# General Mandolin Topics > Looking for Information About Mandolins >  Monteleone Mandolins

## mandophil(e)

I'm wondering if those folks lucky enough to either own a Monteleone or to have spent any time playing one can share thoughts/opinions about how they stack up in tone, workmanship, etc. to the other well regarded mondern mandolins?

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## SternART

I have a bit of experience with Monteleones. They can vary in tone from Loarlike for the older F5 models......to a more modern sound for the Grande Artist, Grand Artist Delux, and the Radio Flyer models. The more recent wooden floating tailpieces from my experience offer almost a harplike sound, hearing every note of a chord ring out. The cast tailpieces from my experience are more percussive. They have what I consider unparalleled playability, balance, incredible dynamics, plus it is like playing a sculpture or a fine art piece. John is an innovator, look at his legacy, the cast tailpieces, cantilevered pick guard, arched board, elongated f holes, dolphin holes, etc. 
If you want a pure BG sound I think you might look elsewhere or an earlier F5 Monty might be the ticket.......John did his F5 copies early on...... if jazz, swing or Dawg music is your forte, a GA or GA Delux might be perfect. The Radio Flyers have a very pure, more open sound. I'll be honest, I've played some Monty's from eras that didn't float my boat, but the ones I have, both of earlier vintage and very recent, IMO are spectacular. There are a lot of mandolin voices, some luthiers are going for a Loar BG sound, a more vintage sound. I think John is trying to make the mandolin of the future. Lots of overtones, incredible sustain, you can really hear the complex jazz chords ring out. John is a true artist, I think his experience in arch top guitars, and lessons learned from building them, has come back into his more recent mandolins. I feel they have a unique voice & stack up very well with the other top luthiers in all aspects.

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## mike_c

i have had the pleasure of owning 3 monteleones...a 1977 loar copy f-5,,a transitional 1980 m-5,,and a 1990 grand artist..first let me say that monteleones are not made to blow you socks of when they are new..it takes years to break them in. they have a wonderful supper responsive #bell-tone that gets to be more and more complex as they are played and played....to me, the word that identifies the monteleone sound is "refined". the early f-5s and and grand arists had more of the bluegrass tone, while the later year grand artists have a different tone, super clear and quick, (like you would want for jazz etc)..my 1980 m-5 is the best of both worlds. it is the f-5 body with arched finger-board (i believe monteleone was the first to arch a mando fingerboard) monte tailpiece and small pickguard..the mando started out bright and nice sounding..but after 24 years of playing..it still has that bell-tone brightness on every note, but now has a deep, rich complex sound. many mando greats have played it and loved the sound..ronnie m said "montes are great but this is the best one i've ever played and emery lester said it was better than most of the loars..the point is--montes have to be played a lot,,and they develop into something amazing..a very biased opinion

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## Jim Garber

I have a mid 1980s Grand Artist mandola and it is an exquisite instrument. I bought it because I realized that my 21 Gibson H4 was lacking the tone and volume in the upper registers. This one had it all and I am glad that I was able to scrape together the money to buy it.

Jim

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## Brian Ray

As it turns out, I was just picking with a friend last night who owns a Monteleone. His was originally made for Mike Marshall but eventually made it's way into his hands. It's a great instrument. It's _very_ well broken in and has a very even, sweet, woody tone. It responds exsessively well and can really bark when you lean in on it. The craftsmanship is excellent... and it plays great everywhere. 

As a side note, we were playing it against my BRW, trading back and forth. We both remarked on how similar they sounded... though the Mont is _much_ more open. They really sounded great together...

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## Jim Garber

I also played a very interesting and rare Monteleone at CMSA. It was an A model. Wonderful sounding and simple in design -- not what he called the style B or baby grand. I can't recall it but I think John said he only made a few of these.

Jim

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## SternART

Hey.........dasspunk, you must be in the Bay Area. That is the GA with Gator on the trussrod cover, I've played that when Mike had it a good number of years ago, and ran across it again at a Comando jam in San Jose a few years ago.

mike_c .....I remember we wrote about your 80 F5 Monty once before,in a previous thread, my best man'alin is an 82 F5 with the same detailing you describe.
Mike Marshall was interested in buying it at one time......it sounds very camparable to his Loar, but by the time I decided who am I to keep an instrument out of Mike's hands, and was willing to let it go, he decided it sounded too much like his Loar & after all the torture I went through deciding if I could live without it...and making the right choice IMO, I was willing to share it with one of the todays premier masters of the mandolin...I got to keep it! Whew!!!

