Re: Lyon and Healy, Washburn????
Originally Posted by
Jim Garber
I think the best bowlback mandolins I have played are seriously light in construction. My favorite Embergher is feather-weight. Perhaps the key is the inner structures that keep it together.
Agree, and didn't mean to disparage lightly-built instruments in general. As you point out, the design is key. My most recent instrument is a tiny little mandolino Bresciano by Lorenzo Lippi, and it's absolutely feather-weight. And nearly as loud as my Calace concert mandolin. People often expect a lighter instrument to not be as loud, but we've all seen good-quality bowlbacks with low string tension and low mass, as loud as any arched-top design.
I'll let you know when the Harpist is restored. Meanwhile, I'm hoping somebody will buy that one on eBay for $9k!
Exploring Classical Mandolin (Berklee Press, 2015)
Progressive Melodies for Mandocello (KDP, 2019) (2nd ed. 2022)
New Solos for Classical Mandolin (Hal Leonard Press, 2020)
2021 guest artist, mandocello: Classical Mandolin Society of America
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