Coombe pancake mandolin

[bruce.b]

The recordings of these sound really great to me. I love the King Billy pine one. Anyone play one? There are so many wonderful pancakes and flattops being built right now. Northfield recently started building their Calhoun flattop too. Peter Sawchyn’s pancakes and Red Valley flattops are both fantastic, and two that I’ve played. There’s Big Muddy and Redline, which I haven’t played, and Andy Poe, though he doesn’t seem to be building any, or at least not taking orders. In general I tend to prefer archtop/cylinder top guitars and flattop mandolins. Not sure why.

Anyway, I’d love to hear your impressions of the flattops and pancakes you’ve played, particularly if you’ve tried a Coombe or Northfield. It seems like a golden age for them.

[Zach Wilson]

I'm still very much in love with my Red Valley flat top. It's a fantastic instrument!

I've played a few Flatirons... they're great! I want one. I really dig the darker stained ones. MAS is hitting hard right now.

I owned a Big Muddy. I was nice. Sold it a while back which caused me the desire to get the RV, which I like better.

I played a Gibson Army/Navy at a jam. Those are nice! It had the fullest sound.

I'm interested in Crystal Forest flat top and the new Northfield as well.

I love flat tops as well!

[Br1ck]

I like the Flatiron 1N over the newer pancakes I've tried.

[DavidKOS]

As a player of some flat-top mandolins, can I respectfully ask, what styles of music do you guys play? Thanks.

[bruce.b]

David, I play fiddle tunes, mostly old time stuff and Irish trad.

[peter.coombe]

Glad you like the recordings. Pancake mandolins is something new for me so not many people have seen them yet. The recordings on my web site are of the first two that I made. The most recent ones I think sound better, and they sold quickly so I must be doing something right. They are really fun instruments to make and also to play, so I have been having a lot of fun with them. Has been an interesting journey learning how to make these simple mandolins work well, they can sound remarkably good if you get it right. I was never impressed by the Gibson and Flatiron pancakes I have come across, so never bothered to make one until now.

[Zach Wilson]

As a player of some flat-top mandolins, can I respectfully ask, what styles of music do you guys play? Thanks.

I mix of folk, rock, country... think REM, Jars of Clay, and Goo Goo dolls but with good mandolining.

I also play Old Time, Hymns, and Modern (American) church music.

[Bob Clark]

And a +1 for Crystal Forest flat-tops. I've had mine since 2012. It was Terry's #14. It just a lot of fun to play. There's something about this small, short-necked beauty that makes me think of a sports car as I play it. I suppose the red color helps that mental image as well!

I play all kinds of music on it, except bluegrass, and that's just because I don't play bluegrass. It really is a very versatile instrument, and surprisingly loud. Don't expect these flat-tops to be quiet; they are not. And I just have to mention again that it's a lot of fun to play, probably because it is a lot of fun to play.

[bruce.b]

Peter, your instruments have always interested me, but it’s very expensive to ship them to the USA, I believe. What is a ballpark figure to ship one of your pancakes here?

[peter.coombe]

For express postage to the USA the quote from Australia Post is $160 AUD which is about $112 USD, so not too bad. I used to use DHL for all my international shipments and they are fast, and handle all the customs stuff for you, but they have become way too expensive. The other problem is with US requirements for shell inlay, you need to get a wildlife import permit, pay the fee, then lodge the appropriate form to make it legal. That takes time and is a PITA for such tiny amounts of shell. I have been thinking of getting some one in the USA to represent me and to handle all that stuff, but then every time I think about it I seem to sell a bunch of mandolins locally and have nothing to send.

[Dogrich]

I find myself playing my Redline Traveler flat-top much more than my Breedlove KO...

[Eric Platt]

Am still in the honeymoon period with my Flatiron 1N. But there are a lot of nice flat tops out there. Been interested in them since I had a Kalamazoo many years and a couple of mandolin attempts ago. Even now, that's a sound I consider a benchmark.

As for the music I play - Scandinavian folk and some American old-time. And my main performance mandolins are my old Gibson A models.

[MoreThanQuinn]

Haven't tried those, but I have a Poe Scout that is my prized possession.

Big fan of flat tops. I play mostly classical and fiddle tunes.

And to the poster above me, had I not been able to get a Poe Scout, I'd have definitely gone with a 1N. They seem awesome.

[Zach Wilson]

http://store.dustystrings.com/p-2343...ByCategoryID=7

I just noticed that a shop near me has a Sawchyn pancake style! I may go check it out next Friday or Saturday.

