Re: Picking up an Ashbury mandolin in Vietnam
I have read about a street in Ho Chi Minh City they call “Guitar Street”. There are over 30 luthiers within 500 yards of each other. Quality can range from miserable to top of the line. If the Ashbury label is not important to you you can probably find something nice on that street. Make sure you shy away from those that use native woods. They likely aren’t seasoned correctly. There are Vietnamese luthiers who use seasoned European and American wood. Those are the ones you want. Other than that it should be pretty easy to judge workmanship and tone quality.
Don
2016 Weber Custom Bitterroot F
2011 Weber Bitterroot A
1974 Martin Style A
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