To Sir With Love, er I mean, to Jim with love!
To Sir With Love, er I mean, to Jim with love!
Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band
I don't want to get caught up in the mumbo-jumbo of this post. I played the Fullerton and I was surprised how nice it sounded. I was surprised how inexpensive it is. I don't think it comes close to other high end mandos but it is what it is.
I was thinking of getting one for a beater,taking fishing,beach,extra hot festivals..ect.
RayQ
Ray Quinones
Note:
Ray played my Fullerton. I don't know how any other Fullerton would sound, or if they are as "hit-or-miss" as other imports from the Far East, but this one sounds good.
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
Again tonight a great guitar player told me how good my Fullerton sounds and how well it cuts at our jam. No one can believe I got it for under $300.00. I'm tellin' ya!
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
HELLO
This is my first post. I'm a converted guitar player and avowed mandolin junkie. My partner and I have incorporated the mando into our acoustic/mando jazz/jam sound.
Anyway I got an Ovation mando because I didn't know if I was going to like it and it looked good.
But there's a glob of glue on the fretboard and I'd really like a real mando.
SO......... I looked into the good reviews the Fullerton Gloucester is getting for being a low-cost and good sounding mando alternative.
My question is - does anyone know about the Hamonton model? I was wondering if there would be any benefit to spending the extra $100 for the next model up.
Thanks in advance for any advice.
Alec
If you want the extra inlay and the sunburst finish and a pickguard, go for it, but I doubt you could improve on the sound of the Gloucester. It looks pretty cool though, and you have 45 days to send it back if you don't like it.
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
I just ordered the Fullerton Hammonton Deluxe F Style Mandolin. I'm excited abut gitting it. I hope it is better than my plywood Rogue. I'll post a review after I get it.
Update....
I got my left hand smashed in a car door#.So I am not going to be able to play for a few weeks.
yetislayer, sorry to hear that. Hope you heal quickly.
russell
Bulldog F #5
FWIW, Music123 is closing out the Fullerton Hammonton at $199. See http://www.music123.com/Fullert....96245de
Yea, that's the one I got.Originally Posted by (Joe-TN @ Jan. 21 2007, 13:07)
My hand wasn't as bad as I thought it was. bruised and ugly but it doesn't hurt to play(WOOOOOOOOOO!).
Ok I got my Fullerton Hammonton Mandolin a week ago and I am really happy with it. The finish isn't that great and the book matching is poor. But the sound is nice and loud (it holds a note really well). It is allot easier to play than my Rogue
I just ordered one of the Hammonton models from Music123(thank you all VERY much for instigating this transaction) and will gladly give a review when it arrives. I had convinced myself that I would NEVER buy another cheap mando (after my MK went away), especially sight unseen, but for $200 I took the plunge. I need a beater. It's got the full poly finish on it, so if it's lacking it'll get some "random hippy sanding."
Dave
Striving for mediocrity and perpetually falling short.
I played a Hammonton tonight. It sounded pretty good. I think my Gloucester might have had a little bit more of a woody tone, likely due to the thin satin finish compared to the gloss finish which seems to be polyurethane, but the Hammonton was very nice looking and sounding, with decent volume and a good chop.
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
I am still surprised how nice theses mandolins are. It does have a poly finish but not near as thick as some others. It has nice volume and stood up to our crowded jam. I was only looking for a beater that sounded so-so. When I take my son fishing I really don't want to take my 3K mandolin. I wish these were around when I started pickin!
Ray Quinones
I just took mine (Hammonton) out of the box, tuned it up, and it sounds and plays a whole lot better than my now-departed MK, an $800 mando. It needs a setup, which I'll tackle in the next couple of days, but for a (very) low end mandolin, these things are incredible. This was $199 shipped from Music123. Unbelievable. I should order several more and lock them up somewhere.
Dave
edit- addendum: After a day with this instrument, although every mando should have a pro setup, this one plays quite nicely out of the box. The bridge feet are well seated, bridge height set just right, and only the "A" course of strings show a need for some slight filing on the saddle to get intonation spot on at the octave. No buzz or slap, good balance across the registers, and a more than adequate bark. Amazing.
Striving for mediocrity and perpetually falling short.
This Morgan Monroe seems to be just like the Fullerton Hammonton Inlays and all.
Doing a little Google searching, it appears that the "Fullerton" label is used by Aria Guitars for some of its instruments, so perhaps the Fullerton mandos are Aria-affiliated as well. Which probably implies that they're produced by one of the big Pac-rim builders, and labeled "Fullerton" for Aria distributors.
Make sense? Aria has a pretty comprehensive line of acoustic and electric instruments, including some of their "Pro" gear which is pretty good.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
There are at least 5 mandolins with that fretboard. The Washburn Jethro Burns and the Fender FM-63 have it as well. The Old Hickory (POJ, IMO)has it, too. I think that fretboard is a stock item which is sold to many factories to be used on various mandolins. You can see that fretboard all over eBay if you search 'F mandolin.'
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
The inlays on the head are the same.
The Morgan Monroe is spruce/sycamore; The Fullerton is spruce/maple. They are not the same mandolin.
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
I wasn't saying that they are the same mandolin. I was thinking that they came from the same manufacture. Sorry I didn't state that in my previous post.
They are all made in the same factory - they have the same round sticker on them with "DAEWON" imprinted on it. This is the huge factory in China that produces the majority of Chinese mandos for export under various labels.
Striving for mediocrity and perpetually falling short.
Daewon
I know it doesn't prove or disprove anything, but I can't find any mention of Fullerton on the site, and none of the instruments shown resembles my mandolin, although the DFM-70 is a dead ringer for the Hammonton. I am still checking to try to uncover the origin of the Fullerton Gloucester. I have emailed the owner of Daewon in Korea and asked him directly if his company makes the Gloucester.
"I thought I knew a lot about music. Then you start digging and the deeper you go, the more there is."~John Mellencamp
"Theory only seems like rocket science when you don't know it. Once you understand it, it's more like plumbing!"~John McGann
"IT'S T-R-E-M-O-L-O, dangit!!"~Me
The Fullerton Gloucester has the riser appointment at the neck joint area while the Hammonton does not.
Old Hometown, Cabin Fever String Band
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