And jgarber, I'm lucky enough to have the ultimate Monty A model. The Radio Flyer A model prototype. It has a Malibu Sunset finish.
Basically a redish mando with a horizontal burst going orangish-yellow about where the bridge is. It is like playing a sculpture. Looks like a reg'lar Flyer but w/o the scroll & points. Those dolphin holes really create a very open sound, quite a different sounding mando than my others.

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## Flowerpot

Yea, dasspunk, that particular GA really gets around... I've played it many times over the years when visiting the bay area and attending jams, almost all of which happened to include that mandolin's owner. Gave it a good workout one night in a jam at half moon bay. Very nice example of a Monteleone. Has that "power glide" feel up the neck, and great volume.

There's an older Monte F5, late 70's or early 80's, in town here in Tucson, very nice sounding, quite traditional looking. Great instruments.

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## Darryl Wolfe

A friend in Knoxville TN has what I believe may be the first GA. If not it's close. It was the first one advertised by Mando Bros sometime in the early 80's. Another friend there has one of the first regular Loar style Monte's it too was from the early Mando Bros days of around 1978 or so....both are very very fine instruments.

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## WJF

I was blessed enough to have owned a GA from the early 80's. Had to move home and use my tax return that year to buy it at the whopping price of $2500.00  

Anyway, as SternArt says about Monteleone's in general, this one in particular had it all! It was a truly exquisite insrument that I hated to part with. John is a truly wonderful person, a visionary and primary force in evolving the art form of crafting stringed instruments and a craftsman of the very, very highest caliber. I'm honored to count him among my friends.

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## BluegrassPhilfromFrance

Hi there,
I don't know if I'm the right guy to post in this thread because not only am I the proud and lucky owner of a 1982 Grand Artist but also we develop through the years quite a strong friendship with John. He promised me to come over to my place in Burgundy (he's a wine afficionado !) and although it took him more than 20 years, he was at my place last spring and we had great time. Speaking about the instrument itself, I ordered it in 1981 while he still had his workshop in Bay Shore, NY. Arrived there by train with my backpack, straight from Kennedy Airport and we talked for hours then I realized that I was ordering the mandolin of my life. And it's hard for me to believe that was 23 years ago !... I went back to the USA the following summer and picked it up and I've been playing it since then and everytime I'm playing it, it's like tasting an old burgundy wine, you've done it before but it's always a sort of rediscovery and enchantement.
I recently played Mike Marshall's Monteleone Mandocello while participating a workshop in the south of France and we talked about John and both agreed on the fact that not only the guy makes probably the best instruments in the world, as you pointed out before, the instruments of the future but what also a great human being he is. For your eyes pleasure, here's a picture of a recent Grand Artist he sent me. Enjoy !

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stevedenver

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## SternART

Now thats not just any GA, it is a Grande Artist "Delux" with the Monteleone "Side Sound" port, and maple binding.
Ohhh-La-La......Mine is a blonde.

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## doublestop

I like 'em. I have only played one example, but if they are all similar I would say go for it. I believe the one I played was one of his earlier Loar copies. I met a gentleman from NJ 
who bought his cheap when Monteleone was just starting out. It is feather light and has killer tone and volume.

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## mike_c

wow,,,i love that side-port. #i'll bet that sounds great to the player..it might even part your hair while you play--

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## SternART

John make an archtop guitar called the Quatraport with quatra holes, and if I'm not mistaken the ports are adjustable with a slider.
I've also seen a top side port on a Lawrence Smart, and of course that Emory Lester A model that Dale Ludwig is making has a port that 
looks like it can be open, or it appears there is a plug for it. I've wondered how this extra hole works into everything. I thought
the size of the top holes was calculated, how does a side one work into the calculations.

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## mandophil(e)

I started this thread because I am quite interested in Monteleone's mandolins, and really have had no experience with them, other than hearing that the good ones are an experience to play. Does anyone know of one that might be available?

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## SternART

Larry Wexer has a nice Monty dola on his site.

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## mandophil(e)

Thanks. Beautiful instrument, but I'm more interested in a mandolin.

