Well MAS has got me bad!!!!

After starting Mandolin, a couple of months ago, I could never get a blacktop Mando out of my head as something I would really love to have. Same with a Pava just. For some reason that just seemed like the mandolin for me. Weel TME made it happen for me and now the Pava A5 Blacktop is in the house. It plays and sounds great.

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Congrats!

Congratulations.

Adam

That is one fine looking mandolin! Enjoy.

Wow. You are the Man!

Well done! Beautiful and distinctive. Enjoy!

Beautiful mandolin. Congratulations. That's a lifer!

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Originally Posted by slaminsam

After starting Mandolin, a couple of months ago, I could never get a blacktop Mando out of my head as something I would really love to have. Same with a Pava just. For some reason that just seemed like the mandolin for me. Weel TME made it happen for me and now the Pava A5 Blacktop is in the house. It plays and sounds great.

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If I’m not mistaken, you now have had a Collings MT, Girouard, and Pava, so I’m wondering if you’d share your experience of them. I once owned both an MT and a Pava, loved how the former played and liked how it sounded, loved how the latter sounded and liked how it played, if that makes sense.

That’s classy looking, hope you enjoy it.

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Originally Posted by slaminsam

After starting Mandolin, a couple of months ago, I could never get a blacktop Mando out of my head as something I would really love to have. Same with a Pava just. For some reason that just seemed like the mandolin for me. Weel TME made it happen for me and now the Pava A5 Blacktop is in the house. It plays and sounds great.

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Pava makes a fine mandolin. Play yours in good health.

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Originally Posted by pheffernan

If I’m not mistaken, you now have had a Collings MT, Girouard, and Pava, so I’m wondering if you’d share your experience of them. I once owned both an MT and a Pava, loved how the former played and liked how it sounded, loved how the latter sounded and liked how it played, if that makes sense.

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First of all, I will say that each is a pleasure to play and sound great. The Collings is more mellow and not quite as loud. I attribute it to the Engleman top maybe. They all have excellent woods and builds are all great. The differentiator to me is the neck. The Collings was more of a V and did not quite suit me from that respect. I like the neck on the Girouard and the Pava. As far as tone the Girouard and the Pava are close. Each has good volume. I would say the Pava is a little more complex and to me a little more of what I wanted to hear.

I wish I could have kept them all and was very fortunate to have had the chance to play them. I thought that Collings would have been the answer for me (I own 2 of their guitars), but in the end the neck just was not suited for me. I wish I could have kept the Girouard, but it came down to the only being able to own 1 and the Pava was the one for me.

It can be fun to buy sell and trade but it's also good to get to know each mando.

I blew through quite a few and learned quite a bit on the way but when I got my Northfield I promised myself I would stick with it for a few years. I made the right choice when I moved to my Girouard but I'm glad I gave the NF a few years first. It helped me to figure out what it was I wanted.

The Pava might not be your forever mando but I would say, give it some time :)

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Originally Posted by slaminsam

First of all, I will say that each is a pleasure to play and sound great. The Collings is more mellow and not quite as loud. I attribute it to the Engleman top maybe. They all have excellent woods and builds are all great. The differentiator to me is the neck. The Collings was more of a V and did not quite suit me from that respect. I like the neck on the Girouard and the Pava. As far as tone the Girouard and the Pava are close. Each has good volume. I would say the Pava is a little more complex and to me a little more of what I wanted to hear.

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Thanks for sharing your perspective! It’s interesting how ears, hands, and instruments differ. I liked how my MT played in large part due to the neck profile and its V shape that had less meat in the shoulders than the Pava, which I too found more complex though less loud (or at least less cutting) than the Collings.

Just to clarify, getting the Pava was not about buying, selling or trading. It was about getting my dream instrument. It's true the Collings or Girouard did not stay long, but it's what I wanted. Unfortunately, I could not afford to have them all right now. For me and my hands the Collings was just not right. The Girouard was a casualty of my economy. That what had to happen for me only and has no bearing on the instruments. The Pava inspires me to play, and I want to be a plyer more than an owner, I may never get there, but I like to be able enjoy the journey.

Thanks for all the congratulations

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Originally Posted by slaminsam

Just to clarify, getting the Pava was not about buying, selling or trading. It was about getting my dream instrument. It's true the Collings or Girouard did not stay long, but it's what I wanted. Unfortunately, I could not afford to have them all right now. For me and my hands the Collings was just not right. The Girouard was a casualty of my economy. That what had to happen for me only and has no bearing on the instruments. The Pava inspires me to play, and I want to be a plyer more than an owner, I may never get there, but I like to be able enjoy the journey.

Thanks for all the congratulations

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I know what you mean. My NF could easily be a lifetime mando but I was looking for something just a little different. Glad I found it and glad you did too. Enjoy that beautiful Pava!

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Originally Posted by pheffernan

Thanks for sharing your perspective! It’s interesting how ears, hands, and instruments differ. I liked how my MT played in large part due to the neck profile and its V shape that had less meat in the shoulders than the Pava, which I too found more complex though less loud (or at least less cutting) than the Collings.

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I agree wholeheartedly with you here. I have been lucky enough to have both a MT and Pava A for the last few months. Ultimately, I only plan to keep one and it has been difficult deciding which. The V shape on the MT is far more comfortable to for my hands and is infinitely louder than the Pava. I love the tone on both but the Pava has some subtle complexities which I wont dare try to explain that the MT doesn't have. Its a tough call! Going to have to make the choice sooner than later to help fund a camper purchase that's on the horizon.

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Originally Posted by DaveNils

I agree wholeheartedly with you here. I have been lucky enough to have both a MT and Pava A for the last few months. Ultimately, I only plan to keep one and it has been difficult deciding which. The V shape on the MT is far more comfortable to for my hands and is infinitely louder than the Pava. I love the tone on both but the Pava has some subtle complexities which I wont dare try to explain that the MT doesn't have. Its a tough call! Going to have to make the choice sooner than later to help fund a camper purchase that's on the horizon.

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I'd go for the MT if I were you. To me, playability is king and it sounds like the tone of the MT is still great. Also, you can always play a loud mandolin quietly, but not necessarily the other way around.

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Originally Posted by DaveNils

I agree wholeheartedly with you here. I have been lucky enough to have both a MT and Pava A for the last few months. Ultimately, I only plan to keep one and it has been difficult deciding which. The V shape on the MT is far more comfortable to for my hands and is infinitely louder than the Pava. I love the tone on both but the Pava has some subtle complexities which I wont dare try to explain that the MT doesn't have. Its a tough call! Going to have to make the choice sooner than later to help fund a camper purchase that's on the horizon.

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My experience has taught me two things:

1) At a certain level, playability uber alles. The MT was the first instrument I owned that did not limit me in any way and became the benchmark against which every other mandolin has been measured subsequently. As a buddy once said, it doesn’t matter how good the notes sound if you can’t get to them!

2) You might remember the character of Willie Mays Hayes from the movie Major League who famously said “I hit like Mays, and I run like Hayes.” Well, Stefan Passernig once worked for Bill, at Collings, and lives near Tom, in Austin, with instruments that seem to marry the best traits of each. He has produced fewer than a hundred of them, and I don’t believe that he’s actively building currently, but they do come up from time to time. I was fortunate to find my A5 (#54) about eight years ago, and when I had to consolidate to move house, it ultimately made both the Collings and the Pava expendable.