Re: Classical Mandolin Dealers
Originally Posted by
Tavy
- not sure what the Calace waiting time is, but Woll is reported to be 7 years!
Last I heard (last summer), the Calace waiting time is two to three years. The modern Calace instrument is extremely popular among classical players in both Italy and Japan. Fortunately there are other top Italian builders who don't have a long waiting list. Those two Mazzaccara mandolins on the Southern Strings website just recently arrived, and there should be two more arriving soon (NFI). There were two recent Lippi mandolins there but both sold before arriving.
Without going into these price ranges, I second the idea of a vintage American bowlback. The problem is separating the wheat from the chaff, but there are restorers (like Antebellum Instruments in Vermont or Bernunzio in Rochester) who sometimes have these available. The good ones are perhaps on the level of a modern orchestral instrument, but not as sensitive as a modern soloist model. One of my regular instruments in rotation is currently a 1908 Vega bowlback. Beautiful characteristic sound, and good for a contrasting texture now and then.
At the end of this conversation I'll agree that classical music can be played on any mandolin of your choice, but I don't recommend this view as a starting point. There's value in understanding what kind of tools are usually used by the people who are doing what you want to do. Sometimes the reasons for those choices are not evident until you're a ways down the road.
Exploring Classical Mandolin (Berklee Press, 2015)
Progressive Melodies for Mandocello (KDP, 2019) (2nd ed. 2022)
New Solos for Classical Mandolin (Hal Leonard Press, 2020)
2021 guest artist, mandocello: Classical Mandolin Society of America
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