Are People Buying Less Mandolins Now?

[darylcrisp]

here's her story if you want to hear about it-around 9:45 she puts the Goodtime into action, you can see how much time she has put in on that banjo with her playing and the wear of the instrument.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-t4eHUKhIRY

[Mandobar]

Mary, thats beautiful!
please post some pictures of it when it arrives-i bet the back and neck are eye popping.
d

I have more pics. The back is one piece.

[Mandobar]

The problem with the Deering Goodtimes is they lack a truss rod. For a while there were a lot of complaints about bowed necks.

I just saw a Bart Reiter Special on BanjoHangout.com. It's a 2016 model.

https://www.banjohangout.org/classified/81122

[sgarrity]

That Reiter did last long....

[pops1]

She plays like Pete Seeger, using an up-picking instead of a frail. Still has the old time sound, nice.

[Mandobar]

That Reiter did last long....

Not a lick......check out the Stone Banjo Co listings. they look interesting.

[darylcrisp]

I have more pics. The back is one piece.

thats beautiful and i figured it would be
d

[pheffernan]

figured

I see what you did there.

[darylcrisp]

The problem with the Deering Goodtimes is they lack a truss rod. For a while there were a lot of complaints about bowed necks.

I just saw a Bart Reiter Special on BanjoHangout.com. It's a 2016 model.

https://www.banjohangout.org/classified/81122

i've had a couple Goodtimes come thru for minor changes, mostly to change tuners and do a slight setup to raise actions- had a few folks want a scooped FB or sometimes just the scoop for the 5th string like Nechville does(i like these). for the most part these baseline units seem really well made. all usa maple wood/build i'm thinking-haven't checked in a long time. the tuners are cheap, they just are-i usually put a set of Star tuners on them and they work fine. the frets have been spot on, nothing needed there. i had forgot about the no truss rod, i've never had one come thru with too much relief, all have had a very straight neck and the action is really low, but the neck action is a quick adjustment of the tension rod, and or, bridge change. never had a bowed neck, but deering does mention only light gauge strings-maybe some folks put med or more on them and over time it caused some bow, IDK.

the depth of tone isn't up to any of the name brands like OME, Reiter, Chanterelle(Ramsey), but they do note well all the way up the neck, light weight, take a beating and still look and sound good. I do like the tailpieces that deering puts on them. the neat thing is a used one can be in the mid to upper $300 range, lets you have something that plays well and you figure out if this is for you-when/if you sell you won't loss much if any. changing the frosted head to a renaissance or similar to get rid of that bright cut(assuming you want a darker clawhammer tone), and the 12" americana pots sound better overall to my ears than the 11".

i have removed frets for a few americana models and put brass plate on the FB and headstock to use for fretless, that works out pretty well and not a huge $ factor. I have an americana i've owned for a couple years, plan to do that just haven't had the time for myself. i usually change out the RR spike that is used for the 5th string and drill/insert a bone PIP or synthetic to give more space for thumbing the 5th.
i've never cared for the all maple look, but now they offer the dark stained neck versions that look better, and of course cost more. there are a couple builders on the BHO that are hoovering under or around $1000, not sure how they sound/look/play.

[JAK]

As the original poster of these threads, it's clear to me that I should have included banjos! ( and zithers?)

[darylcrisp]

its been said there are two types of banjos.........Nechville and all the others...i have a custom Nechville and having owned a couple models from Reiter, OME, Ramsey, Pisgah, and a few one man shops, i really like the Nechville and what it offers. dont get me wrong, i love all the others as well, but i appreciate the ease of use and adjustability of everything the Nechville brings-and the tone.

throwing this out for folks who may not know about these. couple things, they are not cheap.

you can loosen one allen screw and reduce tension with the tuners and remove the neck totally-the whole tailpiece sits on the tension band and has 3 worm screws for adjusting left or right position, pressure on the strings-takes maybe 2 min to remove the neck with strings/tailpiece-to reset, put neck in position-tighten the allen screw so action is where you want it-check tuning-often tuning is just barely off but not always-it amazes me-its rock solid when on the pot, pack the whole instrument in a suitcase if you want.


the action adjusts using this one allen screw and you can dial in any action at any point that works for you-the headblock design allows the neck to be slid up or down for action setting. you can also order other necks, different widths, different scale lengths,flat or radius, various types of fretwire, and have the one pot and mult banjos if you desire. necks are not cheap but are made to what i would call Collings standards. adjustable truss rod access in the headstock .everything works smooth and fits with machine shop precision.


