Whats your thought on these?

[slimt]

What can you tell me about Girouard A style mandolins?

Thank you .

[Gunnar]

Everyone I've heard of who has one loves it. I'd love to play one someday....

[sdunso65]

They’re great I’ve had mine for almost 8 years and love it. I also have played quite a few and they are super consistent and they sound and play better than any Collings and are like half the price.

[JessB]

I have had a two point A style for several months and absolutely love it. Looks beautiful and sounds amazing

[mmontefusco]

I have a custom-made Girouard mandola that looks and sounds beautiful. Max is a meticulous craftsman, Laurie’s (sp?) finishes are lovely, and I am a happy customer (although still a mediocre mandola player).

[Br1ck]

They’re great I’ve had mine for almost 8 years and love it. I also have played quite a few and they are super consistent and they sound and play better than any Collings and are like half the price.

I can’t let a blanket statement like this go by unchallenged. They are not half the price of a Collings. They are not unequivocally better. I would not trade my Silverangel for one. I’m a huge fan of Silverangel, but I believe I have never sung its praises without cautioning that it might not be the mandolin for everyone. In fact, no mandolin would fit that description. I’m happy for anyone who is playing an instrument they love and has earned their loyalty. I’m happy there is an independent builder making their mark on the community. A good luthier can make a Rogue play very well. I’ve played Girouard, Pava, Weber, Collings, Gibson, and Northfield. All are worthy of consideration. The only brand, for me, that struck me as a cut above, and maybe i should say sliver, was an Ellis. This is from my limited experience.

[Simon DS]

I’d get a Girouard, it’s a great mandolin with a price saving and it would only take me half an hour to learn to pronounce the word ‘Girouard’.

[shaundeane]

I can tell you that I have owned two and should not have sold the first though if I hadn't, perhaps I would not have been lead to the second. I can tell you that the communication with the builder (Max) was first rate and I have other build events to compare to. I've been an active "catch and release" guy with guitars and more recently, mandolins and I feel certain that I will not sell the A5 that Max and Lauri made for me about this time, last year. You can read plenty of accurate comments about the fit and finish. I feel fortunate that Max heard my desire for something unique and that he'd found a nice piece of baked (as he described it, the equivalent of "torrified") spruce that I admire every time I take it out of the case. Also, though, the tone - sustain, resonance, ring - however you might describe it is the real payoff. I bought an old Harmony to hang on my wall and play during the day while on boring work calls. Something I don't have to worry about (humidity, etc) and this arrangement has made me appreciate my Girouard even more, since when I take it out (evening, typically) it's so much easier to play and to listen to. As others have said, there's a focus on precision and I could see that in the tools and layout at Max's shop. He recently did some work on an old Gibson for me. Now I have two I won't sell.

[Jill McAuley]

I have an oval hole Girouard Concert A and I'll never part with it. The quality of Max and Lauri's work is top notch. They were wonderful to work with throughout the build process and nothing about this mandolin disappoints. As someone who owned a Collings MTO for a couple of years prior to getting my Girouard I can say that while I liked the Collings a lot and had been really happy with it, once I'd gotten a chance to play a Girouard, (at a Marla Fibish workshop - one of the other attendees owned it) I knew I had to contact Max and put an order in. The qualities that haunted me about the one at the workshop were the sound and how the neck felt - Max made mine to the same specs and it is an absolute joy to play and looks stunning. I've had what I consider to be some nice A style mandolins over the years but my Girouard is the best mandolin I've ever owned. I have a thread going that currently has 43 videos of the Girouard in action as I've been doing a Tune A Week project this year:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...A-Week-Project

[Bob Buckingham]

They are fine, sound good and well made. I have one.

[Gary Leonard]

Hearing Jill's mandolin made me order one. Great to work with Max and Lauri, awesome build and easy to work with Max on specifying what you want. I came from an MTO to my Girouard oval. While the Collings was nice, my Girouard has something more, with the Port Orford cedar top. For the music I play (celtic, old time, some classical and choro), this mandolin is great with my preferred Thomastik flatwound strings.

[Cicerojoe]

I bought my Girouard in 2014, and I love it. It has a beautiful clear tone and holds tune well. My mandolin teacher at the time (an accomplished professional fiddler and mandolin player) played it at my first lesson after I got it. He played it for about 10 minutes before I got it back from him. He commented on the tone, playability, and the high build quality. Asked me how much I paid. When I told him, he said I was lucky to find such a good instrument so cheap. He’s played a number of good instruments and has quite a collection himself, so his opinion carries some authority for me. The only other instrument I have played was an Eastman 505, which was my starter instrument. I am still thrilled to own this A5. It sounds even better after 5 years of playing.

[yankees1]

What can you tell me about Girouard A style mandolins?

Thank you .

I have a Girouard A oval and I LOVE it ! Workmanship second to none and best oval sound I have ever heard or played on ! You will love any mandolin made by Max Girouard ! I have a F4 Girouard on order now !

[slimt]

Thank you . Ive been looking at one for a while now. I thought it would be time to ask you folks about these. Much appreciated.

[Don Grieser]

I have one of Max and Lauri's bog cedar topped mandolas. It's an amazing instrument. Great woods, craftsmanship, finish, tone, with a perfect neck profile that I worked with Max on. Highly recommended.

[slimt]

Thank you.

[CES]

I played a 20 inch Girouard GBOM at TME in Boston a few weeks ago, and was thoroughly impressed with the workmanship, fit and finish, tone, and playability. That one sold before I could sell a couple of my own and snag it. That said, Brick’s post above is accurate. I’m also a SA fan, though I recently traded mine for another OM because I Missed having an OM and I most often pick up my Kelley A5 when I pick up a mandolin. My SA held its own with mandolins in the 3-5 K range. The Kelley is on par with many I’ve played in the 5-10K range. But, I’m sure there are plenty out there that would disagree with my assessment, and to whom I would defer...

For a variety of reasons I’ve traded a MT and my SA Econo (which I kept over the MT based on tone) for other instruments at TMS recently. Both were on the website for less that 24 hours before selling, and I’d wager that the new owners are extremely pleased with their purchases (as was I with both)...

Max and Laurie are putting out fine mandolins right now, and I personally would not fret at all about ordering a mandolin or OM from them if I were in the market. We’re truly blessed at the options available to our mandolin community right now...

[StevenFors]

Could not be happier with tone, playability, workmanship and beauty of my Girouard A. And the experience of working with Max and Laurie is a gas. I live close enough to visit the workshop and experience their passion for what they do up close. I have played mandolins that cost 3 times as much and more that I would not trade for mine. Just put new strings on it and it sings.

[Aaron Smith]

I've played and heard a number of Girouard mandolins. For a little while I was in contact to get a custom one made but didn't go through with it. My experience is that they're really good to great. I played one a couple years ago at The Music Emporium that was an absolute monster. I probably should have bought it but it was gone a week or so later when I went back.