# Music by Genre > Celtic, U.K., Nordic, Quebecois, European Folk >  Good choice for to play Irish Music

## JP07

Hi,
I am playing irish tunes with a Weber A Style mandolin. Do you think that a Weber Aspen mandolin, so a flat mandolin, would sound better for Irish Music ?
Thanks

Maybe, this thread is not at the god place...

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## Anglocelt

> Hi,
> I am playing irish tunes with a Weber A Style mandolin. Do you think that a Weber Aspen mandolin, so a flat mandolin, would sound better for Irish Music ?
> Thanks
> 
> Maybe, this thread is not at the god place...


I have played Irish music for many years on many different types of mandolin. Whilst many players in Britain and Ireland like to use flat-tops there is no reason why anyone should. Another supposed 'rule' is that round-hole mandolins are better than f-holes. 

I have tried all kinds of flat-tops (European style) and carved-tops (American style) and I have ended up playing both!. The differences in sound are quite subtle but as a rule you can say that the carved-tops go louder, provided you play them with a stiff pick, and the flat-tops are more resonant but quieter. With flat-tops you get more 'twang' or metallic string noise. With carved-tops you get more variety of tone.

I mostly play an Old Wave carved-top f-hole instrument, which works fine for playing in pub sessions, where I need to be heard. Most professionals seem to play carved-top intruments, such as Sobells, which are European/American hybrid carved-tops with oval holes. I used to have a Sobell but I find the Old Wave more versatile.

What matters most is being heard in a group and that probably depends more on your playing style than instrument type and playing with a quite stiff pick will bring out more tone and volume from whichever mandolin you play.

Kevin

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## danb

> I have played Irish music for many years on many different types of mandolin. Whilst many players in Britain and Ireland like to use flat-tops there is no reason why anyone should. Another supposed 'rule' is that round-hole mandolins are better than f-holes.
> 
> Kevin


Pretty much any type of mandolin can sound good in (Irish/Bluegrass/insert genre here) music. There are conventions that folks use, but it all comes down to personal preference that defines your own sound in the end.

There are some subtler differences in equipment- bluegrass tends to be played with a heavier pick & strings- this has a "Darkening" effect on tone, giving more bass and thump to it. Irish players tend to use quite thin picks as an aid to playing the triplets (or to match tenor banjo playing, which many mandolin players in Irish music use as their first instrument).

I've sure tried a lot of different types- I'm as happy on an F-holed mandolin as an oval hole. I started with thinner picks, and gradually worked my way up and loosened my grip. I still vary the picks by the instrument (different picks for different mandos, pick the one that sounds best).

Try a bunch, pick the one you like the sound of the most and that feels right to you. Maybe lean a bit towards volume if you have to choose, the mando will disappear in a big noisy session.

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## Bertram Henze

As the gentlemen above have mentioned, being heard is important. A thinner pick brings out the treble and can cut your way through the noise - 0.73 is about what works for me.
The rest of the mandolin doesn't matter that much, really. What matters is your playing style and knowing the tunes.

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## Goodin

> Hi,
> I am playing irish tunes with a Weber A Style mandolin. Do you think that a Weber Aspen mandolin, so a flat mandolin, would sound better for Irish Music ?
> Thanks
> 
> Maybe, this thread is not at the god place...


Yeah, what Dan and Kevin said.  But in general I will disagree with what was said about oval holes being quieter.  I have played and owned oval hole mandolins that are just as loud as any F hole I have played.  Particularly my Ajr snakehead.  It's one of the loudest mandolins I have ever heard and the harder it's picked the louder it gets.  I think volume should be judged on a per-mandolin basis and not necessarily the body style, in general.

I play ovals and F-holes in sessions and with my band and I like and dislike different aspects of both.  My Gibson F-4 is very warm and balanced and has crystal clear punchy trebles but the short neck and flat fretboard makes it slightly more difficult to play.  My newer f-hole (A body) mandolin "cuts" and has deep, meaty bass and mids, but is a bit shrill on the highs.  The longer neck and radiused fretboard makes makes it slightly easier to play and do ornamentation.  I mostly play my F-hole at sessions and with the band nowadays.  

I dont have much experience with Webers or many new oval hole mandolins but I have a Mid Missouri flat top which sounds very nice for Irish music.  And for the money it cant be beat.

