I know a lot of folks have been very curious about the Northfield 4.0 F5... so, after purchasing one from Elderly about a month ago, (thanks Elderly!) I thought it might be time to post some thoughts. This review will not include images of the mandolin (sorry) as there are images of this model on the Northfield website that are much nicer than anything I can produce.
OK... first thing I'd like to say is that I LOVE this mandolin. It has all the craftsmanship and beauty you could ask for in a top-tier builder F5; it does not, however, have the super-flamey woods that are all the rage these days. The woods were chosen for their sonic qualities and in that respect the 4.0 delivers big time. I'm sure if you wanted one of these made with highly-figured woods Northfield would be happy to do it for you.
Holding this F5 in your hands is a treat... it feels like a million bucks (actually the price is $7,500) and the neck receives their usual violin style treatment which I have actually come to appreciate. It plays like a dream and has none of the tackiness associated with lacquer and fully varnished necks. If I were to make one change it might be to add some color to the neck as they do on their popular F5-S. Just my aesthetic preference. The headstock is given the simple treatment with just a "Northfield" inlaid with MOP and it looks just fine. Again, if bling is your thing you could custom order one and get any inlay you want... of course that will add to the price. It comes fitted with silver-plated, ebony-button Waverly tuners and while these are a nice upgrade from their usual tuners, they do add to the cost and overall weight of the mandolin. I would have been happy with this as a slightly lighter, slightly cheaper mandolin. I imagine most people would want the Waverlys regardless. The beautifully figured 3 piece neck has a radiused board and comes equipped with larger modern frets. James tailpiece comes standard as does the famous Northfield "Airloom" case. The finish on this mandolin is just exceptional! It is a rich, deep Cremona style burst done with varnish and French polish and is as nice a finish as I have ever seen on an instrument. It compares favorably with an Ellis, Nugget or any of the top builders and, once again, the word quality comes to mind.
Sound-wise this mandolin suits me very well... plenty of volume, wonderful sustain, great balance from string to string and even articulation and response all the way up the neck. This particular mandolin was apparently made with some special, old reserve spruce and, not surpringly, it has a warmth and clarity to the sound that is quite special... I mean really special! Chords sound full and orchestral and single notes pop out with a tone that I could only describe as woody, ancient and warm... damn impressive for a new mandolin with less than 20 hours playing time on it. And here's what I'm really excited about... as good as this mandolin sounds now I am certain that in a year or two it will be absolutely amazing. All the components are in place to make this a modern-day Crusher... and by that I'm referring specifically to David's legendary F5.
I think Northfield has achieved something really special with their 4th generation F5. It is not hype... this mandolin is as fine as any instrument being built today and Scott T was not kidding when he he said in an earlier thread that he would be more than pleased to have one of these as his lifetime instrument. It is, indeed, an exceptional mandolin. And if the price of $7,500 for a Northfield makes you scratch your head a bit consider this... with a different name on the headstock a mandolin of this quality would cost 2-3 times as much. Just sayin'...
If you get a chance to play one of these in person it will be well-worth the effort to do so. I know there are plenty of choices in the mandolin world these days (thank god!)... the Northfield 4.0 would be an excellent choice.
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