Would appreciate advice from the cognoscenti hereby gathered. For a few years I have been enjoying a lovely F-hole two-point. Each time I play a bit, my wife comments that she likes the mandola better (a 1914 Gibson H-1) not because it’s deeper, but because it has a less sharp, woody resonance with a bit of resonance. The two-point has bell-like tone, but it is sharp and cuts through. It has plenty of headroom and can eat of banjos if it gets hungry. So I have been thinking of trading the two-point for a modern F-4 (I like how the F balances in my lap and in my hands). Poking around, it seems there are only two high-end makers of modern F-4 take-offs: Weber and Collings (the MF-O and MF5-0). I asked Tom Ellis (a gentleman!) if he would build one and he doesn’t think there’s much market because “there are so many good old F-4s around.” I prefer the feel and tone of a modern instrument so wonder: Who else builds an oval-hole Fs on par with Collings? Nothing wrong with Collings; just exploring options. Have had Webers, and they are fine, just not quite right for me. Thanks!
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