The pick choice makes a huge difference in tone and volume, and I will agree with others that using the thickest pick possible to get good volume and tone, while being able to do ornamentation is ideal.  Thinner picks are easier to do triplets but volume and tone are compromised; but get too thick of a pick and its hard to do triplets.  Banjo players use .46-.60 on average.  I started using .60 on mandolin, and experimented for many years until I settled on a Blue Chip 35, which I think is about .88.  I doubt I will ever use any other pick.  

So in conclusion - flat top or arched, oval or F, it doesn't matter, just pick the mandolin you like!  And experiment on pick thicknesses and materials.

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## JeffD

I have, and love, a Weber Aspen II. I still think it is a really great undervalued mandolin. I play Irish Traditional on it regularly. 

What makes it, perhaps, suited to IT? First of all it is not a Gibson tone. Its a sound all its own. I think (my own opinion which is mine, the opinion that I have which is my opinion) that a traditional creamy Gibson kind of sticks out in an IT setting. 

The Aspen has this bell like clarity, very beautiful, making it great for long stretches of rapid individual notes that you want to sound individually. Like individual ornaments on a Christmas tree. And yet it does not lack for sustain. My gosh, mine sure doesn't.

Yes I often use my Aspen II for an old timey jam, becuse it is so much fun to play. But in the case of OT, my Gibson is preferred. That iconic creamy Gibson tone just works well in OT. And, of course, bluegrass.

To my hands and ear it has the reliable sound and playability of a much more expensive instrument. I haven't heard enough of them to tell, but I would guess they are pretty uniform sounding, i.e. mine is not an anomoly. I don't know why they are not more popular. Perhaps its the different shape. 

I also think, perhaps in a wierd way, its not as popular because its such a good value. There is a childish part of me that I wishes the instrument was more expensive, because the only thing it lacks is bragging rights. I myself bought it to be a "second mandolin", and found that really it is another first mandolin. Its a go to mandolin, especially for Irish, and Scandi.

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## Dan Hulse

I have an older Webber Aspen (1?) with a K & K pickup, and play in an Irish folk rock band and at church. This mandolin is the best mandolin I have owned to date. Like the saying goes "to be successful use what you have, where you are". I also favor a medium (Dunlop Ultex .90) pick, but I also play Irish tenor banjo, bouzouki & guitar.

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## Bertram Henze

> the only thing it lacks is bragging rights.


In Irish music, you brag with your playing, not with your instrument, so that is just as well for a relaxed attitude. With an expensive instrument, I always feel the pressure to live up to its quality or else I'd be looking like I pretended to hold it while its real owner was at the restrooms and I ran away with it. I'd far rather play an old beat-up cigar box so people think I am the one who makes the beautiful sound.

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## Shelagh Moore

I currently use my National RM-1 (mostly and at least a couple of times weekly in sessions) and Nava 2-point (induced arch flattop... mainly at home) for Irish music. Prior to those I used a Daley f-hole A style and, longer ago, an Eccleshall A style flattop and a Martin A style canted top. All are, or were, excellent in different ways. 

I'd agree with what Bertram said earlier




> The rest of the mandolin doesn't matter that much, really. What matters is your playing style and knowing the tunes.

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## JeffD

> In Irish music, you brag with your playing, not with your instrument, so that is just as well for a relaxed attitude.


Wish it were that way every where, every genre.

Your contention is that there is perhaps less instrument brand focus at IT jams than elsewhere. Hmmm




> I always feel the pressure to live up to its quality or else I'd be looking like I pretended to hold it while its real owner was at the restrooms and I ran away with it. I'd far rather play an old beat-up cigar box so people think I am the one who makes the beautiful sound.


I know what you mean. Boy do I.

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## zoukboy

This is what I play:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...t=roger+landes

and it's the loudest mandolin I have ever played, responds very well to left hand ornamentation and generally does everything I need a mando to do for Irish music.

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## Richard Eskite

In our Irish music class with Marla Fibish, we have two Collings A's, a Flatiron, a Loar 700, a couple of teens Gibsons and a Breedlove F.  Sorta like Gloria Ferrar said about wine glasses, any glass with wine in it is a wine glass.  I keep thinking I'd bring my RM-1, but I don't play well enough in class to be so loud.  

I do have to say, this class has been an amazing experience.  Marla is a great player and very effective teacher.