Tom Nechville has designed a lot of features that work for the player. note the thumb bevel for the 5th string, and yes it notes easily , clear, and rings all the way up. the tailpiece was designed by Tom and is a heavy(brass and plated i think) unit that sits on the tension band. there are 2 small worm screws to adjust the tailpiece left or right, and also length that the tailpiece sits in accordance to the bridge(you can adjust depth of tone with this. the 3rd larger single worm screw can be used to adjust the upward or downward push of the tailpiece.

the bridge is a design for intonation and has a specific weight(another Tom design). you don't have need to change bridges in and out to find the best weight and or action at the 12th-the tailpiece and infinitely adjustable neck angle accomplish all that. this custom Atlas comes in around 5.5 lbs(i don't care for anything over 6lbs in an open back, thats just me), and balances easily while sitting/playing-the hardware around the pot does not extend beyond and doesn't dig in to your body.

the tension hoop has a relief area for the right hand movement. the coordinator rod(stick) is there for looks or if you want it as a handle, it is removed with the one allen screw as the pot does not need it for keeping shape.
i love the tone, the playability is unlike any banjo i've owned. the pot design has limited metal pieces, takes regular heads, and the neck is slim and fast. folks who want a wide thick neck may not like this. mine is 1 1/4" nut width, can't remember string spacing at the bridge.

the Reunion Blues RBX bag for a Les Paul, fits a 12" pot perfect, just in case you want a high quality, light bag to carry your light weight Nechville or other vice of choice. the Les Paul bag is less wide than the regular electric RBX, has a small lifted pad in the body center that is perfect for the bottom of the pot to sit on, the neck rides in the neck support cradle free and clear of touching anything. around $129, zippers are large and sturdy, huge front pocket for storage(music will fit without bending, feels light to carry, not floppy material but has some stiffner added. very cool bag.

[belbein]

I want to defend the Deering Goodtime. I bought mine something like 20 years ago. Rock solid. Simple, well made, versatile and sturdy. I have never had any problem with it through all my travels with it, all my playing, all my flying with it and all my camping. My big, beautiful Ome has a richer sound, but they're different tools. I wouldnt walk the protest lines at a miners strike with my Ome, and I wouldn't sit in with the NY Philharmonic with my Deering.

[darylcrisp]

I see what you did there.

wondered if anyone would catch that....lol

[Daniel Infield]

Regarding whether fewer mandos are being purchased right now it would be interesting to know... I can say that the time at home as made me antsy, which has resulted in a lot of accessories purchases.

[jethromondawg]

Wondering if folks in general aren't buying mandolins and guitars as much now as in so called "normal" times? Because, festivals and jams have been cancelled, and often folks will be more motivated to buy a new instrument if they know they can go to a festival, etc. and try out their new instruments playing with others, show-and-tell stuff. Maybe yes? Maybe no? What say ye?

LESS!?!- leave it to banjoists to buy “less” banjos-
Both of MY beloved mandolins- a 1990 Flatiron F-5 Festival and my 2018 Brock A-5 are each whole discreet and fully constructed
If I hadn’t just bought the marvelously vibrant Brock, one might say I chose to buy one fewerl
Please, they may be diminutive compared to most other acoustic instruments, but each one is a complete phenomenon, no ‘less’
On the matter of buying more not fewer mandolins, I’m so delighted to report that I now love my 30 yr old F-5 anew as it rattles and grinds out Monroesque blues riffs while my
A-5 just rings out with note-perfect fiddle and Celtic/jazz/ancient modal tunes
Ever start a tune in a jam with one mandolin and switch off later to another just cause you love the sound each offers?