Blog Comments

Ahh. Thanks for that Martin. I retract, then, my contention that other factors were involved in pulling the instruments off the market. And bow to your greater body of knowledge.

Daniel

But some of these instruments in both red and blue WERE sold in Europe, with the same pickup and bridge configuration. The ones that were pulled and dumped on the U.S. market differ only in finish color.

Sounds like a lot of fun, with the possible exception of the "yummy vegetarian food", a contradiction in terms in my opinion.



Here in upstate NY we have had a culture of house concerts as well. A network of musical friends that trade off hosting a concert of some musician or folkie band travelling through on the way to a larger venue. I have had a few concerts in the fireplace room down stairs, stuffing 25 some odd folding chairs down there in front of a little make shift two person stage. More like a home made coffeehouse concert, with a coffee and pastries break at intermission, upstairs in the kitchen. Often there is the after-concert jam with the guest musicians and our home grown jammers shaking the pictures off the wall and disturbing the parakeets generally.

Live music in the intimate setting of a private home - it doesn't get much better.



Some really great moments.

I have been really into the Greencards for some time now. And Marty Stuart is really great on mandolin. Sounds like a great festival.

Too Cool...........I've been thinking about making my next mandolin purchase a mandola.

I thought it would be better suited for the "campfire" situations---where it's just pickin n grinnin. Not a worked up tune, just the "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" stuff.

I'm thinking about something like a used Trinity College to try. If it works out as well as I think it will I could sell it without much of a loss and put those funds into something I really don't deserve at my skill level. I just seem to do better on a really nice instrument, probably because I play it more.

PM sent!

Just read your blog; ah! I am in that state of "just about to" .... I'm going for a Mandobird (cheap; looks great; sounds OK what I've heard) but I lunge between 4-string and 8-string.

I play pretty much rock'n'roll mandolin when I can ... yes I DO bend strings on an 8! At the moment it's on an F-Furch with Fishman p/u ... through various stomp-boxes. Should I go 4 or 8? My gut tells me 4, my heart tells me 4, but my brain (knows my technique) and says "Nah ... 8!"...

The Mandobird iv DOES look like any set-up problems can be addressed better then the viii?

Ah, I'm just rambling ... sorry to take up your time!!!

Chris

Bingo!

Well, the picture shows a used stamp. I don't have it in hand yet.

I should get the instrument tomorrow. On Wed I'll take a bunch of pictures and post them to the photos section of the message board.

Daniel

FM-988

Interesting stuff here;

http://www.emando.com/builders/Fender2.htm

"Then, early in 2008, a batch of FM-984s and FM-988s appeared in the United States. Most of these appeared to be finished in "Seafoam Green," but they might actually have been Sonic Blue instruments with yellowed clearcoat. Research reveals that these instruments originated from Fender EDC BV in the Netherlands. Rejected for being the wrong color, they languished in a Dutch warehouse for five years or more before being sold to the Musical Instrument Reclamation Corporation in Tennessee, which stamped then "USED" and sold them wholesale to U.S. dealers, most of whom immediately sold them on eBay—where demand was higher than anticipated: they sold for as much as $1,000."

Does yours have "used" stamped on it?

So close!
Sorry, no it is not a "Fender Electric Mandolin." Though it fits that description to a tee and I will affectionately call it my Mandocaster, "Fender Electric Mandolin" is not the model name.

Keep digging, you'll find it.

Daniel

Fender Mandocaster

http://www.emando.com/builders/Fender1.htm

fender mandocaster

The question mark indicates a guess rather than a certainty. It makes no difference, you're right rekx.

Now for the model name....

Daniel

fender?

Sign for it. Yes.
Just hoping it won't be all sound and fury signifying nothing.


D.

To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

Make sure you're there to sign for it.

In terms of playing chords, I find three note chords on the CGD strings sound best. Now what you do with those 3 note chords is another thing.

Jon Mann makes this exact instrument. Here's the link. Scroll down to the Octave / Baritone section.

Now I love my EM-5, but I'm pretty certain that I would have got one of these had they been around at the time.

Merry Christmas Daniel!