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## JP07

Really very happy for all your quick and serious opinions ! There is a lot of answers to my questioning. I was thinking that maybe F or A styles were classic bluegrass instruments, and flat ones were more designed for Irish music...
I understand that it is not reality, and that it could be more complex...

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## Mike Snyder

Anything goes in the sessions I've played in the Midwest. I see more F5s it seems, and I play a Gibson F5. Generally speaking the oval hole As will not be heard in a session of any size but exceptions exist. An F hole mandolin just seems to be the most versatile across the board. Americana to Zydeco.

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## allenhopkins

The mandolin's a relative newcomer to Irish traditional music, so there really is no template for what it "should" sound like.  I play at seisuns with whatever instrument I happen to pick up, from an f-hole pressed-top Strad-O-Lin to a carved-top oval-hole Eastman DGM-2.

Play an instrument you like to play, whose sound you enjoy, and one that seems to "mesh" with the music you're hearing, while having sufficient volume to "hold its own."  No real rules.

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## JeffD

If you can play the tunes and refrain from chopping, any mandolin will do.   :Smile:

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## Bertram Henze

Just make sure to tell everybody that your great-grandpa from Killarney stole it from a widowed mother of six one night on a hunger ship in 1847.

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## JP07

So a lot of mandolins can be used for playing IT, the player will do the difference for it.

However stays the problem of to be heard, and to hear oneself in sessions. Many years ago, I was playing mandolin in a band and I changed with banjo because I could not hear me. It was a flat one. Here too, maybe we can talk about the style of playing.

Now I am coming back playing IT with mandolin because I really like this instrument and I don't want to meet the same problem, so this thread.

Without speaking about the technic, for exemple, what is the difference between oval hole and F holes on carved mandolins in terms of loudness or volume ? I have no possibiliy of trying by myself.

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## Bertram Henze

> Without speaking about the technic, for exemple, what is the difference between oval hole and F holes on carved mandolins in terms of loudness or volume ? I have no possibiliy of trying by myself.


You might want to compare these two, for example, but from my experience the hole shape is not making much of a difference. That guy plays his machines in our sessions, and easily cuts through with either one. Influences on mandolin volume are much more complex than just holes: bridge, string gauge, etc. etc. 
BTW, adding a guitar appendage makes no difference either  :Wink:

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## whistler

I agree with the above replies.  I know what I like to play (flat-top, flat-back) - maybe just because it's what I'm used to.  But, whether you play Irish music on a Neapolitan bowl-back or an F-5, it's how you play it that counts.

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## JP07

I understand your opinions. Thanks a lot for helping me !

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## bruce.b

I bought a used Newell Roger Landes model here a couple of months ago and it's amazing. It's really loud and powerful and has a sweet beautiful tone. It has a fantastic low end and chords sound great, like they're coming from a lower tuned instrument. 

   The other mandolin I own and play daily is an Arches FT. I love this one too. To me it sounds like a hybrid between a flat top and a carved top. Pretty loud, it seems really loud when you look at the thin body, but not quite the volume of the Newell. 

   Both are beautifully built. They sound completely different to me. For anyone who thinks you can categorize the sound of a flat top, listen to these back to back and I'm sure you'll change your mind. 

   I'd just find a mandolin you love the sound and feel of and play that, whatever the construction.

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## Randi Gormley

I've played a bandolim at our sessions -- it's a higher, tinkly kind of sound and it seems to be heard above the usual din just because it's so different. I usually go for the darker, lower sound with my strad-o-lin, but sometimes if your instrument is slightly different in timbre, it also stands out. just another thing to think about. It's a flat-top oval hole (it's also my avatar).

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## Dan Hulse

> ...However stays the problem of to be heard, and to hear oneself in sessions. Many years ago, I was playing mandolin in a band and I changed with banjo because I could not hear me...


Oh, AND you want to be heard? At the risk of blasphemy and cruel jokes, yes get a banjo! At least as a second instrument.

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## mikeyes

> Without speaking about the technic, for exemple, what is the difference between oval hole and F holes on carved mandolins in terms of loudness or volume ? I have no possibiliy of trying by myself.


As a rule, oval hole mandolins are softer sounding and often have less volume, but there are so many exceptions to that rule that it is better for you to play the instruments and hear someone play it before you buy.  F hole mandolins are designed to be heard at a distance but you can find many that can barely be heard. To add even more complexity, f hole mandolins project away from the player and sound much louder to those in front of it than those behind it.  As a result a player may pound on his instrument (which means less technique) in an effort to hear what they are playing.

