Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 28

Thread: Folkmandolin website

  1. #1

    Smile Folkmandolin website

    Hi Guys,

    My name is Darren, I've been working with Luthier Thomas Buchanan to put his new website www.folkmandolin.co.uk together and take Folkmandolin into the future. Please check out his new website.

    It's been a pleasure working with him over the past few weeks and learning more about Mandolins and folk instruments in general and the craft of building instruments. I'm a guitar player and I've gained a much greater appreciation.

    Thomas Buchanan has been working with stringed instruments for over 30yrs. He has produced many fine instruments which have gone all over the world with many in the hands of some fabulous musicians.

    Please check it out

    www.folkmandolin.co.uk

  2. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to darrenmandolin For This Useful Post:


  3. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Boulder, CO & Chesterfield, MO
    Posts
    2,562

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Screenshot_2018-07-04-08-45-52-526_com.android.chrome.png 
Views:	192 
Size:	66.1 KB 
ID:	169162
    Working now. Looks good!
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Screenshot_2018-07-04-09-38-34-087_com.android.chrome.png 
Views:	196 
Size:	1.61 MB 
ID:	169163
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

Name:	Screenshot_2018-07-04-08-43-47-595_com.android.chrome.png 
Views:	179 
Size:	67.8 KB 
ID:	169161  
    Last edited by colorado_al; Jul-04-2018 at 9:39am.

  4. #3
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Saint Augustine Beach FL
    Posts
    6,618

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    The link will not let me access the website. I get the same image that Al posted above.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  5. #4
    Mangler of Tunes OneChordTrick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Oxfordshire, England
    Posts
    656

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    I’m just getting what looks like a Wordpress template but no actual content

  6. #5

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    It works for me, just takes a few jiffies to load but looks nice.

  7. #6
    Registered User MLT's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Location
    Vancouver, Washington
    Posts
    435

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    I am not sure what is happening to others concerning access. I just tried (before reading about their problems). The site opened just fine and I bounced around the different pages. Well designed. I will check out more after my coffee is done brewing.
    MLT
    * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
    Oregon Mandolin Orchestra
    Classical Mandolin Society of America
    Labraid Cytole

  8. #7
    Registered User bennyb's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    Oregon, USA
    Posts
    414

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    7:19 on the west coast US: Every page loads for me, some pages faster than others. I don't have a particularly fast connection, also I'm using Firefox on a linux box.

    benny

  9. #8

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Link works for me... it is a little slow, but that could be more because all three of my kids are home and using the wifi, lol!

    Nice looking site and some great looking instruments!
    Breedlove American "K" (2013)
    Redline Traveler Deluxe (2014)
    Gibson TB-1 (1954)
    Gold Tone OT-800 (2012)

  10. #9
    Registered User Roger Moss's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    Charlottesville Va
    Posts
    1,052

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    I'm getting through on my phone just fine. Nice site and very beautiful instrument on the main page.
    We are the music makers,
    And we are the dreamers of dreams

  11. #10

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Just a word of advice from a web designer...that font is really hard to read.

  12. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to GDAE For This Useful Post:


  13. #11

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Thanks for the feedback guys. We're looking at doing a few things to speed up loading times and will improve how things look and work over time.

    Most importantly we're looking at keeping the website updated with new instruments and content. We will have added hopefully 3 or 4 more instruments to the shop by next week and we also want to keep the site fresh with interesting content focusing around folk Musial instruments, Thomas Buchanan and his workshop. Was thinking about a blog.

    Keep looking around. happy to hear more from you guys

  14. #12
    Mangler of Tunes OneChordTrick's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2017
    Location
    Oxfordshire, England
    Posts
    656

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Works for me, looks great! But the URL displays as http://polkadoteggs.co.uk here which might put some people off.

  15. #13
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Saint Augustine Beach FL
    Posts
    6,618

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Working just fine now. Nice looking instruments.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  16. #14
    Registered User Tom Wright's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2010
    Location
    Rockville, MD
    Posts
    1,916
    Blog Entries
    7

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Fine looking pages, well done. To add some personal info, I'm on my third 10-string and Tom has improved his bracing system for a very lively top plate and good projection. My current 10 is getting a lot of use in the folk-dancing scene lately.
    Bandcamp -- https://tomwright1.bandcamp.com/
    Videos--YouTube
    Sound Clips--SoundCloud
    The viola is proof that man is not rational

  17. #15

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Whats with the polkadoteggs.co.uk address?

  18. #16

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    I'm in Thailand, and the site works perfectly well. I agree with GDAE who said the font used is far from ideal. There is a good reason why you never see block capitals throughout a whole site: it looks awful. Even worse, the blurry, aged-print look of that font doesn't make for comfortable reading.

