Gibson and Hamlett Harmony!

[Kevin Briggs]

Heyyyyy…

What a day! Check out this Gibson F5 custom from The Mandolin Store and Hamlett two-point fiesta!


Big shout out to Aly and Matt Maris. Aly is rockin’ her Gibson and has a solid 75 tunes and two years of playing under her belt. She plays everything clean and with finesse. Her husband, Matt, held down the rhythm real well for us on “Billy in the Lowground.”

Watch out for a few switcharoos!

[Kevin Briggs]

Ahh… I failed to mention….

The Gibson custom has 10-40 monels (if I’m not mistaken), and the Hamlett has 11.5-41 Nickel Bronze with 17 gauge A strings. Furthermore, Aly is playing with a Bluechip pick and I’m using clown barf.

[darylcrisp]

that was very cool!

the Hamlett sounds great, the Gibson was no slouch. Aly plays very clean and sounds excellent for only 2 yrs playing.

thanks for posting
d

[addamr]

Enjoyed the side by side. The swapping made for a good comparison also. Both sound great, and good picking both of you.

Adam

[Kevin Briggs]

Thanks so much!

Update… the Gibson has Monels that are a tad higher in gauge than I mentioned.

‘Twas a fun time!

[CES]

Y’all sounded great! Both mandolins have the sound, but the Hamlett is the clear winner to my ears. Just more complexity/depth of tone without getting muddy. As with my Kelley A5 it gives just a bit extra without losing that traditional sound. I’m sure there are many that would prefer the Gibson, and have no beef with them. Also, agree the guy off camera did a nice rhythm job as well…

[Gary Hudson]

Thanks for doing a comparison. I think the Hamlett sounded great! Does John set them up for a 17 gauge A string or was that a change you made? Good job!

[Kevin Briggs]

Thanks Everyone!

John sent the two-point with J74s on it if I’m not mistaken. I’ve played J75s over the years so was going for that feel and started using them. I then experimented with monels and Nickel Bronze and fell in love with the Nickel Bronze. However, it seemed like heavier A strings would be an interesting addition, so I tried them and my mind was blown. Jeff Hoestetter at Stringed Instrument Repair in Red Lion, PA tweaked the nut and bridge to accommodate. It went from an easy playing, beautiful sounding and versatile mandolin with rumbling lows to a hoss, just like that. It’s maybe the easiest playing mandolin I’ve owned, and with the heavier strings it has profound tone and presence. It’s really an awesome, awesome instrument.