Today I finally got my hands on my new Northfield Model M. I've had my eyes on these for awhile, and I've seen curiosity about them here, but not too many first-hand threads about them. So I figured maybe others would be interested too. I'd inquired with Northfield about one of these almost a year ago, and I guess I ended up on a waitlist. A few weeks ago, they contacted to let me know there was a new one almost ready if I was still interested. Indeed I was!
This one has a different look than the standard models I've seen previously. They put a black binding on the top and finished it with a nice, subtle sunburst. The back is a single piece of cool-looking maple.
Here are some photos. The first three are photos Northfield posted to Instagram. The rest are mine -- not sure why some of them are rotated strangely.
Anyway, I think it looks pretty sweet. The shade top is a little unusual, and to my eyes gives it a nice vintage vibe. This is the first varnish-finished instrument I've had, and I dig how it looks and feels.
I never know how to describe sound, so I'll just say it sounds great to me. My point of comparison is a Kentucky KM-270 (oval hole A model). That's not a bad-sounding instrument, but the Model M seems to have more focus, or clarity, or something. It has a nice, sweet tone, and sounds better strummed than the Kentucky.
The build quality, fit, and finish are excellent. The setup feels good out of the box. This might be the first new instrument I've ever ordered that doesn't need the nut slots lowered. The neck feels a slight bit narrower that the Kentucky, but it feels fine. I believe the fretboard is supposed to be more radiused than the Kentucky's, but I honestly can't really tell the difference.
All in all, a very exciting New Mando Day. I can't wait to play this thing in a little and keep getting to know it better!
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