A full circle - back to the basics. (long)

  1. Steve Williams
    Steve Williams
    I started playing mandolin in 1964 at the ripe old age of 9. I came from a musical family, and similar to the Bill Monroe story, started on mandolin because no one else played one. My first one was a round hole flat top that my Dad had found in a pawn shop on Sullivan Ave. in Columbus OH...looking back, I believe that it was perhaps a Strunal from Europe. I seem to recall that Dad paid $25.00 for it in "as new" condition. It served me well for many years, survived a move back to our native West Virginia, and was my first performance mandolin when I was a teenager. The low action really helped in developing tremolo and crosspicking licks.

    Fast forward to 1982. Deciding that it was finally time to upgrade, I traded my trusty workhorse for a Gibson A-Jr, the first in a series of arch top mandolins over the years, primarily Gibsons. Playing in a number of Bluegrass bands over a 30 year period, I became used to the A and F models and put a lot of mileage on them. But I never quite forgot the sound and fast action of a good flat top mandolin...

    Fast forward to 2003. I built a flat top mandolin at a workshop taught by master luthier Don Kawalek. Something clicked, and I started playing the flat top in a duet that I was performing in. It blended so well with a single acoustic guitar and harmony vocals...and it still does.

    Fast forward to 2013. I bought an "as new" MW-0 and a "refurbed" MM-8 from Mike Dulak. (both looked new!) I also recently bought a sweet flat top from Barry Kratzner at Bulldog Mandolins. I have a locally built F-5 copy for Bluegrass gigs and a generic electric mando for Country Rock, but my flat tops are now my "go to" mandolins, and my main performers. I can do subtle little things on them...especially the Big Muddys...that I just could never pull off on anything but a flat top.

    A full circle - back to the basics.
  2. Dave Weiss
    Dave Weiss
    Steve, good story. Thanks for sharing. I've got 2 Big Muddies that I really love playing, but every now and then I get to lusting over an arch top, but then I stop and think of how much I'd have to spend to truly upgrade... Your story reinforces that, thanks.

    >>>===> Dave
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