    I couldn't find any YouTube clips, which nowadays are pretty much a necessity if you are to attract new buyers.

    I look forward to updates, as Mr Buchanan's mandolins look great.

    ron

  19. #17

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Good viewing on East Coast of Gondwana.(Australia)

  20. #18
    Registered User Ivan Kelsall's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    Manchester - Lancashire - NW England
    Posts
    14,187

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    It worked ok for me,but the pages loaded extremely slowly,
    Ivan
    Weber F-5 'Fern'.
    Lebeda F-5 "Special".
    Stelling Bellflower BANJO
    Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
    Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.

  21. #19

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Quote Originally Posted by Ron McMillan View Post
    I couldn't find any YouTube clips, which nowadays are pretty much a necessity if you are to attract new buyers.

    I look forward to updates, as Mr Buchanan's mandolins look great.

    ron
    Hi Ron,

    Have a look on the Scrapbook page. It's filled with pictures, Youtube videos and a bit about the history behind Thomas Buchanan and Folkmandolin. I'm also thinking of adding a blog, so we can document new and exciting things coming through the Workshop. We currently have an original 1927 Weissenbourn and Ukulele in for repair!

    Thanks again for the all the feedback.

    A few answers to Q's
    Polkadoteggs is a domain we've been using to build the site and keep the previous folkmandolin website up in the mean time. We will be transferring our website to folkmandolin fully very soon and generally doing some optimisation which should hopefully speed things up. I'll have a look at introducing some better type faces and fonts to make things clearer as well

    Thank you to everyone who has checked out the site!

    www.folkmandolin.co.uk

  22. #20
    Doc Ivory Doc Ivory's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2015
    Location
    South West Florida
    Posts
    123

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Lemme go take a look!
    Doc Ivory
    -Play loud, live long..

  23. #21

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Quote Originally Posted by darrenmandolin View Post
    Hi Ron,

    Have a look on the Scrapbook page. It's filled with pictures, Youtube videos and a bit about the history behind Thomas Buchanan and Folkmandolin.

    www.folkmandolin.co.uk
    My apologies for not spotting those.

    rm

    p.s. Strangely, despite being able to see the site easily earlier today, now I am repeatedly directed to the Wordpress page people mention above, with no forwarding to the Buchanan site.

  24. #22
    Gummy Bears and Scotch BrianWilliam's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2009
    Location
    Summit County Colorado
    Posts
    1,302

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Nice looking site but, as others mentioned, slow. Google recommends inlined your above the fold styles and asynchronously bringing in everything else (see https://developers.google.com/speed/pagespeed/insights/). Have fun

  25. #23
    Registered User
    Join Date
    Dec 2007
    Location
    Victoria, Australia
    Posts
    80

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    A really nice looking website. Loads fast where I am. As a retired Compositor/Typographer, I agree with GDAE that the typeface is a little off-putting. We tend to recognise word shapes when reading and all upper case text interrupts the flow and slows down our reading. Please don't take this the wrong way as I think you have done a great job on the site and the instruments look stunning.
    Cheers

  26. #24
    not a donut Kevin Winn's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2016
    Location
    Portland, OR
    Posts
    733

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Nice looking site! I've also got a lot of web dev experience and I concur with the others about the font. I would also encourage you to have your text proofread, as there are numerous minor errors (things like incorrect punctuation, improper or mixed tense, etc.). They are nitpicky things but you want the visitor to focus on the fantastic instruments, not the little imperfections of the site.

    One other suggestion is to format the instrument specs, as something like this is a bit difficult to read:

    "Scale Length 350mm Nut Width 31mm Width at 12th Fret 39mm Total Length 650mm Body Depth 65mm Body Width 270mm Price £ 1089"

    All in all, a very nice site and some really fine instruments!
    Last edited by Kevin Winn; Jul-06-2018 at 1:55am.

  27. #25

    Default Re: Folkmandolin website

    Cheers guys
    I have done some work to make sure the site loads a little bit quicker and once the site is moved permanently to the folkmandolin address and not a redirect things will be quicker generally. Looking at addressing your type font concerns too.

    Can I ask please If you'd like more mandolin eye candy and content in your daily feeds please to leave a like on our social media pages which we'll be updating daily
    www.facebook.com/folkmandolin
    https://www.instagram.com/folkmandolin/
    twitter.com/mandolinfolk to keep up the discussion

    If you guys aren't aware on our currently available page also we supply strings on our shop for various instruments and can even supply custom gauges. Free UK Shipping
    Last edited by darrenmandolin; Jul-06-2018 at 7:15am.

  28. The following members say thank you to darrenmandolin for this post:


Tags for this Thread

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •