# Octaves, Zouks, Citterns, Tenors and Electrics > CBOM >  Gold Tone mandocello

## JPL

https://www.facebook.com/goldtoneinc?fref=ts&ref=br_tf

The good people at Gold Tone confirm that a mandocello is "in the oven."

I'm going to need one of those.  I've had one of their bouzoukis for about a year and it's a fine instrument, but sometimes I want something that can push a little more air.

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## NotMelloCello

I scrolled that whole page 3 times and found nothing about a mandocello.
I know I called them awhile back and told them they needed to build some, but they didn't say "yea" or "nay".

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## JPL

"Over on Mandolin Cafe's CBOM board, there's been some recent talk about getting you guys to do a mandocello."

"Oooh, you have heard rumors correctly Sir, there is a mandocello in the oven right now, stay tuned for a release date."

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## garryireland

When are they being released????

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## Mike Anderson

Or you could get a Davy Stuart just like the one Andy Irvine plays for $1300 USD. Not kidding.

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Rob Zamites

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## allenhopkins

My experience with Gold Tone instruments has been quite positive (Cripple Creek Mini travel banjo, "Banjola" 5-string banjo/mandola hybrid, cello banjo).  They seem to generally do a good job, so issuing what would likely be an affordable mandocello, sounds promising.

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## JPL

No news on these yet.  I'm going to shake the tree periodically.

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## Barry Wilson

Here is a video

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bingoccc, 

chuck3, 

Kathy-a

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## NotMelloCello

Oh, baby! Looks great.

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## Lord of the Badgers

wow that's lovely, but there's no need for the hyphen  :Smile: 


incidentally i had a look on their site, and landed on the bass banjo page. Now I don't mind a real banjo one little bit, have heard some amazing ones; but *that* was a bit unnecessary

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## chuck3

That's a nice axe.  Don't see it on Gold Tone's website yet, though.

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## Barry Wilson

They are asking on the facebook page if they should produce this or not. it is just a prototype. the luthier playing his original piece on it in the video. https://www.facebook.com/goldtoneinc?fref=ts&ref=br_tf and right now it is the second post down

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## NotMelloCello

I don't do Facebook, so PLEASE - someone log on there and tell them to hurry it up!

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## NotMelloCello

Nearly every guitarist I know has sent me the link to that Gold Tone video by now....

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## goldtone

Hey everybody, thanks for the great response we've been getting so far! 

The Mandocello is still in the prototype stage so we don't have it on our website just yet. We are considering a street price of around $950 (case included).

And here is a direct link to the Facebook post in case you guys wanted it: https://www.facebook.com/goldtoneinc...56812305535134

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fox, 

Mandobart

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## Ray(T)

> I don't do Facebook, so PLEASE - someone log on there and tell them to hurry it up!


I don't (won't!) do Facetube either so it's no use them putting it on there!

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## NotMelloCello

> We are considering a street price of around $950 (case included).


That is a darn good price! I want one.

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## fox

Looks fantastic!

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## Tom Liston

Would love to hear it on its own acoustically

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## goldtone

Thanks all . Sydneys working up a strictly acoustic version of Bach Cello Suite #1 prelude. Our string gauges are .074 .047 .034 .020. Your comments have convinced me definitely a slimmer neck.. Whats the best nut width? Wayne

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## NotMelloCello

Wayne - I like wider necks, like 1.75, but could tolerate a bit slimmer.
Wider necks will appeal to guitarists wanting to double.
Mandolinists will want a slimmer neck - like 1.5 inches or less.
Can you offer two options?

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## Eddie Sheehy

> Thanks all . Sydneys working up a strictly acoustic version of Bach Cello Suite #1 prelude. Our string gauges are .074 .047 .034 .020. Your comments have convinced me definitely a slimmer neck.. Whats the best nut width? Wayne


Best Nut Width is 1 5/8" - 1 3/4"

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## Eddie Sheehy

Have I missed the Scale Length?

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## fox

> Have I missed the Scale Length?


I will take a guess 25.5 but I don't know ... 40mm nut for me please!

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## mrmando

I'll measure my Steve Andersen cello's nut width and get back to you. 

It is the most playable cello I've ever tried. I did have a go at Mike Marshall's Monteleone once and the neck felt exactly like the Andersen.

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## Don Grieser

The old Gibson cellos were 1.5". Nothing wider than that. 1 7/16 or 1 3/8 might be even better.

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## NotMelloCello

> The old Gibson cellos were 1.5". Nothing wider than that. 1 7/16 or 1 3/8 might be even better.


The ones I've seen measured 1.75 across the nut...

1 3/8 is mandolin territory, with no room for the bigger strings to move.

I vote wider....

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## Eddie Sheehy

I haven't seen a mandolin wider than 1 3/16".  Mandolas are 1 1/4".  OM's are 1 1/2".  MC's 1 5/8 - 1/3/4".  Depending on the scale length 10-stringers are about 1/4"  wider than the equivalent scale 8-stringer.
As for Gibson MC's, I don't mind going wider on the neck as long as the neck is shallower in depth.

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## pheffernan

> I haven't seen a mandolin wider than 1 3/16".


The National RM-1 is 1-1/4", as are some of the Northfields Adam Steffey has been playing.

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## fatt-dad

I think paddlehead Gibson's are 1-1/4".  I really don't know for 'cellos though, leave that to those that play them.  (I'm personally not shy on nut width for mandolin and really don't like 1-1/8th.)

Not to derail. . .

f-d

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## Eddie Sheehy

Paddlehead Gibsons are  1 3/16".  I had an RM-1, never bothered to measure the neck.  Radim Zenkl has a really wide mandolin neck - custom made.