  I have a Weber Bighorn D hole that is very loud in any situation and a 1921 A2 Gibson that is loud in a room with few players.  I thing the reason for that is the timbre of the instrument.  The A2 blends while the Bighorn stands out and projects due to the construction and the X bracing. 

I play my F5 in bigger sessions as it is very loud and is a wonderful instrument to play.  I tend to use thicker picks but each instrument responds best to a different pick and I have to play them differently in order to get the best sound.

The bottom line is that a) you can play ITM on any mandolin - the original mandolin players such as Mick Moloney played tater bugs and were there about the same time as the  banjo came in or a little before; b) choose the mandolin you like best and try it out in a session first if you can.  Some mandolins sound better miked on stage, others in a session , still others anywhere (and some nowhere.)  It will take a while, but you can figure it out.  

I take my mandolin to Ireland with me (or other travels) and leave the banjo.  It is a lot easier to carry, it fits in the overhead, and in a pinch you can put it in a double tennis racquet case and no one will bug you. (And if you screw up in a session, no one will hear you <G>)

Mike Keyes

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## Galimando

> ...the original mandolin players such as Mick Moloney played tater bugs...


I haven't seen Mick perform with anything other than a Gibson A for years, though.

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## mikeyes

I think the original mandolinists in Ireland played what they could get, like many of the other instruments those were usually castoffs or less expensive initially.

Mike

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## Eddie Sheehy

I know Derek Warfield (the Wolfe Tones) used to play a tater bug back in the 60's...

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## Galimando

> I think the original mandolinists in Ireland played what they could get, like many of the other instruments those were usually castoffs or less expensive initially.


True enough!

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## AnneFlies

Trying to be heard in an Irish seisun with a mandolin is like trying to nail jello to a tree.  Six or eight fiddles, up to five tin whistles, two pipers, a couple of concertinas, and an accordian:  What mandolin is going to be heard above any of that?  Just go and play and enjoy yourself.

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## Shelagh Moore

> Trying to be heard in an Irish seisun with a mandolin is like trying to nail jello to a tree.  Six or eight fiddles, up to five tin whistles, two pipers, a couple of concertinas, and an accordian:  What mandolin is going to be heard above any of that?  Just go and play and enjoy yourself.


That's why, a a regular session leader and sessioneer, I now play a National RM-1 in addition to my tenor banjo!  :Smile:

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## Bertram Henze

> What mandolin is going to be heard above any of that?


An octave mandolin can be heard below all of that  :Wink:

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## JP07

Bertram, just joking, or serious alternative ? I have never played this instrument...

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## Eddie Sheehy

Two things Bertram doesn't joke about**:
Whiskey and the Octave Mandolin...

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## JP07

And what differences between Octave Mandolin, Bouzouki, and Mandola ? I think about the lenght of the fret board and the scale ? Same question with the playing ?

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## Bertram Henze

> Bertram, just joking, or serious alternative ? I have never played this instrument...


Oh my, did you miss out...




> Two things Bertram doesn't joke about**:
> Whiskey and the Octave Mandolin...


Listen to Eddie!




> And what differences between Octave Mandolin, Bouzouki, and Mandola ? I think about the lenght of the fret board and the scale ? Same question with the playing ?


Octave Mandolin: GDAE (some like GDAD), one octave below mandolin (hence the name), scale length up to 23"
Mandola: CGDA, one 5th below mandolin (fits between mandolin and OM)
Bouzouki: any tuning, scale length > 23"
The longer the instrument, the longer the stretches and the longer the sustain, playing styles vary accordingly. 

OM Example: my 21" Fylde Touchstone OM.
It's pitch range is well outside the squeal of ordinary Irish music melody instruments. However, it still can be drowned out by an army of guitar players...

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## JP07

I had a look on Wiki and here is a few things I think I have understood.

From these instruments, the mandola has the shorter scale (about 17"), which is the nearest of the mandolin scale, but the usually tuning is CGDA. However, I read too that some IT musicians, such as Andy Irvine, restring their mandola with lighter strings and tune it in GDAE. But with an octave lower or exactly the same tining as a mandolin, which would be not really interesting ?

I have an old tater bug mandola and I could try this option. Many years ago I once tried to tune it in GDEA, but I have never found a good gauge for the strings. What could you recommend to me as gauges for the four strings of a 17" scale instrument for tuning it in GDAE ?