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## Mandobar

there are 2 grand artist mandolins at www.acousticmusic.org right now in guilford, ct along with a mandola. give brian wolfe a call at 203-458-2525. i've played them all. the dola is to die for.

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## jasona

Arthur, are you going to bring the Monty to Inverness this year? You have such an amazing stable of mandolins; that Gil A5 and your exKimble were highlights for me last year.

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## SternART

jasona.......I'm looking forward to Inverness. I hope I can make it!

Mandobar.....whats with the top holes on that Monty dola? Are they bound holes? Hard to tell from the photo.
Unusual shape too.......wonder what year it is?

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## Mandobar

don't know. you need to call brian for the details. although the picture looks a little "dali-like". not a flattering picture for a mandola which in person looks quite beautiful and sounds like pavarotti in his heyday.

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## Jim Garber

Here is my mandola for comparison. I think 1985. I think maybe that one at www.acousticmusic.org may be earlier.

Jim

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## mike_c

does anyone know why my 1980 is a m-5 instead of a f-5? i never have figured that out..m-5 is even stamped on the monte tailpiece??? i have never heard of anyone else that had one...

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## BluegrassPhilfromFrance

Hi StenArt,
You're absolutely right about the Quatraport guitar but John told me that he doesn't make sliders anymore on his instruments because people found the sound so great when they are open that they never close them !

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## BluegrassPhilfromFrance

I cannot resist to send this picture, taken in the beginning of november at the "Festival des Mandolines de Lunel" You can see what a HAPPY MAN looks like

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stevedenver

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## Crowder

One thing I know for sure.....he could sell them for a lot less and still make good money on them.


j/k, that was for Goldtopper

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## PlayerOf8

My Monteleone is by far the best instrument I have ever played. It is a mid-'80s F5 style that fits me like a glove. It will be the last mandolin I purchase this year and probably not until I can afford a GA

George

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## SternART

mike-c........my guess is the revered Gibson was an F5........so possibly M5 for Monty5.....and it might have been a passing fancy, as my F5 #64 a bit newer than yours as I recall, has a Monteleone label inside with the GA headstock as a logo.I believe mine was the next to the last F5 before John only offered GA's. There was a period when he made both, still offering the more traditional F5 shape for the purists. You should email John & ask...

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## mike_c

sternart- my label also has a GA headstock on the left side of label..(#46) i will try emailing him inquiring about the m-5 model. i have a old book published in 1984 called "the big book of bluegrass" it shows him building a f-5 (possibly mine or yours) and shows the complete rim assembly with head block, tail block, point block and kerf lining. at that time he sold a plain "nuts and bolts" 2 point model for $1200, or the f-5 style model or his grand artist for $2000..he also said in the write up "for his mando tops, he uses german spruce almost exclusively.. and tyrolean maple for back and sides"..i believe i read somewhere that he used adirondack (red) spruce in his latter GA tops.

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## Darryl Wolfe

If I'm not mistaken, the standard F5 I referred to in my earlier post was simply signed and numbered inside with no label. I believe is was somewhere around #18-24

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## Jim Garber

The only F5 copy I ever saw was one that also had the Gibson logo on it but JM's label. I suppose that was pretty early.

Jim

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## mike_c

i have talked to other folks that had f-5s in those years that had no label but were signed inside (and under the top) #i had #7 (the last "the gibson headstock) and it had a label with mandolin brothers as the distributor..that was probably when john was still their repairman

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## mike_c

opps--i had #8 not #7...well with old age, so goes the memory

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## Spruce

I had GA #153 or so (can't remember exactly the #), and it was signed on the maple back with no label, so John was doing that quite late, and maybe still is...

Here's a pic...
The GA is the one on the left, by the way....

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## Flowerpot

That's a beautiful back on that Grand Artist. What's on the right, a Grand Armadillo?

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## BluegrassPhilfromFrance

Hi Crowder,
John is working alone and currently has a 3 years waiting time on orders so why would he decrease his prices ? #

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## onlyagibsonisgoodenuff

I have owned two Monteleone mandolins, and my favorite was the first one, an "A" model. Then I played Don Stiernberg's Grand Artist and had to have one. Well, two years later it finally came. I played it hard for two more years and was not happy with it, as it never seemed to open up. So I sold it. I don't think the workmanship in John's mandolins could ever be questioned, as it is among the best quality out there. My opinion, however, is that if you want a bluegrass instrument, this may not be the best choice. I wish I still had that "A" model.