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## mrmando

Just measured the Andersen cello's nut and it indeed is 1-5/8", not as clubby as a Gibson neck. So I'm with Eddie on that being an ideal width.

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## KevinThomas

I would certainly tend towards a slimmer nut width. As a guitarist I found it took a while to adjust (this being on a bouzouki never had the privilege to play a m'cello). Now that I've grown accustomed to it I really like the narrow neck. My TC has a nut width of 1 1/4" and I really like it. I would think you would go a bit wider on a 'cello, though.

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## mrmando

OK, so evidently this instrument was just at NAMM, with a 1-5/8" nut. Anyone see it? 
https://www.facebook.com/goldtoneinc...type=3&theater

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## NotMelloCello

Darn. I was hoping they'd split the diff, and make it 1 11/16.....
For me, wider is better.

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## mrmando

So here's the new product shot ... 

Not sure what to make of the mammoth tailpiece; the prototype had just a standard mandolin tailpiece. Also, there should be a  fretboard marker at the 10th fret, not the 9th. GoldTone got this right on their mandola and octave mandolin; the mandocello shouldn't be any different. 

It is temptingly priced at $824.25.

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## NotMelloCello

Just called my pal at the Gold Tone dealer....they will be ordering one for me to try out. If I don't bounce for it, they'll just stock it until they go the local bluegrass festival come fall.

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## Barry Wilson

I have to find out if I can order one in when I hit the music store today

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## NotMelloCello

They told me delivery will start towards September.... And I will get the "good buddy deal" on the price.

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## Barry Wilson

I just asked them to look into it for me. I bought something else today and ordered something in. A new young fella was helping me and asked for a deposit. I said no, I don't do deposits... he says everyone does. then another person came over and said not Barry, just order it LOL

I will get one. It is affordable and looks sweet. I won't use it that much but I'd like to be able to lay some tracks now and then with it instead of bass

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## NotMelloCello

Talked to the dealer this afternoon.... GoldTone has moved the delivery date back to October. I don't know if that means they are having production troubles, whether demand for orders is up, or whether they just moved me to the end of the line because I live in a town that starts with W.

They are also Eastman dealers, and he said Eastman is stopping mandocello production because GoldTone will probably pick up the slack with a less expensive product.

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## Barry Wilson

That works for me. I have a few expenses to take care of before that. I need a new bass guitar first. I like the Gold Tone M bass but I want that bright sound once in a while too. I have not heard back but I haven't talked to my guitar guy the last 2 trips to the music store. I am getting one for sure. I like it.

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## trabb

They are also Eastman dealers, and he said Eastman is stopping mandocello production because GoldTone will probably pick up the slack with a less expensive product.[/QUOTE]

Between that and recent changes with Weber, that leaves a huge gap between GoldTone's entry level and everything else.  Glad I bought my Weber when I did.

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## Jim Garber

Eastman didn't seem all that interested in mandocello customers/players. Their customer service guy was pretty unresponsive to my and other's complaints on how their mandocelli were set up. Hopefully Goldtone will do a better job.

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## allenhopkins

> Eastman didn't seem all that interested in mandocello customers/players. Their customer service guy was pretty unresponsive to my and other's complaints on how their mandocelli were set up. Hopefully Goldtone will do a better job.


I had somewhat the opposite experience; when my mandocello tailpiece broke, the Eastman rep was quite supportive, even cannibalizing a newly-imported instrument to send me a replacement tailpiece at no charge.

He did say that Eastman was only shipping a half-dozen mandocelli to the US every few months, due to limited demand as compared to their guitars and mandolins.  Don't think the company ever developed the market presence for these instruments -- probably because there aren't a lot of mandocello players.

I like mine a lot, though I'm only an occasional mandocello player.

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## Barry Wilson

Gold Tone has decided on a 1.5" nut for production, which should make some folks happy

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## NotMelloCello

> Gold Tone has decided on a 1.5" nut for production, which should make some folks happy


They told me 1 5/8.

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## Barry Wilson

Gold Tone Music Group
August 1 at 3:00pm · 
We would like to thank you all for your opinions and suggestions regarding our soon-to-be-released Mandocello. We have finalized the specs and would like to take a moment to discuss them.
The Mandocello will have a 1 1/2” nut neck width (like on Gibsons and Collins Mandocellos). There will be no problem with tension as we use a very sturdy double-adjusting truss rod. It will have two independent pick-ups (a transducer and floating mag) each with its own volume control. 
An exciting feature is that all of the electronics are contained in the pickguard, so if you are looking for a purely acoustic instrument, you can take off the pickguard to achieve this.
The tone is reminiscent of an Eastman Mandocello. Position dots will be correct (Yes, the prototype had a marker on the 9th fret instead of the 10th). The newly added ebony tailpiece actually improves the tone, as terminating the strings with a mandolin-style tailpiece increases string tension and now the strings have a little more bounce. Street price will now be $825 with an archtop hard case. (We are trying to decide if we should do a run of lefties (the cost will increase 10%)).
The Mandocello should be in-house and ready to ship by late Nov/Dec.
We appreciate any of your comments and yes, Sydney is working on a pure acoustic recording (A Bach Cello piece, I believe)

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## NotMelloCello

Well that sucks.

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## NotMelloCello

Here it is the end of October and no Gold Tone mandocello. They have postponed delivery yet again, with no excuse given. I'm getting antsy.