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## Bertram Henze

> I read too that some IT musicians, such as Andy Irvine, restring their mandola with lighter strings and tune it in GDAE. But with an octave lower or exactly the same tining as a mandolin, which would be not really interesting ?


Andy Irvine is a GDAD man and has experimented with mandolin family instruments all his life. 
Lighter strings and mandolin tuning on a mandola can have only two purposes, IMHO: more room for your fingers and longer sustain than a mandolin. However, this exercise won't bring you out of the high pitch range and it will probably make the mandola quieter, not louder (which is not important for an amplified stage player like Andy, of course).

To make an OM loud might take some tweaks, btw. 
I experimented with string gauges (they must fit the top construction and depend very much on the instrument) and picks for quite a time. The biggest volume boost came from replacing the solid bridge by one that stands on two single feet (like a violin's).

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## Mike Snyder

> That's why, a a regular session leader and sessioneer, I now play a National RM-1 in addition to my tenor banjo!


Never go into battle out gunned. Gibson F5g and a 17-fret Orpheum.

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## liestman

> Never go into battle out gunned. Gibson F5g and a 17-fret Orpheum.


I am pretty sure a National RM1 (have one) outguns any non-resonator mando when it comes to single note picking of Irish tunes, but I do agree, take the tenorb just to be on the safe side.    :Mandosmiley:

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## Goodin

> Andy Irvine is a GDAD man and has experimented with mandolin family instruments all his life. 
> Lighter strings and mandolin tuning on a mandola can have only two purposes, IMHO: more room for your fingers and longer sustain than a mandolin. However, this exercise won't bring you out of the high pitch range and it will probably make the mandola quieter, not louder (which is not important for an amplified stage player like Andy, of course).
> 
> To make an OM loud might take some tweaks, btw. 
> I experimented with string gauges (they must fit the top construction and depend very much on the instrument) and picks for quite a time. The biggest volume boost came from replacing the solid bridge by one that stands on two single feet (like a violin's).


I think Andy irvine tuned his Mandola with mandolin strings tuned a step down from mandolin pitch then used a capo at the second fret.

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## Nick Gellie

The two best Celtic mandolin players in the Bushwackers, Louis McManus and Dave O'Neill played F5 and A mandolins. Dave can make any mandolin sound great. He cracked out two tunes on my Indian made Givsen that made the tunes sound like they were played on a high quality mandolin. The Givsen was bought for $100 in Singapore. My three year old strums it like blazes at other times.

I use a Davy Stuart mandolin - bright resonant sounds that cuts through without amplification. I use a Paddy Burgin bouzouki for accompaniment tuned in GDAD. It is loud too but with a great warm tone because it has an induced arch like a Sobell octave mandolin. You can use any style of mandolin so long as it feels great on the fingerboard.

Go forth and pluck !

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## Mike Snyder

> I am pretty sure a National RM1 (have one) outguns any non-resonator mando when it comes to single note picking of Irish tunes, but I do agree, take the tenorb just to be on the safe side.


Not at all saying that my F5 will outgun a RM1. I've NEVER been that foolish. Just stating what I'm armed with. Your National is in the top 3 on my "like to own" list.

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## whistler

I've said it before and I'll say it again :Wink: .  In a big session, I find it pointless to try and be heard above everyone else - the end result is everyone trying to be louder than everyone else (Thank God amplification is not the generally accepted in sessions).  In that kind of session, I am happy as long as _I_ can hear what I am playing.  The only way it makes sense to me is if you treat it like being part of an orchestra, so the sound you make, however small in itself, contributes to the overall sound.  Believe me, after playing mandolin in a klezmer band with, among other instruments, a clarinet, a tenor and a soprano sax, in even the most unruly of Irish sessions, being heard doesn't seem an issue anymore. (I have now switched to piano accordion in the klezmer band - and we don't have the sax players anymore. :Wink: )

In my opinion, mandolins don't sound good when they're driven hard* (at least, not in Irish trad). The mandolin comes into its own in smaller, quieter sessions - say, up to 7 musicians - where every musician can hear every other and _communicate_ musically.

