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Thread: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

  1. #1
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    Default Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    Hi picking fellows,
    here is a vid I put together to showcase the sound of three mandolins I own. This is not intended to be a comparison vid, but I would love to know what you hear. I really like them all very much but simply cannot afford holding them.
    Reason for posting is I will sell them in the near future to collect some money for an Ellis F5 custom built. Might be interesting to know:I live in Europe
    Keep safe,
    Bob

    https://youtu.be/m757DurjcVU

    Last edited by Mandolin Cafe; Jun-07-2021 at 8:23pm. Reason: correcting embed coding
    Ellis F5 Special Deluxe custom
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    guitars, banjo, dobro, weissenborn, pedal steel, fretless bass, upright bass

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  3. #2
    Registered User Frankdolin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    Can't hear nothn' Mando.Check your settings, may be set to private.

  4. #3

    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    Three wonderful-sounding mandolins! The F2 is the surprise to my ears - can easily imagine Paul Williams playing that one with Jimmy Martin. Of the three, the Brentrup is the one I'd want, however. It's exquisite.

  5. #4
    Registered User urobouros's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    I like the Ellis tone the best of all 3 but the F2 is a very close second.

  6. #5
    Registered User doc holiday's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    Bob, That F2 sounds great. I agree the Ellis is top notch. I know Tom and greatly admire his mandolins, but I wouldn't sell the A until I had the Ellis F in my hands......you never know which one your ear will prefer. There's always that element of magic to instruments.....

  7. #6
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    It's hard to hear much over my speakers, but they are all good mandolins. And all are different in character. To me, the A-5 has the "thickest" tone, and the F-5 has more clarity. The F-2 has the sweetest tone.

    You might find yourself missing the oval hole sound if you let the F-2 go. And it's a good one. Since old Gibson mandolins are not as easy to come by in Europe as they are in the US, you might have a hard time coming up with another that sounds as nice.

    Whatever you do, and whatever our preferences are, I would suggest that you move slowly.

  8. #7
    Registered User Frankdolin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    I gave this a couple listens and fully expected to like the Ellis best but found I liked the Brentrup sound the most. But to me it sounded like fresh strings on the Bentrup and not so much on the Ellis. The Gibson was as expected, although I did hear what almost sound like a Virzi. If it was me, I wouldn't part with that Ellis.

  9. #8

    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    That Brentrup! Looks and sounds killer and at a very fair price.
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  10. #9
    Registered User grassrootphilosopher's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    The different respnses show that hearing is highly subjective. So what do you hear?

    I have heard an equally old blacktop F-2 in a bluegrass jam and it was doing fine. Some might argue that it is superb for irish etc. I am also thinking jazz (and classical). I liked the F-2 the most.

    I have played a great Brentrup PML at TAMCO in Brighton. I liked that a lot but do not hear to much of that sound in your Brentrup. I do not know if it has to do with the recording ... Maybe you know that Ken Cartwright made some "Mando Tasting" CDs that had at least one Brentrup in them. That was refreshing. Your Brentrup is a fine mandolin for sure.

    The Ellis has everything that people like in a modern f-hole mandolin sound. I dig the looks. Soundwise itīs nice (but not my cup of tea, but maybe that too is because of the recording).

    The catch and release game seems to cause some turnover. How do you incorporate your mandolins into your music? What do your fellow musicians (bandmates) say about your various instruments?
    Olaf

  11. #10
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    They’re all very nice, but it would be very hard to replace the Brentrup and the Gibson, and you have a new Ellis on the way, sooo……..

    If you like the big fundamentals, the Gibson is surely a keeper.
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  13. #11
    Registered User Louise NM's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    All three are great mandolins.

    I'd say they can't be ranked or judged; it's a matter of personal preference and not quality. If you're not planning on selling all three, can you wait until the new Ellis arrives and then decide? Move the one most similar to the new one.

  14. #12
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    How incredibly cool! I very much appreciate your sharing three exceptional instruments with us. And, I cannot imagine parting with any of them. Even so, bringing an Ellis F5 into the fold is fantastic!

    I'm an old violinist who fell in love with mandolins about four years ago. On the violin, I find the right voice of a great violin with extraordinary strings. I understand that each of your mandolins was outfitted with different strings. Would you please share what strings, or string combinations, were on each instrument?

    Thank you, sir!
    ---
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  15. #13
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    Default Re: Ellis A5 special deluxe - Brentrup M23V - Gibson F2

    Hey,

    thank you all for listening and commenting - much appreciated !
    No, I will not sell the Ellis A5 until I have the F5 in hands.
    The Brentrup M23V is already for sale on reverb.com. I will place an ad here pretty soon. I really like that mandolin, beautiful piece of the art of lutherie. The neck could be a tad beefier for my taste.
    And yes, the F2 is a great sounding one - own it since 1998. But time told me that I only play one mandolin, the other ones hanging on the wall and getting no time of use - complete opposite to my use of different guitars.

    Strings:
    Elixir on the F2 (personally I don't like them on any mandolin, but I gave them a try)
    D'Addario J74 on the Brentrup
    GHS A270 on the Ellis A5

    I used D'Addario J74 for a long time but these days I tend to like the GHS A270 better.

    Best,
    Robert
    Ellis F5 Special Deluxe custom
    Anton Krutz F5
    Lawrence Smart H 5 Mandola
    Gibson K 2 Mandocello
    Northfield mahogany arch top Octave Mandolin

    guitars, banjo, dobro, weissenborn, pedal steel, fretless bass, upright bass

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