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## mike_c

another thing i have noticed about my monte finish, is that it is amazingly thin, and amazingly durable..when i first got my m-5, i decided i had to take the pickguard off to compete with all them dang banjos and such..i was rubbing the fleshy end of my 3rd and 4th fingers back and forth on the top..it took 2 years before i started to ware through the finish...of all the mandos i have bought since then (1990) none have had a durable finish like that..except of course other montes i have had..oh yes,,now i leave the finger-rests on mandolins..

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## mike_c

hey fred..that A model monte you had is the reason i got into monte mandolins..i heard it's tone across the field and had to come see what kind of mandolin had a tone like that..and heck, i was a dang fiddle player then...

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## onlyagibsonisgoodenuff

So, why'd ya have to go and get better than me on the mandolin?

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## mike_c

ya--i wish

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## mandophil(e)

Any chance of getting a few more pictures of Monteleone'e posted? I would really like to see the range of GA bursts, and am curious about the A Radio Flyer SternArt mentioned.

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## SternART

If someone cam tell me how to attach a jpg I'll post some other images. When I press the "image" code button, it asks for a URL?
I have several nice images in jpg format.

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## Jim Garber

> If someone cam tell me how to attach a jpg I'll post some other images. When I press the "image" code button, it asks for a URL?
> I have several nice images in jpg format.


Try this link.

Jim

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## mike_c

hey sternART and fred..i recieved a wonderfully long and detailed email from john m. concerning my m-5 monte..he basicly said " i begain to call them the m-1 up until june of 1977 when i referred to them as the style-5 and stayed with that until the last style-5 was made in 1985. i do recall trying out changing the model designation very early on at least one of these style-5s to a m-5.. i think i even engraved the tailpiece as such.what i don't recall is if yours is the only one. i think so..other than this there is no difference between at all between the m-5 and the style-5"---------------- hey if mine is the only m-5, that would explain why i have never see or even heard of another one--pretty cool  life is good

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## SternART

Radio Flyer A model prototype Malibu Sunset finish

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## SternART

Radio Flyer A model detail

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## SternART

I think I'm getting the hang of this

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## mandophil(e)

Bluegrassphil from France or jgarber: I really like the sunburst color of your instruments. Does that particular color combination have a name?

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## SternART

Here's the overall shot but mo betta

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## SternART

Grande Artist Delux
MOP blocks have turquoise stripes
burl headstock vaneer

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## SternART

just when I thought I knew what I was doing
......lets try again

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## Jim Garber

> I really like the sunburst color of your instruments. #Does that particular color combination have a name?


I am not sure what John calls it but in Fender parlance it would be a three-tone sunburst.

Jim

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## SternART

Block detail

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## jasona

wow!!!

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## ninevah

1988 Monteleone Style B

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## ninevah

hmmmm? One more try.

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## ninevah

And the back

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## SternART

Hey ninevah.....did that style B used to live in Oregon? Looks familiar......

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## mikeomando

To paraphrase a U.S. supreme court justice about what pornography is: "I know it when I see it". This thread? These pictures? Ooooooh yeah...

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## BluegrassPhilfromFrance

> Bluegrassphil from France or jgarber: #I really like the sunburst color of your instruments. #Does that particular color combination have a name?


Hi Mandophile,
In 1982 John simply named it "regular sunburst" so I cannot help you more than that, sorry !

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## sgarrity

All of these Monteleone pics are great. I haven't seen that many pics out there and these are some beautiful instruments. Keep 'em coming. I'd love to play one of these things

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## BluegrassPhilfromFrance

So I'm quite sure you'll love this one  Merry Christmas

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## onlyagibsonisgoodenuff

Don't lay that one down on the lawn. Could get stepped on!

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## Joe Sinchak

I have been very fortunate to gain posession of a Monteleone Style A. It is a wonderfully responsive instrument that has incredible tone, elegantly understated styling, buttery action, & did I mention wonderful tone? Also it is a very light mandolin, the top seems quite thin yet it is over 20 years old and seems in pristine condition.
Sounds like an add but this is one mandolin that I plan to have as a life long partner. When I first bought the Style A (it was used) I talked with John M. about it and he told me that it was the same as the Style B except with plainer clothes. He told me he made very few of these and he recently told Jim G that there were only two style A's made.
I'm sending a promo picture I recieved of the Style A mandolin before my particular one came to me. I guess there's a 50/50 chance that it's mine - sure does look like it. Did I mention the SUPERB TONE  
Well anyway - there's one quite biased report from a very happy player.

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## Mando Medic

Mike and Art, I worked on #7 about 10 years ago and took a bunch of photos of it that I need to scan to digital. That's the one I found the one piece Monty bridge that I wrote about for mandolin magazine. The labels said it was a accurate reproduction of a Loar. The other label said it was made for and distributed by Mandolin Brothers. With the one piece bridge on, it had a very dark tone, very loud and the richest chop next to Dempsey Youngs Hutto I have ever heard. Looked exactly like a 23 Loar in every detail except bridge and tailpiece. The original owner won the Beanblossom banjo contest and took his winnings to Mandolin Brothers and bought that mandolin I think he said for 12 or 14 hundred dollars. He won't part with it. Great string by the way. I had a 89 GA that I sold to a fellow in NY that was not an exceptional sounding instrument instrument, but it was a very good instrument. Kenc

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## Jim Garber

I had the privilege of playing Joe S's Style A at CMSA and all he says is true, even about the wonderful tone.

BTW I had the chance to buy a mandolin at a repeat offender price from John about a year or so after I bought my mandola but I decined... too bad, eh?

Jim

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## Spruce

The Black 'n Tan.....

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## jasona

_*whimpers*_

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## SternART

That Black & Tan has been one of my favorites since I saw the photo..... mahogany back & sides as I recall.......I wonder how it sounds?...... lives in Nashville I think.

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## Martin Jonas

> wow,,,i love that side-port. #i'll bet that sounds great to the player..it might even part your hair while you play--


I hadn't realised that any modern builder makes these side ports. They were a characteristic feature of bowlbacks built by de Meglio in Naples (and various of his pupils and imitators) around 1900 and I wonder whether that is where Monteleone got the idea from.

I have one of these, and I've speculated that the rationale was to provide a sound outlet for the player to hear what is projected to the front; a bit like a stage monitor. From the replies in this thread so far, that's presumably what Monteleone has in mind as well. Certainly, with the greater focus of the archtop, the difference in perceived sound behind and in front of the mandolin should be greater than with a bowlback and so the benefit of the side port (or "vent" as we've called them over in the classical forum) may well be greater.

Martin

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## Lefty&French

BluegrassPhil,you have forgotten this one...

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## jasona

Dale Ludewig also provides the sound port as an option. IIRC with his you can slide it open or shut as you wish.

Edit: man, I love that green finish!

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## goose 2

Monteleone #32 is alive and well. I was at a jam this weekend and met a fella who has played that mando since the 80s. We swapped for the night so I got to check it out thoroughly. This is the first Monte that I have played that is not a GA. Classic F-5 design, cremona snburst, lacquer (as always) finish. Had plenty of volume and very easy to play. Good mando!!

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## krishna

This thread might be old but I think (since it is new to me!) I will see about posting some pics. A few years after I got my G A ,I went to Tulsa and made a few phone calls looking for other Monteleones. A guitar store owner said he'd call me back, maybe. He did! I went over to the owner guys place that night. His wife had bothered John for 3 years after he had stopped making the "F" style. She wanted him to make her hubby one,and wouldnt take no for an answer. Long story short,she got it. Out of any mandolin I have yet played in the last 15 years,this one (hands down) was the best Monteleone I have heard, AND the only one I would have considered trading mine straight up for. Pics in a few days...Kerry

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## mike_c

i always wondered how things would have shook out if john had continued to make the f-5 up til now..that would have been very interesting

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## SternART

I heard my F5 Monty was the next to the last one, what year/number is the Tulsa mando, do you know?

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## krishna

I have no idea, but one weird thing about it... He had had the Monty for 5 years(?) and WAS'NT playing it. He was still hooked on his older mando(can't remember what kind) and asked (joking) if I was interested in breaking it in for him...Shocking!!!...Kerry

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Gary Alter

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## Hal Jeanes

This thread was too good to be buried. Here are some photos of Monteleone GA #60

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## Hal Jeanes

Monteleone #60 Back

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## woodwizard

Wow! That looks exactly like the #66 I was lucky enough to try out last night. Like a clone. Beautiful.