*No doubt, some of the fine mandolin makers over on the building/repair forum will (rightly) argue that it depends on the build of the instrument.  But, as fas Irish trad is concerned, the mandolin is a not-quite-naturalised foreigner and, as such, still has to earn its place in the music.  When we consider the kinds of instruments it has to contend with - fiddle, pipes, flute, concertina, box, all of which are capable of, for practical purposes, infinite sustain - it makes sense to play the mandolin in such a way that makes the most of what sustain it has.  Driving it hard does the opposite, maximising the attack, so that the sustained note is all but eclipsed.

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## Goodin

> In my opinion, mandolins don't sound good when they're driven hard (at least, not in Irish trad). The mandolin comes into its own in smaller, quieter sessions - say, up to 7 musicians - where every musician can hear every other and _communicate_ musically.



Well said.

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## JP07

Always about looking for a mandolin to play IT, seriously, what are you thinking about Fylde mandolins ? Prices are correct.

Less seriouly, Single Malt model is nice. Do you think I could choose the casks woods of my prefered whiskies, as Laphroaig, Caol Ila, lagavulin... Playing a nice tune, while drinking a drop of whisky, with a mandolin built with the woods from casks of this whisky, would certainly be a great experience...

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## Bertram Henze

Fylde is very good. There is more room on the fretboard than on most other mandolins. I play a Fylde OM, but I had the chance to play one of their mandolins once in a session. Very pleasant playing. Clear ringing sound.

There exists a few videos of our own Eddie Sheehy playing a Fylde Single Malt. Sounds good to me. 
I don't know about custom whisky brands, though. Also, the top is made from the wood of the washbacks (larch), not the casks (oak is not the ideal top wood), and many distilleries have washbacks made of steel today (easier cleaning), so the choice is certainly limited  :Wink: 

Congrats anyway to your Islay-heavy taste (I like Ardbeg).

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## Shelagh Moore

I had a Fylde Touchstone a few years back. Very nice for Irish music.

_But, as fas Irish trad is concerned, the mandolin is a not-quite-naturalised foreigner and, as such, still has to earn its place in the music._ 

Not sure about that... mandolin has become commonplace over the past 40 years in ITM. I agree about not overdriving the mandolin though... that's one reason I like the National as I can play quite gently but still get good volume.

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## JP07

Thanks Bertram and Richard for your opinions about Fylde instruments.

First, purchasing a bottle of Ardbeg which I have never tasted, maybe a terrible mistake...

I had a look to the Fylde website and I have seen four models of mandolins which could be interesting for me. Without speaking about prices, which model would you choose fot IT ?

Touchstone (sapele/spruce)
Touchstone walnut (walnut/red cedar)
Touchstone Signature (indian rosewood/spruce)
Touchstone Single Malt (reclaimed oak/oregon pine)

Thanks very much

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## Bertram Henze

> First, purchasing a bottle of Ardbeg which I have never tasted, maybe a terrible mistake...


If you can drink Laphroaig, Ardbeg 10 will take you beyond your peatiest dreams.




> Without speaking about prices, which model would you choose fot IT ?
> 
> Touchstone (sapele/spruce)
> Touchstone walnut (walnut/red cedar)
> Touchstone Signature (indian rosewood/spruce)
> Touchstone Single Malt (reclaimed oak/oregon pine)
> 
> Thanks very much


One of them will have a different sound from the others: red cedar tops give a warmer tone, but with less prominent volume. So if you want to be heard in a session, that's not the way to go.
The others are approx. in the same league soundwise, but differ much in back/side materials (and therefore in looks and price), so that's a matter of taste. My OM is the simple sapele/spruce combination (far from looking cheap, mind you), and since I am not a fancy stuff guy, I'd stick with that with a mandolin as well.

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## Shelagh Moore

My Touchstone was sapele/spruce like Bertram's. Certainly not cheap looking at all as Bertram said and very well built and comfortable to play. I had the opportunity to compare it directly with a friend's Single Malt model at a festival. Subtlely different tones but both excellent choices for ITM.

I live in Scotland but am not a peaty man. I tend to go for the lowland's or Speyside's myself.  :Smile:

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## Bertram Henze

> I tend to go for the lowland's or Speyside's myself.


I still have a half bottle of Balvenie which will be slightly less than half full by the end of the day...  :Wink:

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## Richard Singleton

I am very happy with the sound and playability of my Weber Aspen 1 which I've used to play Irish traditional music for the last 12 years, but agree with everyone that just about any type of mando will work fine.