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## Mandobart

Well it sounds like they will really add something lacking in the CBOM market - an under $1k USD carved guitar bodied 'cello.  I had been trying to sell my Eastman MDC 805; it will probably be tough to compete with these new Gold Tones.  So I think I'll proceed with my plan to convert her to an arch top guitar which I've been wanting for some time....in fact the sale of the 'cello was going to finance an Eastman guitar so why not?

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## wildpikr

> Well it sounds like they will really add something lacking in the CBOM market - an under $1k USD carved guitar bodied 'cello.  I had been trying to sell my Eastman MDC 805; it will probably be tough to compete with these new Gold Tones.  So I think I'll proceed with my plan to convert her to an arch top guitar which I've been wanting for some time....in fact the sale of the 'cello was going to finance an Eastman guitar so why not?


This might be like trying to douse a fire with kerosene but if you want to keep those low tones, maybe an arch top baritone guitar?  Just a thought... :Whistling:

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## NotMelloCello

> This might be like trying to douse a fire with kerosene but if you want to keep those low tones, maybe an arch top baritone guitar?  Just a thought...


Did you watch the video? It IS an arch top.

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## Mandobart

> This might be like trying to douse a fire with kerosene but if you want to keep those low tones, maybe an arch top baritone guitar?  Just a thought...


I'm keeping the low tones with my 26" F4 style 10 string mandocello.  I also still have two OM's and a 10 string mandola.  But I don't have a jazz guitar, yet...

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## wildpikr

> Did you watch the video? It IS an arch top.


Yup, I watched the video and noted the arch top on the Goldtone...

BUT, I was referring [in my post] to Mandobart's idea to make his Eastman MC [which is an archtop - I own one also] into an archtop guitar...

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## wildpikr

> I'm keeping the low tones with my 26" F4 style 10 string mandocello.  I also still have two OM's and a 10 string mandola.  But I don't have a jazz guitar, yet...


Cool idea...keep us posted...

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## NotMelloCello

Well, I called Gold Tone to ask WTH the problem was in delivery. They assured me the first batch of mandocellos from China are headed to inspection in Florida soon, and I am number 6 in line. So.... early Christmas surprise, perhaps?

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## Rodney Riley

Well my wife has pulled off another great gift for me for my Birthday/Christmas. She sent me links to several different mandolins she liked the looks of and ask me what I thought of them. They were all beautiful. But told her I wished Gold Tone had their mandocello out. Because they were cheaper than the mandolins she had looked at. After showing her a picture on one of the Cafe's sponsor sites and listening to their recording she said call them. Instead I stopped at our local music store. (The owner plays in our church band with me) Asked if he could get Gold Tone brand instruments, specifically a mandocello. He called his supplier, who said they had received them this week and were shipping them out to dealers. *And they had 2 left!!!!!* Wellllll they now only have *1* left.  :Smile:

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Barry Wilson, 

Freddyfingers

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## Freddyfingers

Congrats!  Looks like your the first!  Can't wait to hear a in hands review.  By the way, what's the store?

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## CES

Congrats! I'd love to hear your impression as well, as I'm very intrigued with these instruments. I don't expect them to sound like MM's Monte, but if they're serviceable, the price is certainly right...

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## Rodney Riley

A family owned music store here in Effingham, Illinois. The owner plays lead guitar and banjo in our church band. 
Chestnut Family Music. http://chesnutfamilymusic.com/index.html
He also builds amps.NFI http://jchesteramplification.com/about/ I have a little trouble with his amp website. :Frown: 
So far he has not called that it has been delivered. Of course he's pumped because he said he gets to set it up and play it  :Laughing:  Hope he doesn't take a week or so testing it out. LOL

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## NotMelloCello

Got a call from my dealer this afternoon..... I should be able to pick up my Gold Tone Mandocello on December 28th! HUZZAH!

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Barry Wilson

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## trabb

> A family owned music store here in Effingham, Illinois. The owner plays lead guitar and banjo in our church band. 
> Chestnut Family Music. http://chesnutfamilymusic.com/index.html
> He also builds amps.NFI http://jchesteramplification.com/about/ I have a little trouble with his amp website.
> So far he has not called that it has been delivered. Of course he's pumped because he said he gets to set it up and play it  Hope he doesn't take a week or so testing it out. LOL



Unless there's more than one such site in Effingham, that's a fantastic shop.  Stopped in last Christmas and was pretty blown away by the inventory given what I expected to find.

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Rodney Riley

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## Freddyfingers

This is practically exciting!

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## Rodney Riley

> Got a call from my dealer this afternoon..... I should be able to pick up my Gold Tone Mandocello on December 28th! HUZZAH!


Great. Hope I get the call from Chestnuts soon!!!! Though I've never played one. I will be using my Grandblessing's Cello book and learning the notes along with her on her Cello

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## Rodney Riley

> Unless there's more than one such site in Effingham, that's a fantastic shop.  Stopped in last Christmas and was pretty blown away by the inventory given what I expected to find.


They had a big sale on Black Friday and his inventory is a little low right now. Saw they have a bunch of Ukeleles in this week. If you were in last Christmas, you probably saw one of my Lionel trains running between the piano and his peddle display. Didn't get a set up to them this year.  :Frown:

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## Freddyfingers

It's the 28th, and we eagerly await the long waited review!!!

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Woodrow Wilson

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## Rodney Riley

Was at the store last night taking a grandblessing to his piano and guitar lessons. Mine hasn't shown up yet  :Frown:

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## Freddyfingers

The suspense builds!

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## NotMelloCello

Called my dealer this morning.... He says it's somewhere between here and Florida. So I guess it will be next year!