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## Mandoborg

This one is still the finest example of the luthiers art i've come across.

Newport '06

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stevedenver

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## Mandoborg

The back looked like it was Dripping !

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## SternART

John is holding his first "Radio City" mandolin. He had it with him at the Mandolin Symposium
and again at the last Loarfest/Supergrass. What show were these photos taken at? If I'm not
misaken that looks like one of John's "Quatroport" guitars there, it has side ports too. Talk 
about a minimalist pickguard!

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## woodwizard

Wooooooooooo! Very nice looking ... so many beautiful details. I bet it sounds phenominal!

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## Mandoborg

Arthur, that shot was taken at the Newport Guitar Fest. 2006. A sharp eye will also see Mitch Siedman in the background. That's his guitar in the center which sounded oh-so-sweet when he played a few lines on it ! John was kind of enough at this show to step away from his table and take a look at one of my Grand Artist styles and give some input on what to do and where to concentrate. First class individual all tha way, totally down to earth,one of the better memeories i'll have.

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## Glassweb

> Wooooooooooo! Very nice looking ... so many beautiful details. I bet it sounds phenominal!


I was told by very respected sources that this particular mandolin was "exceptional" sounding. What did you think about this one Arthur?

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## SternART

It sounded a LOT like the GA Delux with the turquoise lines in the blocks, that is featured earlier in this thread.
That one lives in Atlanta now. It sounded very very nice, and is the most decorated Monteleone I've seen!

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## Glassweb

Oh, THAT's the one I was told sounded amazing... thanks Art!

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## MK in NC

I found this older thread this morning after Chris Hillman told me he played a Monteleone during his gig last night with Herb Pedersen in Carrboro, N.C. (To undercut my own name-dropping, let me explain that this was no in-depth conversation. I was in a signing line. I would have asked more about the model of mandolin, but the guy in front of me had been especially chatty. I didn't want to be "that guy.")

Mandophiles will likely appreciate that: a) Hillman spent all but 2-3 songs during the show on mandolin rather than guitar, and b) while both artists left their guitars on stage before and between sets, Hillman kept the mandolin with him.

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Bluejay

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## jim simpson

How many mandolins total did John make? I've only played one, #24 (not mine).

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## djeffcoat

I own a Monteleone Grand Artist (#79) made in 1982.  I found it on a Mandolin Bros. list in 1986.  It's rather special in that it is a lefty.  His first, I believe.  I play a variety of music styles and it is perfect for that.  Fit, finish, playability and sound, it has it all.  It hasn't been babied.  It is my work horse mandolin and my absolute favorite.

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## DataNick

> I found this older thread this morning after Chris Hillman told me he played a Monteleone during his gig last night with Herb Pedersen in Carrboro, N.C. (To undercut my own name-dropping, let me explain that this was no in-depth conversation. I was in a signing line. I would have asked more about the model of mandolin, but the guy in front of me had been especially chatty. I didn't want to be "that guy.")
> 
> Mandophiles will likely appreciate that: a) Hillman spent all but 2-3 songs during the show on mandolin rather than guitar, and b) while both artists left their guitars on stage before and between sets, Hillman kept the mandolin with him.


Nice!

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## Jim Garber

> I have a mid 1980s Grand Artist mandola and it is an exquisite instrument. I bought it because I realized that my 21 Gibson H4 was lacking the tone and volume in the upper registers. This one had it all and I am glad that I was able to scrape together the money to buy it.


I took these photos of my mandola #107 a few months ago and meant to post them, so here they are.

In 1985 there were few decent cases for mandolas, so John gutted a tenor sax case and made this case. He said that he spent way too much time on it -- almost as much as it would take to make a mandolin. I don't know if there are any other cases he made but this one has a special ebony accessories box.

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Bluejay, 

Larry S Sherman, 

Mark Seale

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## mtucker

> I took these photos of my mandola #107 a few months ago and meant to post them, so here they are.


A beauty for sure, but those strangs skeer me!

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## Jim Garber

I know that is sort of a lazy person's way of not finishing off the strings. Sorry. I usually don't leave them like that any more. I have to start giving this mandola some playing time.

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