*NFI*

[bruce.b]

Here is another one I’d like to try. I love how it looks. http://www.folkwaymusic.com/new-inst...hyn-hobo-0418/

[soliver]

There was a Flatiron Pancake 'dola in the Classifieds yesterday... not sure if it's still there but, I was muy muy tempted by that!... I had a 1N for a short period and decided it wasn't for me, but I may get another flatly down the road after filling in some more crucial positions in my herd to be.

[bruce.b]

Let us know how you like it, Zach. I haven’t been playing my mandolins lately. It irritates the CMC joint at the base of my thumb. Not sure what the solution is, but I believe it’s because I’m also a mountain biker and a climber, and both are stressful on my hands, and the mandolin puts it over the top. I can play fiddle all day and it doesn’t bother it at all, and I can also play tenor guitar without problems. Maybe I could change my grip on mandolin, but I’ve tried that without a lot of success.

[bruce.b]

Haven't tried those, but I have a Poe Scout that is my prized possession.

Big fan of flat tops. I play mostly classical and fiddle tunes.

And to the poster above me, had I not been able to get a Poe Scout, I'd have definitely gone with a 1N. They seem awesome.

I’d love to play a Poe Scout. They are beautiful and sound great on the recordings I’ve listened to. He doesn’t seem to be building them, or at least not taking orders for a few years. Many of the modern flattops sound great, loud and full without tending towards too bright like some of the older flattops do.

[MoreThanQuinn]

@Bruce.b
My experience totally aligns with your description. I fell in love with the sound of the Scout on the recordings, reached out to Andy, and it just kind of worked out that he happened to be building then. I feel very fortunate. Like you said, the Scouts have a beautiful sound.

@Zach
Dang, Dusty Strings is selling those Sawchyns now? I'm not in Seattle anymore, but I was really hoping to try one of them out before I left because I knew they had worked with that builder in the past, but they didn't have them in when I was living there. Welp, next time I'm back in town I'll have to give it a go! Let me know if you get a chance to play one.

[Zach Wilson]

Let us know how you like it, Zach. I haven’t been playing my mandolins lately. It irritates the CMC joint at the base of my thumb. Not sure what the solution is, but I believe it’s because I’m also a mountain biker and a climber, and both are stressful on my hands, and the mandolin puts it over the top. I can play fiddle all day and it doesn’t bother it at all, and I can also play tenor guitar without problems. Maybe I could change my grip on mandolin, but I’ve tried that without a lot of success.

I'm sorry to hear that. Playing the Mandolin is one of my favorite pastimes. I know I'd be frustrated if I couldn't play.

[Zach Wilson]

Sawchyns now? I'm not in Seattle anymore, but I was really hoping to try one of them out before I left because I knew they had worked with that builder in the past, but they didn't have them in when I was living there. Welp, next time I'm back in town I'll have to give it a go! Let me know if you get a chance to play one.

Will do I think I'm going to try for Saturday... ugh, traffic. Parking. Crowds.

[brunello97]

The only Coombe I've played was a mandola (not a pancake one, however....) that was on consignment up at Elderly a few years back. Very boomy, with strange dominant echo / reverb / overtones.
Basically unplayable. Elderly folks didn't know what to make of it, either. Was on the wall for some time. I played it at length on multiple visits to no avail. Very nice woodworking, though.
Other folks have praised his work, so this must have been an aberration given how long it was hanging around. Can't blame the owner for trying to move it. Nice woodworking.
Sounds like some other pancake options are out there.
Mick

[peter.coombe]

Interesting, sounds like there was something wrong. No way would it have left my workshop sounding like that. I always play every instrument I make for at least a week and if it was basically unplayable I would certainly notice and it would not go out the door. I don't know which mandola it was and don't know the history so is difficult to say what was going on. Customers do make alterations for various reasons sometimes and the instrument can end up sounding not how I like them to sound. My mandolas usually sell quickly, quicker than the mandolins, and the fact that it stayed on the wall makes me suspicious something was not quite right. Nobody contacted me, so this is the first I have heard about it. Unfortunately I can't hop in the car and go and investigate.

[Ron McMillan]

A couple of years ago I sampled a Jimmy Moon (Scottish luthier) mandolin, the standard model and was seriously impressed, particularly by its volume. In Britain, everything is a rip-off, and mandolins from overseas are no exception. The Moon is cheaper than many very ordinary factory-made imports, but leagues ahead of them in terms of tone and volume.