Mid Missouri M 70 Octave

[timacn]

Hello. I have a line on a Mid Mo M70 (maple back/spruce top) octave and I wonder if anybody has any opinions on them.

Thanks.

[JEStanek]

Mid Missouri makes a quality product. If the price were the same, and I knew the mid mo was in good condition, I would buy it over the Trinity College I have. The Trinity College is often commented upon as the best starter OM on a budget. Also, Mike Dulak stands behind his intruments. I got to see and play a Mid Mo OM briefly at a mandolin tasting last summer. It was quite nice. You may likely never need a better Octave Mandolin.

Jamie

[catmandu2]

I agree with Jamie's comments. However, for me the bodies of the Mid-Missouri instruments are too small and lightweight to feel comfortable with (I've owned two mandolins and one mandola). I wonder if the OMs would be prone to "neck dip"? In comparison, my Freshwater OM has a very substantial-feeling body. Perhaps it's braced more heavily?

[foldedpath]

A friend of mine has one of those. I've played it briefly, and heard it at local OldTime and Irish sessions.

It has a nice flattop tone, but it's not a very loud instrument compared other OM's I've heard. It can get buried pretty quickly in a larger session or jam. I suspect that's due to the relatively small body and soundboard. If you're playing at home that won't matter as much. The build quality seems good, and this particular one has held up well for its age, with no neck issues.

[Jon Hall]

One of my bandmates owns one of the Mid MO OM prototypes. It has rosewood(unknown species) back and sides with a spruce top. It's not real loud but it can be heard with 3 or 4 other instruments.

[timacn]

Thanks for your comments.

I had always heard that Mid Mo instruments were actually surprisingly loud, particularly for their size. This seems to be borne out by my M-3 Mid Mo and others that I've played.

I'd be interested in hearing some mp3s of MidMo Octaves if anybody has any or knows where any are.

[Aaron Smith]

I have owned and played my M-70 since 2003. I have used it to record and played a number of gigs with it. It's been a great way to beef up the rhythm or double a melody line. It doesn't have the punch and sizzle of it's carved top cousins because, you know, that's not what it is. It's perfectly loud enough for acoustic small groups. I guess the standby line is that it is well-suited for Celtic, Folk, Old-Time, etc. I don't play it much and have often thought of selling it. But something comes up and it's the perfect voice for what I want, or I just pull it out of the case and am always surprised at how much I like it. Build quality is solid, i've not had any issues.