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## Freddyfingers

At least it's on it's way!   I am considering giving a deposit to elderly to order one, but I really am interested in a first hand account.   So I sit patiently with you.  Care for some tea?

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## Don Grieser

Anybody get their hands on one yet?

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## Freddyfingers

I am guessing not.  Sad though.

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## Rodney Riley

My dealer called his supplier. Said the whole shipment is lost/misplaced. They can't find them in the warehouse.  :Frown:

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## NotMelloCello

Apparently, it's all a big lie from Gold Tone. They never made any, they ones they sent sank with the boat, none of them passed inspection once they made it to Gold Tone, the truck they were on crashed and burned in a wreck..... Wonder what it will be next week?

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## Freddyfingers

This is not encouraging, but we should remain optimistic.

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## Rodney Riley

:Laughing:  :Mandosmiley:  :Mandosmiley:  Just got a text from Chestnut Family Music...."She shipped" :Grin: 

Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!! Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!!!

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## Freddyfingers

Hotdog!

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## allenhopkins

> Just got a text from Chestnut Family Music...."She shipped"
> 
> Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!! Oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy!!!!!


When it arrives -- review, please.

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## NotMelloCello

My dealer PROMISES Monday. Anyone want to place bets?

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## bjh65

Hi all, new to the board. Just ordered one from a local store on Friday. Dealer said a 1-2 weeks.

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## NotMelloCello

Welcome, but don't hold your breath.

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## Rodney Riley

Got mine today. It's beautiful... Grandblessing has a vollyball game so have to tell everyone about it toomario..

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## NotMelloCello

PIX, or it didn't happen.

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Woodrow Wilson

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## Rodney Riley

hope it worked. Trying from my fone. Ha ha ha... seee!! Told ya so!

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derbex, 

Woodrow Wilson

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## NotMelloCello

Congrats, Rodney - you are FIRST.

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## Rodney Riley

Now if I just knew how to play it !!!

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## Freddyfingers

Congrats!   So now the details.....  how does it feel, play, sound unplugged, plugged in?   Enquiring minds need to know!

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## Rodney Riley

> Congrats!   So now the details.....  how does it feel, Heavy, sure not a mando!!!play, Pretty easy to play. (thanks to a little practice on my Grandblessings cello) Getting used to how it reacts to fretting pressure, finger placement and left hand movement might take me awhile. I am getting buzz from my fingers cause the strings vibrate so much. sound unplugged, Right now seems pretty quiet. More like my father-in-laws '69 Hummingbird. Not as loud as his '40 Martin.plugged in? Fantastic, Salesman played it at the store a little for me. Can't wait to plug in to our Fender bass amp and play with it.  Enquiring minds need to know!


Fit and finish are great. Love the chocolate color burst. There is a mark across the finger board just above the second fret. Goes clear across the board so was done before being strung up. Will get more pics later. Left it with our music ministry leader this morning so he could play with it. (I'm trying to get my oldest Grandblessing's Grandfather clock back together before her birthday, now that I have it stained and finish is dried) So, gotta go. More later.

p.s. If you're on the fence. JUMP!!! You will not be disappointed.

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Freddyfingers

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## NotMelloCello

Just got the call from my dealer at 10:30.... will pickup this afternoon!

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Rodney Riley

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## NotMelloCello

Here it is:


I played it for about 10 minutes at the store. I am NOT crazy about it. I do NOT like the narrow neck. The strings are brand new, but they already sound dead. It's supposed to be a carved top, but the acoustic sound is very quiet, very thin. Perhaps the bracing is overdone? The electric sound.... better, but I reserve judgment until I work with it awhile. Right off the bat - the setup is poorly done. Nut height is not consistent from course to course. The frets buzz in 3 places - no surprise, I guess - as my first experiences with Gold Tone products was doing fret levels on dulciborns, banjos, and guitars from them. Finish - good, but some small scratches in the sunburst before topcoating with clear. The hardshell case - absolutely top notch! It's not made by Gold Tone, I bet.

This is my quick thumbnail sketch. More later.

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## trabb

> Here it is:
> 
> 
> I played it for about 10 minutes at the store. I am NOT crazy about it. I do NOT like the narrow neck. The strings are brand new, but they already sound dead. .


That's a brave post.  Now if you decide to sell it, you won't be able to put in the classifieds that it's the "best sounding mandocello ever at this price point; better than a Gibson!"  :Smile: 

Sorry to hear that it didn't meet your expectations, but your first impression at least makes me feel a little better - I shelled out a lot of money on a Weber 'cello a few months back, right before Gold Tone announced theirs.  If everyone came back and said that Gold Tones were pure magic, I'd have felt bad about paying what I did for the Weber.

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## NotMelloCello

I'll bet your Weber sounds fantastic. It's got the narrow neck, too - doesn't it?

Also, I've been doing guitar repair and building guitars for 39 years. You can bet it will be a damn sight better when I'm done with it.

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## Jared Heddinger

How does it sound acoustically compared to the price tag? Is it worth being used solely acoustically or is it geared more for plugging in?

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## Rodney Riley

Guess I was lucky enuff that the music store set mine up for me before I even saw it. (Broke one of the A strings while doing it, and no extra charge for the set up.) The neck could be a little thinner for me. One reason I play the mando is cause I have trouble fretting the wide necks on guitars. And I only change my mando strings when I just absolutely have too. (Like when one breaks, so I change them all) I hate the bright jangly sound of new strings. Love 'em mellowed out a bit. Will be playing plugged in when playing with the worship band, so being quiet acoustically is not a problem. For the price... it's a  Mandocello!!! Never had one before. And I like it.

