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Thread: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

  1. #1
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    This Ellis is just stunning!


    https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/147330#147330

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    A bunch of stuff with four strings

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  3. #2
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Very true! I am partial to A-styles.

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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    At $7400, it dang better be stunning

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    Registered User Glassweb's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    it's quite easy these days to be impressed by "perfect" workmanship, "daring" design, pretty inlays and crazy-flamed woods. at the end of the day for me it's all about sound and playability...

    and yes, that is indeed a beautiful mandolin!

  7. #5
    Barn Cat Mandolins Bob Clark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    We are truly living in a Golden Age of luthiery. We are fortunate for this and really should take note of it. Exceptional instruments are available in every price range. For this, I am very grateful.
    Purr more, hiss less. Barn Cat Mandolins Photo Album

  8. #6
    Registered User Doug Brock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Wow, the headstock inlay is gorgeous. I was surprised that the wood on the back and sides seemed sort of ho-hum. (I'm afraid I may have been looking at too many lush Collings backs and sides, lol.)
    Doug Brock
    2018 Kimble 2 point (#259), Eastman MD315, Eastman MDA315, some guitars, banjos, and fiddles

  9. #7
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    It seems to be gone. Maybe sold already?

    Of course, there is this one at the Music Emporium.

    Here's the direct link.

    I love that hummingbird inlay. i love those little birds. I am not sure if it is similar to the one that Charles E referred to.
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  11. #8

    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    It's the same one. People have a tendency to bit the buy it button and then quickly have buyers remorse. It looks like it is still available, but I doubt it will last much longer.
    "your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."

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  13. #9
    FIDDLES with STRADOLINS your_diamond's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    For $7,375.00 there will be a lot more lookers than buyers.
    ....Random thoughts for a Thursday afternoon...
    1) You can buy an awful nice Gibson F-5 for that kind of money.
    2) It's NOT Vintage... 70 years from now, I would like to be the guy who pays $500 for it in a pawn shop. ...& sez, "listen to this"!
    3) At $300 to $500, the right Vintage Stradolin might sound better. 70 years from now, the Ellis might sound better but we will all have joined The Choir Invisible by then.
    4) There are many other brands of mandolins that people love & swear by that are a "Better Deal".

    Now, watch it sell... It only takes one person (with $7,375.00) to prove me wrong.

  14. #10
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Quote Originally Posted by your_diamond View Post
    For $7,375.00 there will be a lot more lookers than buyers.
    ....Random thoughts for a Thursday afternoon...
    1) You can buy an awful nice Gibson F-5 for that kind of money.
    2) It's NOT Vintage... 70 years from now, I would like to be the guy who pays $500 for it in a pawn shop. ...& sez, "listen to this"!
    3) At $300 to $500, the right Vintage Stradolin might sound better. 70 years from now, the Ellis might sound better but we will all have joined The Choir Invisible by then.
    4) There are many other brands of mandolins that people love & swear by that are a "Better Deal".

    Now, watch it sell... It only takes one person (with $7,375.00) to prove me wrong.
    Ellis is one of the premium makers. His F5's are in the 5-figure range. Yes, this is the higher end of A-models but that is what it sells for.
    1) What Gibson F-5 can you buy for that kind of money? Gibson's new ones are in 5-figure range. Are you talking about a 1970's F-5?
    2) True but so what? This is a different market. I heard a an excellent player recently on a two-point Ellis and that tone came across to me in the audience. He told me his previous mandolin was a Northfield F-5
    3) See #2 above. Tone is tone. I am a big fan of vintage mandolins but the Ellis sounded great right now and I bet that one at TME does too. And I have played plenty of SOLs and they are apples to oranges. Nice for the rice but no comparison.
    4) Yes, I am sure there are some makers who make as good a mandolin at a lower price. I agree.

    BTW Gilchrist, Dubenbostel, Nuggets, and Monteleones charge even more for their A-models.
    Jim

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  16. #11
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    "Pretty" is not a word I would use. Stately comes to mind.

  17. #12
    FIDDLES with STRADOLINS your_diamond's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    Ellis is one of the premium makers. His F5's are in the 5-figure range. Yes, this is the higher end of A-models but that is what it sells for.
    1) What Gibson F-5 can you buy for that kind of money? Gibson's new ones are in 5-figure range. Are you talking about a 1970's F-5?
    2) True but so what? This is a different market. I heard a an excellent player recently on a two-point Ellis and that tone came across to me in the audience. He told me his previous mandolin was a Northfield F-5
    3) See #2 above. Tone is tone. I am a big fan of vintage mandolins but the Ellis sounded great right now and I bet that one at TME does too. And I have played plenty of SOLs and they are apples to oranges. Nice for the rice but no comparison.
    4) Yes, I am sure there are some makers who make as good a mandolin at a lower price. I agree.

