Ramsey Mandolin

[wing]

Does anyone know the general quality, sound characteristics, resale value, etc regarding Ramsey Mandolins? What I know is John Ramsey used to make mandos in Colorado Springs, and now makes ukeleles, and that he supposedly taught Dave Harvey a thing or two about mando luthierism.
Any help would be appreciated, thanks!

[mandobassman]

I've only ever seen one Ramsey mandolin. It belonged to, and I think still does belong to, Jeremy Chapman from the Chapmans. It was a killer sounding mandolin. He endorses Gibson and uses one now, but in my opinion the Gibson is nowhere near as good as his Ramsey. Every time I hear one of their current recordings I always think his Ramsey sounded better. I know a guy from Houston that is real good friends with The Chapmans and have met them several times. I played the Ramsey a couple of times and it was wonderful. I don't have any idea about value but you might be able to contact Jeremy and ask him about it. They are super nice guys to talk to.

[dbilello]

I have been lurking on the cafe for well over a decade but this post prompted me to reply as a proud owner of a Ramsey F5 (#41). Outstanding craftsmanship, beautiful woods, great tone. In response to your questions, I can only speak from my experience playing #41, but relative to other higher end mandolins the characteristics that distinguished this instrument for me were: lots of sustain and resonance; volume without much effort; full and woody tone. All in the ear of the of beholder, but I am definitely a happy camper.

Can't speak to resale value, but seems pretty rare that a Ramsey comes up much on the market. In fact, I can't recall ever seeing one on the classifieds here. John had one on sale at his shop this summer for around $5K but I think that got picked up.

I would be very interested in hearing from other Ramsey owners (past and present) on their perspectives!

[Dan Adams]

Jeremy Chapman's Ramsey came to mind for me. I know of another one here in Colorado that has been with the same family for years. I played it around Christmas, and it has great tone and volume. John did have one in his shop in Colorado Springs, Tejon Street Music, last summer, and like all of his F-5s it was a really nice instrument. He has had a booth in the past at the Mid-Winter Bluegrass Festival in February, and most of the time he has one of his mandolins available to play. Unsure if he plans to be there or not this year. They are rare to come across and if you get a chance to play one it is a treat. Dan

[BobSachs]

I have Ramsey Mandolin #10. I worked in what was then the Folklore Center, now Tejon Street Music, and played in a band with John. Cool to be in the shop as he made it just for me. There had been a Loar in the shop and he used some measurements from that on mine. I had an accident long ago where the neck came out and it took several times to repair it. It is well road worn but not badly. Still this is my favorite mandolin and I for one wouldn't part with it for the $5000 mentioned. Maybe if someone got up around $20,000 or $25,000 we could talk. Some may think that's ridiculous, but I've never seen a mandolin I thought was better! John is an awesome craftsman! Even let me choose the color when he stained it. Pictured in the early shots on my site www.BobSachsMusic.com if you care to see it. Look under pics and "Back in the day" also in the early shots of my time with Southern Rail. I use a Collings MF-5 now (since about 2005) as my gigging instrument and the Ramsey in the studio. Special shows I also pull out the Ramsey for.

[Rod S]

I just found your post about Ramsey Mandolins. I own one and have for several years . It would take a lot to get it away from me. I traded a Flatiron F5 Master and some green for it, which is in the 5K plus price range. The Ramsey has just as well balanced tone as the Flatiron and it is easier to play. The Ramsey has beautiful wood grain and great craftsmanship on the instrument. I have owned a lot of Mandolins but in my opinion, The Ramsey is the best Mandolin I have ever picked up. Feel free to contact me about anything concerning what I know about John Ramsey or his wonderful Mandolins.
Rod S