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## NotMelloCello

> How does it sound acoustically compared to the price tag? Is it worth being used solely acoustically or is it geared more for plugging in?


I would expect a carved spruce top to have decent tone and some volume, but it sounds more like a plywood semi-hollow. It's more of a thunk down near the nut. Doesn't really sound sweet until you get up above the 9th fret. Even cheapo parlor guitars have more volume.

The pickup sound is useable, but is VERY jangly unless you roll off the treble about half-way. If I can getting it playing properly and easily, I would think a pickup change is in order. Probably a Bill Lawrence A-400 would add some fullness to the tone.

Not much I can do about the narrow neck. I have arthritis, and a neck closer to 1.75 is much easier to fret without my fingers getting all crossed up.

I didn't expect Eastman quality for half the price, but it's not where it should be in my estimation.

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## trabb

> I'll bet your Weber sounds fantastic. It's got the narrow neck, too - doesn't it?
> 
> Also, I've been doing guitar repair and building guitars for 39 years. You can bet it will be a damn sight better when I'm done with it.


To be honest, not sure about the neck.  It's the only one I've played.  Glad you've got the skills to improve the Gold Tone - hate the idea of it not being a great instrument, but doing that kind of work requires skills that are beyond me.

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## Freddyfingers

I am happy for those that got a hands on, and I am grateful for the info that is starting to come in.  I bet within a few weeks, more of these will have shipped, and folks will come here to see whats going on.   Thanks Guys!

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## NotMelloCello

About all you've heard is my gripes so far... Here's some good stuff.

Tuning machines - very nice, 8 of them. Dollars to donuts they are Ping tuners - good brand. Pearly plastic buttons, too.

The tailpiece - if you've seen an Eastman, they have a piece of rosewood screwed to a heavy brass plate. This is real ebony about 3/8" thick. Well done on that, Gold Tone! The steel plate to next to the ball ends doesn't fit in the cove right...

Back to the bad...
Comes equipped with an Earvana nut - bone and fret combo. HATE IT. Too tall, and I can't adjust the height easily. Cut some shorter fretwire to get the action down at the nut - helps intonation a bunch. Just put a bone nut on it and call it good, guys.

The pickguard sets even with the strings. That's a big NO-NO - should be below a bit. Also - the volume and tone knobs are way too tall, and they are so close together you end up touching both when trying to adjust one.

Still have much to do to make it right - more tomorrow.

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## Mandolin Cafe

We'll be checking them out on Thursday at the Anaheim NAMM Show. Will report back if they have one on the floor.

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## NotMelloCello

And another thing.... The foot on the 3 piece ebony bridge is the same width as the bridge. This makes it very tippy. A wide foot would make it more stable. Also, the adjustment screws inside the bridge are a millimeter too tall, and creates a gap between the top and middle pieces of the bridge. This may affect the sustain, and might explain why the C strings are so dead sounding down low.

Show Wayne this thread - I'll be glad if they respond to my critique.

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## jtv

Bummer to hear it's not quite up to what you'd like. 

Any chance of either of you who've gotten them putting up some examples of how it sounds?

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## NotMelloCello

> Any chance of either of you who've gotten them putting up some examples of how it sounds?


I need to finish de-bugging mine, or there will be nothing worth hearing.

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## NotMelloCello

Maybe I'm stupid, but had anyone mentioned that this thing has a PIEZO PICKUP in the bridge? Did anyone know?

I tried to take apart the bridge so I could grind a millimeter off the height adjustment screws and the bridge would NOT move. Surprise! There's a wire coming out the bottom, going straight down into a hole in the top. The foot of the bridge hides it.

Problem: Not only does that limit adjustment for luthiers and players - if the action is dropped all the way down, the top of the 3 piece bridge LIFTS UP off the piezo pickup, and then.... you'll have no sound. BAD GOLD TONE!!!!! Run the wire out the side of the bridge, and then down a hole WE CAN SEE!

Sorry for the caps, but it's just one frustration after another with this thing. I do not like being the alpha tester for new products, OK? Gold Tone just got it "close enough", and expects the user to finesse this thing? NOT COOL.

Are you guys at NAMM paying attention?

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## Rodney Riley

On Gold Tone's site. The spec list has both pick ups listed. Solid Spruce top, doesn't say "carved". So must be pressed.

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## NotMelloCello

RIGHT. Now we know. Yesterday, did any of us know? It's bad form to hide wires when they interfere with the setup and playing of an instrument. Function BEFORE form is the rule.

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Freddyfingers

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## Freddyfingers

I was curious if you can get a separate signal from each pickup.  I am doubting the way it's set up, that its not possible.  Unless you cut the wires and run them to seperate knobs and maybe jacks.     One of the reasons the Eastman turned me off was no pickup.   Add a few hundred to have one installed in the bridge.  Or spend more and get a Schertler type pickup on the body.  That's why this one had high hopes, built in pickup.

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## foldedpath

> I was curious if you can get a separate signal from each pickup.  I am doubting the way it's set up, that its not possible.  Unless you cut the wires and run them to seperate knobs and maybe jacks.     One of the reasons the Eastman turned me off was no pickup.   Add a few hundred to have one installed in the bridge.  Or spend more and get a Schertler type pickup on the body.  That's why this one had high hopes, built in pickup.


With respect, I can't understand this thinking. If a mandocello sounds great acoustically, there are _many_ ways to amplify it for any conceivable purpose. I have a great-sounding Weber OM. I amplify it with a clip-on DPA microphone. If I needed more gain before feedback, there are a half-dozen good pickup choices I could use that would do the job. 