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## JP07

After a long search  I succeed in finding a bottle of Ardbeg Ten. Excellent ! I tasted with Laphroaig 10 and Caol Ila. It was a good time ! Unfortunately, I had no more Laphroaig 15, Lagavulin 16 and Bowmore... Only empty bottles... So, I have still a lot of tastings to do...
And we have not spoken about Burnahabhain and Bruichladdich. Never seen a bottle !

It seems to be away from the question of this thread. No !

All that has decided me to order the Fylde Single Malt Touchstone Mandolin !

Now, I just have to wait. It will be long !

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## Bertram Henze

> After a long search  I succeed in finding a bottle of Ardbeg Ten. Excellent ! I tasted with Laphroaig 10 and Caol Ila. It was a good time ! Unfortunately, I had no more Laphroaig 15, Lagavulin 16 and Bowmore... Only empty bottles... So, I have still a lot of tastings to do...
> And we have not spoken about Burnahabhain and Bruichladdich. Never seen a bottle !
> 
> It seems to be away from the question of this thread. No !
> 
> All that has decided me to order the Fylde Single Malt Touchstone Mandolin !
> 
> Now, I just have to wait. It will be long !


 :Smile:  So much to look forward to - there's a happy mandolinist!

Bruichladdich, b.t.w., is a much more light&fruity affair - it's almost Caribbean compared to those peaty tar soups.

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## Jim Nollman

+1 Balvenie

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## mikeyes

If you go to the Social Group section and pick "Song of the Week" you can see a large variety of mandolins playing Itrad.  This is probably the best source on the planet for such a comparison. It's almost as good as playing them yourself.

Mike Keyes

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## Avi Ziv

> +1 Balvenie


+2

Balvenie 21 is really very nice

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## JP07

Among the non peaty whiskies, I find Oban nice.

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## JP07

Hi,

Just one question about the strings gauge you are currently using on your mandolins for ITM.

My Weber style A oval hole was delivered with d'Addario J74 strings, so a medium gauge, 11 15 26 40.

Fylde mandolins seems to be delivered with Picato strings with the same gauge as the J74.

I am actually playing with d'Addario J73 on my Weber, a light gauge, 10 14 24 38, and I find it more adapted for ITM, playing and sound.

What are you thinking about these gauges ?

Thanks and regards

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## Bertram Henze

For every stringed instrument, there is an optimum gauge depending on how heavy the top is built, i.e. the gauge should not be
- too light (not being able to move the top)
- too heavy (deforming or breaking the top out of its proper vibration shape)
At optimum gauge, the strings and top together deliver maximum output (which is what you need in Irish music).
The optimum gauge must be found out individually for an instrument; the gauges the instrument originally came with are a guideline to start from. I used to do careful experimental shifts in gauge when it was time for restringing until I found what I liked (ended up with heavier strings on my Fylde OM than what Roger Bucknall is putting on, and the Fylde is solid enough to take a little more pressure, but that is also a matter of personal taste and playing style - I am a heavy-handed doublestop banger).

So, if you found a different gauge that you like better, that's good on you. Trust your ears.

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## Steve L

I've been using GHS A 250s which are actually a little lighter than yours.  I like them for what I do which involves lots or hammer-ons and pull offs for ornamentation.  They seem a good fit on everything but my Mid Missouri where they feel a little too light for some reason.  I may try the J 73s and see it I prefer those.

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## Randi Gormley

I used to use Martin lights on my strad because that's what I had been using on my bowlback (its predecessor), but I switched to the J-74s a couple of years ago and I like the sound better. The strad is a pretty sturdy mandolin, of course. My Eastman (which I also use for Irish) came with J-74s and that's what I keep on them, but I also have used my rescue bandolim for Irish, and that uses J-62s; it's a lighter sound and a more bendy kind of string, but it suits the bandolim. Like Betram said, you need to experiment a bit and see what you like.

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## JP07

Hi,
After long months of waiting, my Fylde Single Malt Touchstone Mandolin is finished and will be shipped.  :Smile:  I will do a few pictures, and give you my opinion about the sounding.  :Mandosmiley:  Roger said to me that the sound is "very sweet".
Now I just have to choose the Single Malt that will be accurate to receipt it correctly !  :Wink:

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## Bertram Henze

Excellent choice JP!

With a sweet sound, I think a sherrycask flavour would go best, such as a Balvenie or a Macallen.

