Re: What do you consider to to be the best recorded mandolin tone
Hard to single out just one example, but I'd go for the Mike Marshall and Chris Thile "Live Duets" album. Because it's live, it was recorded in a fairly basic way with (presumably) just a couple of small condenser mics, and possibly a touch of added reverb or room mic. The two instruments come across in a very honest way. And of course the instruments themselves are fabulous examples, being played by world-class musicians.
The trouble with analyzing "tone" in a recording, is that it's very common to use compression in the mix, and then some more again in the mastering phase. That can have a major impact on the sound of any acoustic instrument. This particular live recording has some compression but it's not overdone.
Lebeda F-5 mandolin, redwood top
Weber Yellowstone F-5 octave mandolin
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