    BTW Gilchrist, Dubenbostel, Nuggets, and Monteleones charge even more for their A-models.
    It seams I've been taken to task. If it was going to happen, who better to do it than Mr. Garber. Ahhh, but it was worth it. I had no knowledge of these stratospheric instruments... and now do (new goals). Here in sunny Florida, there is a guy who plays a Gibson F-5 at the Monday night Bluegrass jam under the pavilion at the end of Venice Road just before the beach & the gulf of Mexico. He's the local expert (blows everybody else away). Though there might be somebody in Sarasota county who plays a Gilchrist, Dubenbostel, Nuggets, Monteleones, Northfield or Ellis, I've never met him, nor have I seen one of these in the local guitar center nor the local Sam Ash... so pardon my ignorance.

    As far as Gibson F-5's go, There's a Gibson Flatiron Mandolin Artist F5 Bruce Webber Signed Bozeman MT https://ebay.us/ffC4k2 for sale on eBay for $5950 or best offer.
    and 6 other Gibsons F-5's listed in the sold section on ebay, all for less than $7000.

    Me, I'm going to tuck my tail between my legs and go (Happily) and play my Mint condition 1941 Deluxe Professional SOL.
    ...$7,375.00 for a mandolin?!?!? Damn sure better play itself. I can't justify spending the money for a Gibson F-5 ...but it might have somethin' to do the way I play. lol
    Last edited by your_diamond; Dec-13-2019 at 12:44am.

  18. #13
    FIDDLES with STRADOLINS your_diamond's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Jim, Why didn't you just say that this Ellis had a torrefied top!

    These torrefied top mandolins are "Modern Day Vintage Instruments". Yeah, I did a little research.

    Guess I'll have to go visit The Music Emporium next time I'm in Boston.

    https://www.gryphonstrings.com/what-...ed-guitar-top/

  19. #14

    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    I don't believe this Ellis has a torrified top. It's a great sounding mandolin, and I doubt it will be there much longer. TME has been burning through their mandolin inventory, especially varnished mandolins the past few weeks. I'd say maybe half of what they get ever gets to the website, and the stuff that does, rarely stays long. The Kimble two point danced out of there in a matter of days.
    "your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."

  20. #15
    Registered User doc holiday's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Quote Originally Posted by your_diamond View Post
    For $7,375.00 there will be a lot more lookers than buyers.
    ....Random thoughts for a Thursday afternoon...
    1) You can buy an awful nice Gibson F-5 for that kind of money.
    2) It's NOT Vintage... 70 years from now, I would like to be the guy who pays $500 for it in a pawn shop. ...& sez, "listen to this"!
    3) At $300 to $500, the right Vintage Stradolin might sound better. 70 years from now, the Ellis might sound better but we will all have joined The Choir Invisible by then.
    4) There are many other brands of mandolins that people love & swear by that are a "Better Deal".

    Now, watch it sell... It only takes one person (with $7,375.00) to prove me wrong.
    It's pretty unlikely that a Stradolin sounds better than the Ellis....but that's your opinion. Tom Ellis started making mandolins in the '70s and his mandolins have been played by some pretty well respected players including Ricky Skaggs and Buck White, and lately Paul Glasse, among aothers. He is a world class builder. Tom is also a pretty fine mandolin player, having played mandolin and bass in the Texas bluegrass scene since the '70s, & I believe he won the Texas State mandolin championship back then too. The $7375 price includes a $800 Calton case. Tom's mandolins sound great & i think you're taking undeserved potshots at a very well respected and reputable builder. BTW a Flatiron is not a Gibson (in terms of $ value)....and as for '60s Gibson F5s....well
    Last edited by doc holiday; Dec-13-2019 at 2:36pm.

