Stanford DFM-70-0 DF, F4 Model

[macjansson]

Nice looking but I don't know much about the specs. The store (Music Schmidt) says it's full massive, price indicates a non carved top. It's probably a pressed spruce top. The feel of the top also indicates pressed, I can't feel any recession around the top so...
The other DFM models I have found seems to have carved tops but considering the lack of recession in the soundboard I'm pretty convinced it's a pressed top.
I used to play a "The Loar LM-600" and compared to that one the frets of the Stanford are quite small. Standard mandolin frets I suppose, but i liked the jumbo frets of the LM-600. Maybe I'll replace the frets sometime. The sound is less wood and more of a "boxy" tone. It's not bad, it's just not blue grass which is fine by me as I don't play much blue grass. I'm still struggling with "Blackberry Blossom" etc.

The tailpiece is a nice touch, I assume it's a copy as the real ones costs about 1/4 of the price of this mandolin.

[Brent Hutto]

It looks like it could be a different brand/badge on the instruments show and NAMM earlier this month under "Washburn" and "Morgan Monroe" labels. Or maybe it was Morgon Monroe but one of them was definitely Washburn. Except yours has an oval soundhole.

Same skeeter-bite distressing treatment (it was around the ff-holes on the USA ones). Same antique-bronze tailpiece, similar headstock shapes.

[macjansson]

I love the the rope purfling on the Washburns. They look similar, tuners on mine are cheap ones though. I have to change them eventually. Stewmac have some nice distressed tuners for mandolin. The Morgan Monroe seems to have the bigger F4 head so maybe some relation there. The Stanford is made in China.

[John Hill]

It looks like it could be a different brand/badge on the instruments show and NAMM earlier this month under "Washburn" and "Morgan Monroe" labels. Or maybe it was Morgon Monroe but one of them was definitely Washburn. Except yours has an oval soundhole.

Same skeeter-bite distressing treatment (it was around the ff-holes on the USA ones). Same antique-bronze tailpiece, similar headstock shapes.

Yep, agreed. But I think they look smacked around by a "cat 'o nine tails".

[billkilpatrick]

looks very similar to my chinese-made "hudson" - (http://www.cranesmusicstore.com/huds...vsherwoodmando) if so, it has a lovely woody tone. correct me if i'm wrong but i understood "sanford" mandolins were being produced for ... can't remember the name of the excellent czech mandolin maker.

[macjansson]

I've seen your Hudson on YouTube, and yes they are indeed very similar. Construction wise they appear to be identical, I didn't get a hard case for the Stanford though. When I first saw the Hudson I tried to get hold of one but no dealer in Sweden had one, and neither did any other dealers I could find. They sure had them on their sites but no one had any in stock. Eventually I ended up with the Stanford.
The Stanford company claims some sort of relationship to luthier Frantisek Furch.
Anyway for a non professional mandolin this one is great, I found new tuners on StewMac, antique brass finish tuners that will be an excellent replacement for the current ones.

[adwishart]

hi,

I'm posting various queries on here regarding Stanford Mandolins as have put in a provisional order for a DFM300 (with f holes). THe finish listed on their website is antique and would appear to be similar to yours - it this what you have? I have seen another version of the Stanford antique finish which is less attractive to me in being too uniform in grain and colour. WOuld you recommend it as a good mandolin?

regards

[crazymandolinist]

That thing looks awesome! Very rustic and folksy.

[Andrew B. Carlson]

I think it looks really cool. And a short neck! Are these actually nice sounding instruments? Looks affordable (haha. That's like a masked compliment).

[Bennett]

I bought a Stanford DFM 90 last week from a shop in Mannheim, Germany. I like it a lot. Not really competent to review it, since it's my first f-hole mandolin: I've previously played only oval hole instruments - an old Martin from 1925 (lovely but quiet) and an Eastman 504. The Stanford certainly generates more sound than either of those. It feels good in the hands, is comfortable to play, and I'm looking forward to a long relationship with it...

[adwishart]

Great to hear! I'm hopeing to get the DFM300 (f hole) model. Been waiting since July for them to be made as I'm advised the due date for the next batch keeps getting pushed back - currently December now, so its a painful wait!! I glad to hear the volume is good as this is what I was hoping for. Tone and action will only be know when/IF it arrives.....

[adwishart]

WHat was the shop? perhaps they have a DFM300 in stock?

[James Sanford]

You might want to look at the bridge placement as it appears to be skewed with the bass side closer to the tail piece than the treble.

[Bennett]

WHat was the shop? perhaps they have a DFM300 in stock?

Name of the shop is Musicant. Here is web site address:

http://www.musicant-gitarrenhaus.de/


A few more days into playing the Stanford, I find I really prefer it to my Eastman.

[Ron McMillan]

The 'DFM' code is from a Chinese factory that is Korean owned by a company called Dae Won. The company puts out a range of low-to-mid-priced instruments with different clients' brand names affixed. They market their 'own' instruments under the Rally brand, but other clients use them for their labels. Hudson is just one of them, and Stanford is very likely another brand to come from the same production line.

Here you can see the whole range, many of which are available with different makers' names attached.

They may well be perfectly good instruments, but they will always be mass produced, unlike some of the other companies whose factories in China can rightfully claim to be making instruments mostly by hand (The Loar, Eastman and a small number of others).

AD: if you have your heart set on a particular model and are being kept waiting by Stanford, you might want to look at Rally models that will be identical in everything but label. The last time I was in Lerwick Brian at High Level Music was telling me he found Rallys to be very good value for money.

ron

added later: I hadn't looked at the Morgan Monroe range in a while, but yes, they do look like they are from the same mother factory range, with different badge and different tail pieces.