Putting "it''s amplified at the factory" before great acoustic tone is putting the cart before the horse, in my opinion. 

And yes, there are situations where an acoustically "damped" body design with a humbucker is a good match for some styles of music. I'm familiar with that from the world of guitars. But is anyone really looking for that with a new, affordable-class mandocello on the market? How narrow a niche is that, compared to the people who would like a sub-$1,000 mandocello where acoustic response is the first priority? 

I hope those who bought the first runs of this Gold Tone are happy with their purchase, with or without further tweaks. But it looked weird to me from the start, with that humbucker and tone knob design.

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## NotMelloCello

> I was curious if you can get a separate signal from each pickup.


Not yet, but it would be a good idea with the piezo pickup. Running it separately through a good buffer or preamp would eliminate the scratchy, trebly sound. You never know if it might be the strings.... but I won't change them until I get the damn thing to play right, and in tune.

Also, foldedpath is correct - it should sound good from the factory before adding a pickup of any kind. This one really needs help, and I'm on a mission to make it great.

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## mrmando

Glad to see they got the 10th fret marker right. 

So what's the nut width? Throw it on the Classifieds if you decide not to keep it ...

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## Scott Tichenor

I'll be at NAMM late this morning. I'll eventually get to Gold Tone and if I can locate Wayne I'll show him this thread in case he hasn't seen it. We had talked about possibly doing a giveaway this Spring and if I can make that happen I will, but no promises.

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## Tom C

> Here it is:
> 
> 
> I played it for about 10 minutes at the store. I am NOT crazy about it. I do NOT like the narrow neck. The strings are brand new, but they already sound dead. It's supposed to be a carved top, but the acoustic sound is very quiet, very thin. Perhaps the bracing is overdone? The electric sound.... better, but I reserve judgment until I work with it awhile. Right off the bat - the setup is poorly done. Nut height is not consistent from course to course. The frets buzz in 3 places - no surprise, I guess - as my first experiences with Gold Tone products was doing fret levels on dulciborns, banjos, and guitars from them. Finish - good, but some small scratches in the sunburst before topcoating with clear. The hardshell case - absolutely top notch! It's not made by Gold Tone, I bet.
> 
> This is my quick thumbnail sketch. More later.



With this opinion, why did it go home with you? The following comment alone would have made me not want it..."It's supposed to be a carved top, but the acoustic sound is very quiet, very thin"

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## NotMelloCello

> With this opinion, why did it go home with you?


Because I waited over a frickin year for it...

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## Rodney Riley

My expectations must not have been as high as NotMelloCello's. Have seen Gold Tone instruments and know they are over built and heavy like a lot of the lower priced instruments. And this one is HEAVY. (1940 D-15 @3.25 lbs. 1969 Gibson Hummingbird @4.82 lbs. Mine tops the scale @6.40 lbs.) But I was pleased with my first laminated top Fender A/E mandolin as a learning mandolin. So this fills the same usefulness for me. A learning tool. And since I've never heard or played one before, it's pretty cool.

( I didn't have to wait as long for mine. As post #58 says on 12/17/2016, I ordered mine. Took delivery as written on post #83 on 1/16/2017. Was in the right place at the right time.)

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## mrmando

So you can't separate the piezo and bridge signals? At what point are they blended? 

Can you tell if it has a stereo jack, with one signal going to the tip and the other to the ring? Or are the signals blended in some other way? 

I have great acoustic tone in my Andersen cello, but it would be fun to have something with a good humbucker tone. If I got one of these I guess I'd want to put a proper bridge on it, use a soundboard pickup instead of a bridge piezo, run the humbucker and piezo signals to a stereo jack and be able to separate them.  

Or is a soundboard pickup a bad idea if you don't have a carved top? (Not that I would want to use the piezo that often.)

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## NotMelloCello

My guess is they could have built a flattop ala Santa Cruz, etc., for much less trouble and money than an archtop.

Maybe they intended it to be electric from the get-go.

I didn't discuss all the details with Wayne on the phone and in emails over the last 18 months or so. I just hoped it would be better. 

Maybe I am just a picky old grouch, but after 39 years of repairing and building guitars - I am the guy you come to in this town when you want slick, smooth, and righteous. So I set the bar pretty high.

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## NotMelloCello

> So you can't separate the piezo and bridge signals? At what point are they blended? 
> 
> Can you tell if it has a stereo jack, with one signal going to the tip and the other to the ring? Or are the signals blended in some other way? 
> 
> I have great acoustic tone in my Andersen cello, but it would be fun to have something with a good humbucker tone. If I got one of these I guess I'd want to put a proper bridge on it, use a soundboard pickup instead of a bridge piezo, run the humbucker and piezo signals to a stereo jack and be able to separate them.  
> 
> Or is a soundboard pickup a bad idea if you don't have a carved top? (Not that I would want to use the piezo that often.)


Both pickups come out one jack. Volume for each, it seems. I will probably end up separating them into 2 circuits before I'm done. Hard to tell what brand of piezo is in it, but it's probably something Chinese like Artec..... The humbucker is sounding better, but the C strings are still about half volume compared to the others. I moved some stuff around, and put more foam under it, and it's right up next to the strings for max sensitivity.

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## Rodney Riley

When Jordan was setting mine up he broke the outside A string and replaced it. The new string is noticeably heavier. And when picking them separate you can tell the heavier one sounds better. Will ask him if I can get another one of the heavier strings and replace the original. Will look at the website and see the size strings they used. When needing replaced will probably go with a heavier set.