  21. #16
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Quote Originally Posted by your_diamond View Post
    It seams I've been taken to task. If it was going to happen, who better to do it than Mr. Garber. Ahhh, but it was worth it. I had no knowledge of these stratospheric instruments... and now do (new goals).
    I certainly did not mean to take you to task or embarrass you, merely to insert a bit of reality as to what the mandolin market will bear. As Mary/Mandobar noted I also doubt it will last long even at that price. I am hinting at asking the guy I know with the Ellis two-point to let me carefully play it. It was exquisite sounding for sure. I have yet to play one in person since there are few shops that have them for sale in and around NY-CT-NJ where I live. If I ever get up to TME I will definitely check them out.
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  22. #17
    Registered User Gunnar's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    This one!
    https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/148268#148268
    Slightly fewer nickels, and that wooden binding..... I love it!
    Mandolin: Kentucky KM150
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  23. #18
    FIDDLES with STRADOLINS your_diamond's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Quote Originally Posted by doc holiday View Post
    It's pretty unlikely that a Stradolin sounds better than the Ellis....but that's your opinion. Tom Ellis started making mandolins in the '70s and his mandolins have been played by some pretty well respected players including Ricky Skaggs and Buck White, and lately Paul Glasse, among aothers. He is a world class builder. Tom is also a pretty fine mandolin player, having played mandolin and bass in the Texas bluegrass scene since the '70s, & I believe he won the Texas State mandolin championship back then too. The $7375 price includes a $800 Calton case. Tom's mandolins sound great & i think you're taking undeserved potshots at a very well respected and reputable builder. BTW a Flatiron is not a Gibson (in terms of $ value)....and as for '60s Gibson F5s....well
    Doc, It was never my intent, to demean Tom Ellis. I have learned that his name will go down in the annals of mandolin history next to the finest of people. It's just that, us mere mortals are never going to own (let alone play) a mandolin of that caliber. I have also come to terms with the fact that I am never going to play a Loar F5... and I'm ok with that.

    About STRADOLINS: Most of them are $7.50 (1930's money) crap... but very very few (1%) were $40 (in 1941 money... believe it or not, the price of a used Rolls Royce in 1941, it was still the depression) Deluxe Professional models (bottom right, they were labeled Armstrong & Stradolin) https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/a...chmentid=94514 . Jim Garber, If you read this, take the one you have (that's in pieces) to your best Luther/ repairman & get it fixed (you wont believe the tone). David Grisman has bought & sold several of these. The owners who played this Deluxe Professional model Stradolin in concert reads like a Who's Who of Mandolin Players.

    I NEVER LIE, I MIGHT KID YOU A LITTLE, BUT I NEVER LIE. ---Quote by Lyndon Baines Johnson

    Gibson F5's under $7,000: Speaking of Apples & Oranges:
    2004 The Gibson Master Model F5/FB #| eBay https://ebay.us/1QMovM Winning bid:US $2,859.00
    Gibson Mandolin Signature 2003 F-5 #44 of 50 made https://ebay.us/IKQ9xn Winning bid:US $4,999.00
    Last edited by your_diamond; Dec-15-2019 at 10:07am.

  24. #19

    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    I drove down and played this mandolin this afternoon. As pretty as it is, the sound is unlike any other Ellis I’ve played in the past eight or nine years. More overtones. Reminded me of a Nugget I played not too long ago.
    "your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."

  25. #20
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    So, did it go home with you? I just checked the website and it says “sold”
    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

  26. #21

    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Yes, but I left a few things behind. It was a magical day as a gentleman walked in with a vintage d-18 that you’d swear was a 30’s model. The voice on it just shook the store.
    "your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."

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  28. #22
    Registered User Denman John's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobar View Post
    Yes, but I left a few things behind. It was a magical day as a gentleman walked in with a vintage d-18 that you’d swear was a 30’s model. The voice on it just shook the store.
    Congratulations ~ I like vicariously through you ��

    Great news on the tone of this particular mandolin. I’m still waiting to play an Ellis that will knock my socks off. They are good mandolins for sure, but I haven’t found the right one yet.

    Play it in good health!
    ... not all those who wander are lost ...

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  30. #23

    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    John,

    I hadn’t played one either, until today. Most were too dry, which some people really like, but this one shows that Tom and his crew can do it all. I say and played Irish tunes, and contra dance tunes for quite a while. It can do them all. Not too shabby on bluegrass tunes either.
    "your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."

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  32. #24
    Registered User Steve-o's Avatar
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    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Too dry Mary? I never heard that before. I would not describe my Ellis and the half dozen others I’ve played as dry. Interesting. Maybe in a relative sense...Enjoy it.
    Last edited by Steve-o; Dec-21-2019 at 8:49pm.

  33. #25

    Default Re: Prettiest A model I have seen in a while

    Too dry for me, which includes a lot of other bluegrass style mandolins, including Loars (Lloyd Loars), a lot of Gils, etc. I like a little more sweetener in my tea. Lol.

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