A Unicorn Walks the Earth

[pheffernan]

I’ve never seen one for sale before today:

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/185213#185213

[rcc56]

This is the first time I've heard of the maker.
Apparently rare.
But . . . There's one on reverb also. I'm too lazy to type out the whole link, so someone else is welcome to do it.

[pheffernan]

But . . . There's one on reverb also. I'm too lazy to type out the whole link, so someone else is welcome to do it.

Same one: https://reverb.com/item/52424325-ker...al-2022-blonde

[rcc56]

No, there's another one in Ashland, Massachusetts; price reduced.

[sgarrity]

Me neither. Had no clue they were that pricey.....

[Bill McCall]

Never saw a used one for sale either, but the 'Avital' model suggests the level of intended player. The workmanship suggests a high price.

[pheffernan]

No, there's another one in Ashland, Massachusetts; price reduced.

I had missed that one. There’s suddenly a glut in the market!

https://reverb.com/item/50341393-201...back-and-sides

[journeybear]

The workmanship suggests a high price.

I think it's more that the high price suggests fine workmanship, which I would like to believe is the case here, though I have no way of knowing this. I've never seen a flat-top being offered for anywhere near that much. But that could just be me, with my longstanding devotion to carved tops, being unaware. (Please don't flood this thread with examples intended to disprove my assertion; I'll grant I could be greatly underinformed on the subject, and such examples will be unnecessary.) I just took a look here because I was curious to see what the title meant. I still don't get it - this isn't called that - but then, I have seen the term "unicorn" bandied about a lot lately, and have no idea why. Something to do with exceptional rarity, I guess?

[pheffernan]

I just took a look here because I was curious to see what the title meant. I still don't get it - this isn't called that - but then, I have seen the term "unicorn" bandied about a lot lately, and have no idea why. Something to do with exceptional rarity, I guess?

Kermans have been essentially a mythical creature never seen in the wild during my time here on the Cafe.

[journeybear]

Aha. Thanks! I've never even heard of Kerman. But to be a member here is to learn ... so much!

[pheffernan]

Aha. Thanks! I've never even heard of Kerman. But to be a member here is to learn ... so much!

I’m no expert, but Kermans are among the most desirable and expressive classical mandolins as played by masters like Reuben and Avital.

[Ben Vierra]

Am I correct to think I am seeing a carved back and some sort of internal secondary soundboard?

[CarlM]

There are rumors someone had planned to post a lower level model of Schmergel on the Cafe ads but Scott or one of the moderators gently dissuaded them from posting it. Reverb flat out refused because they were afraid the responses would blow up their bandwidth.

[Don Grieser]

Wow. Would love to play a Kerman sometime. Spectacular looking mandolin.

[Louise NM]

Out of my price range, but they're are beautiful, looks and sound.

[HonketyHank]

That's not the way Bill did it.

[BradKlein]

From reverb link to original post.

[Mandobar]

I believe some of these have a double top. Rare? Since there are now two on Reverb, I am not sure what to think. While not my cup of tea, the disparity in the resale pricing and both claiming to have outwitted professional players who covet these.....I don't know. As we've seen of late, marketing is a double-edged sword.

[Al Trujillo]

Same one: https://reverb.com/item/52424325-ker...al-2022-blonde

The $400 shipping is a deal killer.

[mrmando]

I know a wonderful classical player who gets the phone call whenever the Chicago Symphony needs a mandolin. She looked into getting a Kerman and was turned down by the builder because she wasn't high-profile enough, I guess. It's not just the build quality of the instrument, it's the difficulty of obtaining one even if you have the lettuce.

[JeffD]

I got to play Jacob Reuven's Kerman mandolin at a workshop a while ago and it really raised the bar for me. The mandolin and the experience of playing it were so significant that I wrote a blog about it.

It is exciting that some of these mandolins are coming to the open market. I have no doubt, none, absolutely none, that, if real, the price on that Kerman is worth it, every penny of it.

[Mandobar]

I know a wonderful classical player who gets the phone call whenever the Chicago Symphony needs a mandolin. She looked into getting a Kerman and was turned down by the builder because she wasn't high-profile enough, I guess. It's not just the build quality of the instrument, it's the difficulty of obtaining one even if you have the lettuce.

Here’s her opportunity, twice over.

[JeffD]

I still don't get it - this isn't called that - but then, I have seen the term "unicorn" bandied about a lot lately, and have no idea why. Something to do with exceptional rarity, I guess?

Yea, real rare, as in the question "has one ever been sold via a market?" Arik Kerman, as I have understood it, picked a superlative player, made a mandolin optimized to that player's style of play, and sold it to him or her. The only folks who owned them were stratospherically talented mandolinners, and maybe some of their students.

[Charles E.]

I know a wonderful classical player who gets the phone call whenever the Chicago Symphony needs a mandolin. She looked into getting a Kerman and was turned down by the builder because she wasn't high-profile enough, I guess. It's not just the build quality of the instrument, it's the difficulty of obtaining one even if you have the lettuce.

I bet she could not have the duck either.....

[Mandobar]

Yea, real rare, as in the question "has one ever been sold via a market?" Arik Kerman, as I have understood it, picked a superlative player, made a mandolin optimized to that player's style of play, and sold it to him or her. The only folks who owned them were stratospherically talented mandolinners, and maybe some of their students.

Outside of Avi and Jacob, who are these players?

Strangely enough, every time someone mentions Kerman's name I keep hearing the words "No soup for you."