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Thread: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

  1. #1
    Harpua19
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    Default Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    What's your pick and why? Thanks in advance!

  2. #2
    Registered User red7flag's Avatar
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    I have played both. This would be a very difficult decision. Every Collings I have played was very precise in terms of tone and feel. The Mowry Fs I have played less so, but very solid. I would place the Mowry somewhere between the tone of an Ellis and Collings. I am not sure how to put that in words. Mowry is strong, more in the modern frame of mind. Personally I would side with a Mowry when looking at F5s, but that is more the tone I prefer. Collings fit and finish is perfect. Mowry is close, but more human.
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  4. #3
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    Which one sounds best to you?
    Not all the clams are at the beach

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  6. #4
    Harpua19
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    It's a close call. I think maybe the Mowry sounds better, but the collings plays better. However, by 'better' I might just mean 'different'. I don't think I can go wrong with either choice; they both feel good. I will gladly accept donations so that I can purchase both . In the meantime, I look forward to reading the peanut gallery debate.

  7. #5

    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    Just so you know, the Mowrys don't usually have adjustable truss rods (at least not the mandolins). I owned a mandolin (not a Mowry) without a truss rod which developed an issue. While it had carbon fiber rods in the neck, the neck began to twist and things got a bit ugly.

    I'm very fortunate to have a luthier who is quite used to dealing with these issues, but I'm a bit reticent to buy anything now without an adjustable rod.

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  9. #6
    Registered User fscotte's Avatar
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    Twisting can happen in an adjustable truss rod just as much as a carbon fiber truss rod. In fact, I'd gander a CF truss rod has less chance of twisting if installed properly.

  10. #7
    Registered User JAK's Avatar
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    Get both of them, one for the right ear, one for the other. One day you'll prefer the sound of one, another day the sound of the other. Ears are fickle, especially old ones.
    John A. Karsemeyer

  11. #8

    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    Quote Originally Posted by fscotte View Post
    Twisting can happen in an adjustable truss rod just as much as a carbon fiber truss rod. In fact, I'd gander a CF truss rod has less chance of twisting if installed properly.
    Right - an adjustable truss rod does not fix or prevent twisting. That's more to do with wood selection than anything else.

  12. #9
    I may be old but I'm ugly billhay4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    That's more to do with wood selection than anything else.
    Right. And Andrew is nothing, if not extremely careful in his wood selection, (and everything else).
    Bill
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  14. #10
    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

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  15. #11
    Registered User amowry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    Quote Originally Posted by fscotte View Post
    Twisting can happen in an adjustable truss rod just as much as a carbon fiber truss rod. In fact, I'd gander a CF truss rod has less chance of twisting if installed properly.
    Yes, that's the main reason I use CF in many mandolins, because it helps stabilize the neck. Of course, if one of my necks developed a twist, bow, etc. it would be a warranty issue and I'd be happy to fix it. It's easy to to reflatten them as part of a routine refret.

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  17. #12
    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Early Mowry F vs. recent Collings MF5

    Sylvan Music in Santa Cruz has a great sounding Mowry F5. I kept going back and playing it because it sounded so good all the way up and down the fingerboard. ( I get above the octave a lot.) My problem was the neck/fingerboard. They were just not do-able for me. I figured a new neck would fix the problem but the mandolin is already way over $4K and what ever the maker, AM, would charge over that to replace the neck made it not possible to consider.
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