Here's Fig for a Kiss played on six different mandolins: a Duff F5, an Ellis A5 Tradition, a '24 F2, a Red Diamond "July 9," a Collings MT2 with a Torrefied top, and a 1924 A2Z. Recorded on a modest little Zoom H4n. All the sound files mixed identically in the same Logic Pro X session. I love the Duff. The Ellis is my favorite daily player. It has a rich and full sound. The Red Diamond sounds and plays the best of any of them. The Collings, the most affordable of the lot, I'd be happy to have as an only instrument. The A2Z had the most mojo; the F2 isn't far behind. I love the ovals when I'm playing in the kitchen or in an ITRAD session but I have trouble hearing them in more of a bluegrass setting.
Great idea Mike, interesting to hear some of the differences in tone and playability, and the usual relaxed competent playing too, thanks. I was wondering what they would sound like if you yourself hadn’t known which ones you were playing, because I imagine each mandolin wants to be played in it’s own certain way.
Ah, I love comparison recordings like this! The Ellis is the one I keep coming back to here - what a gem!
Interesting comparison, Mike. They all sound good in their own way, but there are clear differences. Personally, I liked the last two the best, but this could also be because you were fully in your groove by then - assuming that the recordings were done in this order. You have a great collection there!
Interesting, Mike. I thinnk I am with Jill on favourite one, followed by the first Gibson, but I would very probably have a different choice at a second listening! I listened through headphones to them all.
I’m with Dennis. And thanks for sharing your joy with us.
Thanks for mando tasting on all those fine instruments, Mike. We're missing an oval hole, though. Let's hear the Model 1 too. That Ellis has something special going on, doesn't it?
The Gil has moved on to greener pastures, Don. ... Thanks for all the feedback. Yeah, the Ellis has my heart.
Interesting - my preference begs to differ, though. I find the tone of both oval-hole instruments the most complex, potentially. I guess their playability is not as "butter"-like as with the newer models, though, and their strings might not be as new, thus concealing their true sound a bit. So many parameters, so few Mandolins to fill the multidimensional feature space, but it's a MAS-terpiece of a demonstration