After initiating a thread on Stiver mandolins when I ordered mine one year ago and now having had in my possession mine after nearly three months I thought a review was in order. I would like to do a sound sample but that will have to wait until I feel comfortable allowing one of our more technical savvy adult sons into our home or me into their home (Covid scared).
First of all I am enamored with mine and find myself playing it several hours on most days. I had played several Stiver mandolins prior to owning mine and have always been impressed with Mr. Stiver's build quality, playability, oodles of volume, and clear even tone across and up and down the fret board (no disappointment even while playing 3rd position}.
MINE: I believe it possesses in abundance all of the above qualities which I was hopeful for when requesting a build. I have had a few surprises. Sustain far exceeds my expectation. In retrospect I wish I had requested a 1 1/8 inch nut rather than the 1 1/16 nut I got, but I am becoming accustomed. It is, I think, ideal for most genres of music, though better choices are available for classical.
What is different than the eleven mandolins I previously owned leading to my Stiver is how I attain the best tone with my amateur abilities. This mandolin likes a light fret hand and tone improves the harder I dig in with my pick hand. Previous mandolins I have owned would lose tone if I dug in TOO hard with my pick and fretting was not as effortless except for perhaps my Collings. I play a very limited amount of Bluegrass but have heard Stiver Mandolins described as "more bluegrass than bluegrass". I mostly play 40's / 50's classic country/ Honkey Tonk and some light rock and folk for which I find it ideal.
As you can see in my Signature my MAS has ended with no desire to purchase additional mandolins except for a suppressed desire for a Phoenix Classical for those times of a desire to play classical.
KUDOS TO MR. LOUIS STIVER (A GENTLEMAN AND A VERY SKILLED BUILDER OFFERING GREAT MANDOLINS AT A COST THAT DOES NOT REQUIRE A SECOND MORTGAGE ON YOUR HOME)
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