That’s a lot of bling

[mee]

https://martinsburg.craigslist.org/m...486838158.html

Anyone ever see anything like this before?

[Ray(T)]

Antonio Tsai, made in Vietnam, great wall hanger (if you like that sort of thing).

I have a similar case for my ukulele - cheap and cheerful!

[Bertram Henze]

There is a mandolin in those pictures?

[Jess L.]

Ad says:

"It would make a WONDERFUL VALENTINES PRESENT"

No, I don't think so. If I received that for Valentine's Day, I'd quietly freak out. Let the people who actually like that sort of thing, buy it for themselves, but don't try to use it as a gift, it's not likely to be appreciated. I hope some poor sucker doesn't fall for the "wonderful valentines present" hype and give that mandolin to his/her sweetie, OMG that wouldn't go over too well.

[mee]

Ad says:

"It would make a WONDERFUL VALENTINES PRESENT"

No, I don't think so. If I received that for Valentine's Day, I'd quietly freak out. Let the people who actually like that sort of thing, buy it for themselves, but don't try to use it as a gift, it's not likely to be appreciated. I hope some poor sucker doesn't fall for the "wonderful valentines present" hype and give that mandolin to his/her sweetie, OMG that wouldn't go over too well.

well at least Valentines is over, don't need to fear that

[Bill Kammerzell]

I love tweed. Harris being my favorite. Really an interesting story about how the word tweed came about. A misspelling actually. Harris of course came from the island.

[mee]

Antonio Tsai, made in Vietnam, great wall hanger (if you like that sort of thing).

I have a similar case for my ukulele - cheap and cheerful!

I didn't recognize that scroll as Antonio's although the tail piece is one he uses.
I do like the case, wouldn't trust it for my mandolin.

[Jess L.]

well at least Valentines is over, don't need to fear that

Until next year, anyway.

[Bertram Henze]

well at least Valentines is over, don't need to fear that

That's the kind of valentine Schroeder would get from Lucy, until he would consult Charly Brown on how to achieve devalentination.

[pops1]

I had a customer bring one in for a setup, he got it cheap on the flea bay. It actually didn't sound bad and ended up playing quite well. I was very surprised. Most crack because of being built in a rain forest atmosphere. I haven't talked to him in a couple years, but it hadn't cracked yet, he was lucky.

[allenhopkins]

I like how the seller says the pictures are "the best part of the description." And the inlay (until it falls out) is the best part of the mandolin.

It is a bit of a shame that so much of the effort in producing these in Vietnam, is put into ornamentation rather than solid construction. If the craftspeople (I believe that much of the manufacturing of these instruments is a "cottage industry," with different people working on different phases in separate small shops) who work on these could use better materials and construction techniques, they might make some worthwhile instruments -- perhaps not as flashy, but certainly affordable.

Some have posted on the Cafe saying they've gotten decent, usable instruments from the eBay brokers who sell Vietnamese-made mandolins, but most other posters complain about unseasoned wood, flimsy metal parts, inlays that fall out, and other manufacturing defects. There apparently is a long-standing tradition of instrument manufacture in Vietnam, but these "Antoniotsai" or "Inlaid Artist" specials are all bling and little substance, IMHO.

[gtani7]

this band tried to tour and record with those instruments: https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/s...ot-Antoniotsai

[MikeZito]

It looks like somebody went way overboard on a Gibson Hummingbird . . . .

[Jim Garber]

This will disappear soon off craigslist, so, as a public service, I will post some pics.

[Jeff Mando]

This will disappear soon off craigslist, so, as a public service, I will post some pics.

At $650 it might be there awhile........

[FLATROCK HILL]

This will disappear soon off craigslist, so, as a public service, I will post some pics.

Thanks Jim. It is frustrating sometimes to read the colorful comments on these threads only to find that original link to the pics is no longer working.

In this case though, I think "public service" might be stretching it.

[mee]

"Mandolin F5 from Antoniotsai, Inlaidartist 10 " is on YouTube but when I copy and paste it brings me to a blank youtube page. Sounds awful

[Reinhardt]

Looks totally vile!!!! I think I'm going to be sick. It's obvious that the maker has some talent. needs to take a chill pill though and concentrate on the actual mandolin itself. not too impressed by the scroll....

[Mark Gunter]

It's obvious that the maker has some talent. needs to take a chill pill though and concentrate on the actual mandolin itself.

Yeah, those guys are expert inlay makers, no doubt. Problem is, they're a little too infatuated with their own inlay work. More must be better, right?

I do like the case, wouldn't trust it for my mandolin.

Why not? Those are decent, plush, hardshell instrument cases. BTW, case is not made by the mandolin maker - those are decent generic tweed cases; I've owned a couple. They are comparable to any decent, cheap instrument case. Not a Calton, and not priced like one, but serviceable.

IMO, the case in those photos is worth more than the mandolin for my dollar

[Mark Gunter]

Some have .. gotten decent, usable instruments ... but most other posters complain about unseasoned wood, flimsy metal parts, inlays that fall out, and other manufacturing defects.

For a long time, I flirted with the idea of buying a Bruce Wei "8 string tenor guitar" (read OM) that was pretty nice looking sans the typical, over-the-top inlay schtick. It was seeing so many reports of unseasoned wood problems with Vietnamese instruments that dissuaded (perhaps 'saved') me from doing that.

[mee]

Why not? Those are decent, plush, hardshell instrument cases. BTW, case is not made by the mandolin maker - those are decent generic tweed cases; I've owned a couple. They are comparable to any decent, cheap instrument case. Not a Calton, and not priced like one, but serviceable.

IMO, the case in those photos is worth more than the mandolin for my dollar

So would you put a $5000 mandolin in it? I've not seen the tweeds but I like vintage look.

[Mark Gunter]

So would you put a $5000 mandolin in it? I've not seen the tweeds but I like vintage look.

1st: It's not going to damage any mandolin that fits properly in it. 2nd: It will offer the same protection as other basic hardshell cases. 3rd: If I could afford a $5,000.00 mandolin, I might be able to afford a super-case to go with it.

I have a Collings MT, not quite $5K ... it came with a Collings case. I've owned a few of those tweed cases in the past, and I can say that for me, personally, I wouldn't be afraid to carry my Collings in it if I wanted a tweed case for my Collings.

Put another way: In the past, I have purchased a cheap Guardian brand case as well. Between the two, the tweed case had a better fit. The Guardian didn't fit my F-style Eastman very well. I liked the plush padding and the fit of the tweed case better than the Guardian, and I do like the vintage look of tweed.

YMMV

These are definitely entry-level, decent hard shell cases. They do not have the highest quality and most expensive hardware, etc. I have no interest in promoting the case, I just have a different opinion about trusting a mandolin to the case. It's a decent, inexpensive case.