys around. His Fs are also killer. Summit, Ratliff, or a used Flatiron are all great choices as well. Good luck, Frank.

[Ivan Kelsall]

My personal hope,& one that i suspect will be shared by many others,is that the ''two Bruces'' will begin to build superb mandolins to the standard that they've always done. I can't fault the build quality of my own Weber in any way at all,& up against the finest mandolins out there,it wouldn't shame itself tonally either !.

Whether they decide to simply build to their own past standard & produce 'affordable' mandolins as per 'multidon's' comment,or add to their line by building ''premium standard'' mandolins - by that i mean premium tonewoods etc.,i wish the 'two Bruces' well. That they know how to build to a high standard can't be disputed,& i'm as eager as h**l to see what they come up with in their new builds,
Ivan

[Br1ck]

The Weber brand name most certainly belongs to TOH, never again to be used by Bruce Weber. The brand name was probably over half the worth of the company.