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## foldedpath

> My guess is they could have built a flattop ala Santa Cruz, etc., for much less trouble and money than an archtop.
> 
> Maybe they intended it to be electric from the get-go.


That's what it looks like. I just can't understand why Gold Tone thinks there is an untapped market niche for a mandocello built like an electric archtop guitar. Are there enough singer/songwriters and alt rock bands out there who want to be fingering notes and chords on this kind of scale length? Maybe Gold Tone knows something we don't know. But I doubt it...

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## NotMelloCello

I do think interest in mandocello will be growing in the near future. We've had so many people - young and old - introduced to playing via the current popularity of the ukulele, and they'll want to step up to something else that is NOT a guitar. A mandocello has such a beautiful sound, and is easier than guitar. It just seems to me to be the instrument of the future right now.

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## Rodney Riley

Wow! Got some blisters on my left fingertips for the first time in years. Have a rattle/buzz from the C string I have to locate. Gonna put a leather shoe lace behind the bridge to see if that will help. Might have to get a mirror inside to see if a wire is close to something and causing it. And yes, the metal strip the ball ends of the strings go thru needs some minor work to get it to fit the tailpiece better. Will wait till doing a complete string change for that. Mine sounds fantastic if you play easy. Tends to rattle/distort if you try to hammer down on it.

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## Rodney Riley

plate fit up to the tailpiece

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## Rodney Riley

the fingerboard between the 1st and 2nd fret. Is clear across under the strings. So was done before strung up the first time. Fit n finish everywhere else is great. Love it really.

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## NotMelloCello

That's EXACTLY what my tailpiece looks like Rodney - so it's obviously a mistake they've repeated.

As to the mark on the fingerboard - that could happen any number of ways. Doesn't look great, but doesn't affect playing. If this was a Gibson, it would be marked a 2nd, and sold at reduced price.

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## NotMelloCello

Further update for today.... Since I cannot remove the bridge, I had to gently file down the tops of those 2 height adjustment screws inside the bridge. That allowed the top piece to sit firmly on the pickup. Truthfully, I hear very little difference of the piezo pickup when plugged in. Got the action at the nut down and correct. The string height at the last fret is down where it plays nice - I can finally do my hammer-ons and pull-offs without trouble.

The acoustic sound is still pretty quiet - you cannot use this in a group situation with amplification. Period. Not enough volume, sorry. Also, I mentioned the control knobs are too tall - they are just in the way when you strum. I will eventually drill holes in the top and mount them out of my way. The C strings just don't sound right, especially below the 5th fret. I think I have my intonation problems worked out, but there is still much to be done in the future. None of it critical at this point, because I won't be gigging with it anytime soon.

The pickups sound better, adding the piezo sound to the humbucker output adds a little crispness - but by itself, the piezo pickup is just nasty, harsh, and brittle. Still having problems with the narrowness of the neck, too. I keep missing notes and making mistakes.

No complaint, but I should point out - for you folks that like to play standing up, this doesn't come with a strap button near the neck. There's a small one at the tailpiece. If you want one, buy and install it .

Is there anyone out who would like some detail shots of the instrument? Sing out if you do.

If anyone at the NAMM show is still reading, can you find out who made the humbucker and the piezo pickup? I can see it has those tiny little Asian pots. The jack is probably the same crummy Asian jack put in all Asian instruments, and it will fail soon. Switchcraft, baby!

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## Beanzy

In case it helps anyone chasing buzzes etc I have found them to be quite common on the C courses on mandoloncellos I have used. 
The action and spacing on those needs to be very high by comparison with anything else I've seen. You need a real slope on the bridge to lift them high enough to be able to drive into the pair with any force and not have them slap each other and the fretboard. The distance they travel is very large by comparison with other string courses and they have a pretty large mass which takes a while to get settled in sympathy with it's partner. They start off out of sync due to the pick pulling them quite far before releasing them sequentially.

This was a real bother to me initially, and until I make a new bridge with a wider spacing and steeper slope across the G & C courses, the best compromise I have found is to use the 0.0740" C from the D'Addario string set, i would actuall prefer to go for something even bigger to get more tension in there. The problem with the J78s is every A course pair I've tried has not been able to come up to tension witout snapping on a 26" scale so I have to buy 18s for that. Certainly the spacing being even across courses makes little sense to me  on a mandoloncello.

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## Tom Liston

Played the GT cello yesterday at Namm for just a bit. Just hit it acoustically. 

Neck felt decent, was very quiet though. IMO don't think it would work very well just acoustic. Rep said they're sold out of them ATM so there's def a niche for them.

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## jtv

How did it sound besides quiet? 

I also saw you posted that Eastman had their mandocellos at namm. Did you try them out and how would you say they compare to this in terms of playability?

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## Tom Liston

It sounded decent. I would've liked to have plugged it in as well but wasnt able to at the time. Personally though, it would have to sound great unplugged for me to get one. Just can't get past that it really just looks like an archtop gtr. To me that matters. 

The Eastmans both played well. Physically a bit tougher on the left hand I'd say then the GT cello. I prefer the oval hole to the f hole model but that's my .02

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## NotMelloCello

> Rep said they're sold out of them ATM so there's def a niche for them.


My understanding they only made 16 of them in the first run.

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## bjh65

> My understanding they only made 16 of them in the first run.



Wait. Where did you hear this? if it is an actual fact then I have to go to the store an get my deposit back.

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## NotMelloCello

> Wait. Where did you hear this? if it is an actual fact then I have to go to the store an get my deposit back.


Someone at Gold Tone in a recent phone call to find out WTH was taking so long....

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## bjh65

Thank you.