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## Dave Hanson

My latest bottle is a Lagavulin 12 year old cask strength 57.5 abv. superb.

Latest mandolin is a Bitteroot F5 also superb.

Dave H

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## Shelagh Moore

> Hi,
> After long months of waiting, my Fylde Single Malt Touchstone Mandolin is finished and will be shipped.  I will do a few pictures, and give you my opinion about the sounding.  Roger said to me that the sound is "very sweet".
> Now I just have to choose the Single Malt that will be accurate to receipt it correctly !


Excellent news and I hope it will suit you very well!

A Highland Park would certainly not be a bad choice, nor a Jura...

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## Bertram Henze

> A Highland Park would certainly not be a bad choice


I must say that reminding me of an unopened bottle in my cabinet back home with 6 hours to go at work is just not fair  :Crying:

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## John Kelly

Bertram, you scoundrel, how can you be browsing this site while you are working?  Shame on you man!  :Wink:   Still, it's a very long time to have to wait to get the bottle open!

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## Bertram Henze

It's over now John, it's over... everything's alright  :Smile:  :Coffee:

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## JeffD

> Hi,
> After long months of waiting, my Fylde Single Malt Touchstone Mandolin is finished and will be shipped.  I will do a few pictures, and give you my opinion about the sounding.  Roger said to me that the sound is "very sweet".
> Now I just have to choose the Single Malt that will be accurate to receipt it correctly !


I think you made an excellent decision. I have played a few Fylde mandolins and the sound will really be excellent for IT. It will be a mandolin you can be happy with for the rest of your life.

My taste runs to Laphroaig, by the way. Quick Laphroaig story:

I was in Edinburgh, back years ago, with some new found friends, in a pub underneath a theater. We were riding Laphroaig into the night.

Next morning, (late morning), one of my new friends joined me at another pub for breakfast. We tucked into some eggs and sausage and bacon and stewed tomato and beans and bread pudding and.... Anyway, my friend remarks, "Fer @##%$ sake, these eggs taste like Laphroaig....  <pregnant pause> ... Not that I'm complaining mind you."

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## Bertram Henze

> these eggs taste like Laphroaig....


Peat smoke flavor easily survives one washback and two stills - how hard could a night in your mouth be?  :Cool:

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## JP07

Hi,
The Single Malt Mandolin is at home ! A really nice instrument, with a great sound and a high quality finish. The wood looks particularly very nice.
No regrets !
I will post a couple of pictures as soon as possible.

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## JeffD

> Hi,
> The Single Malt Mandolin is at home ! A really nice instrument, with a great sound and a high quality finish. The wood looks particularly very nice..


Congratulations! You will love it.

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## Bertram Henze

> No regrets !


 :Smile:

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## JP07

Hi,

Here are a couple of pictures of my Single Malt mandolin. I am not really a specialist with a camera in the hands, but as we say, it is better than nothing !







A very nice mandolin !

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## Bertram Henze

The instrument appears to be perfectly camouflaged - you chose it to go with those cushions?  :Wink:

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## deadend3

Would love to hear it!

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## Eddie Sheehy

Here's a vid of mine... sans camoflage... Tremolo and crosspicking...




and a Slip Jig

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## JP07

You are right Bertram. I choosed this model and I place it here, because if housebreakers come at home when I am working, they will pass in front of the mandolin without seeing it. It is an old subterfuge...

Eddie, thanks for your videos. What strings gauges do you use on your Single Malt ?

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## mickmando

The best thing to go with a single malt is another single malt.

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## Eddie Sheehy

I use J74's.

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## JP07

Thanks very much Eddie. By the way, do you have ever tryed J73's on it ? I use to play with theses strings.

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## Eddie Sheehy

I haven't experimented with the lighter D'Addarios.  I use Thomastik on some of my other mandolins, but I wanted a bright tone from the Fylde.

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## John Kelly

A couple of fine videos there, Eddie!  Love the Green Glens - it's one of our regular pieces as a vocal  and the accordion player launches into Slievnamon between the two verses before coming back to the Green Glens.

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## JP07

Hi,
I took time this morning to compare the sound of my two mandolins, so my Fylde Touchstone Single Malt and my Weber Gallatin A4. I fitted the both instruments with a new J74 strings set. The verdict is indisputable ! The sound of the Single Malt is really brighter,  "richer", and louder. My wife feels exactly the same things. It can be interesting because these two instruments are in the same class of prices.

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