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HAHAHA! Oh my... that is a special instrument. I'm going to have to take a hard pass on that one. Stay safe and well everyone! There's a light at the end of this damn virus tunnel if we can just get...

I don't think there's any cause to be cynical about trying to find the strings, the pick, the instrument that works for you. And of course many top pros are always on the hunt. And others settle on...

Wow. Can't believe it's been five years since I sat down for a coffee with Sarah on the Upper West Side of Manhattan for the lovely chat that became this story. The pandemic's been so hard on some of...

Fifteen years ago today, DeFord Bailey inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Nov. 15, 2005. That took a while! (the CM HoF was started in the 1960s)

Thile made me my first Negroni. I have to say, watching him wield that ice pick made me a little nervous!

It was a good drink. And not my last. :-)

It's a bad time for me to watch sign up for something on a schedule - but with the 30 day archiving, I think I'll sign up and watch 'on demand'. Can't wait to hear more about the content.

BTW In...

Since Andy's been playing other mandolins, mostly an assortment of Kimbles, for so many years - here's a photo of the A- snakehead that we were discussing above. (no longer in MINT condition ;))
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I did not know that instrument came from Mandolin Brothers... assuming it's the one Andy played for so long.

Miss the man. Miss the store itself. And the ritual of heading out to Staten Island.

Bob Page is a seller that you can have confidence dealing with. I've found him to be knowledgeable and informative and thoroughly professional.

Have you taken a look at this video? It was made for the Cafe's profile of Michael Daves who teaches Bluegrass Vocals for ArtistWorks, but it's a great guide to building a bluegrass mandolin solo.
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Just to emphasize the message above, the first step is taking off the string tension doing some research on what the correct bridge for a bowl back mandolin looks like, and then seeing what your...

It's really unusual to see someone to 'get it right' when it comes to Martin and Gibson history, and he does. And recording the Gibson one so soon after the passing of Justin Townes Earle is just...

That's a good comparable. Note that it's in much better condition than the one posted by the original poster. And it's from one of the top dealers in the country.

The instrument found by the...

When I first heard of the band in NYC, I didn't really take them seriously, and assumed it was just a light hearted musical mashup. But the first time I saw them perform, it was obvious that these...

The Wedgie elastomer pick us comically quiet when used on a mandolin. But for an octave or 'cello... who knows?
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Who made your violins, Jim? I've neber seen a design quite like that 'pointless' pair. ;-)

edit: I see from your link: Brooklyn made. Looking forward to learning more. B.

Chris is rather boyish looking. I hope we get to do a longer interview and in person if we can beat this damn virus before next summer when he 'steps down' as CEO. A lot of interesting business...

Ha! It can't hurt.

But there is a clue to a possible successor in this short interview with Chris Martin IV that I did for WLVR the day he announced his retirement. Before you hit play, guess...

This just in: CEO Chris Martin IV Announces Retirement
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Thanks Daryl. I appreciate the advice, and hearing about your experience.

Are you pleased with the tuners?

I have a Washburn 5 string from that era, with friction tuners, and would love to move to planetary tuners and a easier 5th string tuner as well.

I'm not at...

As others have said, high humidity is much less a problem than low humidity - until you get to a mold or mildew problem.

I don't think finishing the interior of the instrument would make any...

I'm impressed with Kimsey's thoughtful open-minded treatment of the questions. It sounds like you've mostly made up your mind, and there's a lot to be said for taking the most 'conservative' approach...

Sarah just posted this one from her new album. No mando content, but so very sweet. And maybe the last LFH video post!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZCGH5_sFAU