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## Mandolin Cafe

> My understanding they only made 16 of them in the first run.


Incorrect.

Per our discussion with Wayne yesterday there's a batch of 64 sitting across the pond that got caught up in a new CITES ruling, posted this in the NAMM thread yesterday. No questions for us, please. No need to get us involved in the dead horse beating you seem intent on that we're receiving complaints about. Not about the criticism, but the fact you're creating about half the posts in the entire thread. Maybe give it a rest a bit? There's a fine line between enough and way too much which you crossed a long time ago in my opinion. The forum encourages and welcomes open and respectful criticism, within limits. Thank you.

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Rodney Riley

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## NotMelloCello

42 posts out of 134 makes half? OK - I'm no math genius. But since I'm not wanted, I'M OUTTA HERE.

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## jtv

Ended up putting a deposit one from Elderly a few days ago since they weren't sure when they were getting them in and had one left unspoken for. For me being on the quiet side acoustically is fine since I'm pretty sure I'll just be playing for me (and the unwilling apartments next door). 

Their site has updated from just the single stock photo now, so I'm hoping that means they're in and it'll just be a few days!

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## Freddyfingers

Hope it's not a long wait.  Nothing worse than waiting for the ups truck!   Please let us know your thoughts on it.

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## Freddyfingers

There's a place in Maryland that has two in stock.  One is a prototype with the wider nut.  It's called music traditions.  They recently posted a video online.   I also got some good feedback from elderly in regards to it.  I might take the 2 hour drive to the store if no one here scoops it up.   If not, I will give a deposit to elderly and wait a long time for it to come in.  Elderly will at least set it up decently prior to free shipping.

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## Jim Garber

> There's a place in Maryland that has two in stock.  One is a prototype with the wider nut.  It's called music traditions.


I think you mean the House of Musical Traditions!

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Freddyfingers

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## jtv

I'm hoping the same on the wait. Will definitely give some updates when it comes. Thanks for referencing that video. Great to hear it being played a little differently while I wait the little longer until I can do it myself. 

Look forward to hearing what you think if you wind up driving for it!

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## Rodney Riley

OK, short note while I have time. It's starting to settle in. Hard to tune constantly up until this week. Even when I played it for one song Sunday morning with our worship band. Had to tune 3 times during our practice and before both song sets. Had it out Monday and tuned it and today only the C-string has gone a little sharp. Others stayed in tune. Getting stronger in the fretting department and notes are now sounding clearer as I play. Think it needs a little heavier strings, since one of the A-strings is heavier(caused by one breaking while setting it up and didn't have comparable replacement.) and sounds better than the original. Still quiet tho. Hope it opens up like my mandolins have. More later, got to get Grandblessings from school and to their piano, guitar, cello lessons.

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## CES

Appreciate Mello, Rodney, and others who have shared your thoughts on these instruments. Think I'll either let them work some bugs out before jumping, or at least wait until I can try before buying...

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## mrmando

Well, if you're dying to get your hands on one ... 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gold-Tone-Ac...kAAOSw9GhYiRAS

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## John in MD

> There's a place in Maryland that has two in stock.  One is a prototype with the wider nut.  It's called music traditions.  They recently posted a video online.   I also got some good feedback from elderly in regards to it.  I might take the 2 hour drive to the store if no one here scoops it up.   If not, I will give a deposit to elderly and wait a long time for it to come in.  Elderly will at least set it up decently prior to free shipping.


I also saw the video.  I went over to House of Musical Traditions after work today, spent some time playing the non-prototype, and ended up buying it.  I thought it sounded very good without amplification, and quite impressive with it.  I spent some time playing it tonight, and have no regrets about buying it.  It was nice to buy local, from a store that is a great supporter of the local music and dance community.

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## Freddyfingers

Ya beat me too it.   It was too far a drive to get up there before the weekend.  Congrats!

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## jtv

Wish I had a place near me to grab one. Elderly has mine in, but is in the doing a setup stage of it and then I have to wait for it to ship too. 

Glad to hear that you're liking it!

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## Freddyfingers

> I also saw the video.  I went over to House of Musical Traditions after work today, spent some time playing the non-prototype, and ended up buying it.  I thought it sounded very good without amplification, and quite impressive with it.  I spent some time playing it tonight, and have no regrets about buying it.  It was nice to buy local, from a store that is a great supporter of the local music and dance community.



Did you have a chance to play or look at the wider nut model?   I was curious how much different it played.

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## John in MD

> Did you have a chance to play or look at the wider nut model?   I was curious how much different it played.


I didn't spend a lot of time with it, and probably didn't give it a fair trial as I had assumed going in that I wanted the narrower nut.  I played it briefly, then switched to the narrower version and liked it better.  The prototype was also slightly more expensive.

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Freddyfingers

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## NotMelloCello

I've spent 10 days playing it, 20 hours or so setting it up and repairing it, and an extra $100 trying to make my Gold Tone mandocello play well and sound good. It's right there, but I can't change that narrow neck. So look for it soon in the classifieds... There will be lots of pictures, etc., and it will be priced nicely. I gave it a shot anyway.

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## NotMelloCello

Lots of pix if you're interested.....
http://s588.photobucket.com/user/stu...?sort=3&page=1

What happened to my EDIT buttons?

_EDIT: there is a 3 hour limit on editing a post, and you must be logged in in order to do so. Thread has now been closed because of Forum posting guidelines:

- Refrain from using the forum as a point of purchasing or selling items or for the purpose of discussing or linking to items you are selling. Please limit selling and buying activities to the Classifieds section of this web site or other external locations._

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