David Mclaughlin

[Markelberry]

One of my very favorite mandolinist ,largely due to the Johnson Mtn Boys. I read an interview on mandozine ,I thought it was funny he said he likes his strings dead and dirty and he uses Labella strings gauge 40 26 17 12 JMB sound. Any one ever used these strings? Does anyone have copy of his discontinued Murphy method mando video?

[John Gardinsky]

He offers lessons via Skype. You can find him on Facebook.

[FLATROCK HILL]

One of my very favorite mandolinist ,largely due to the Johnson Mtn Boys. I read an interview on mandozine ,I thought it was funny he said he likes his strings dead and dirty and he uses Labella strings gauge 40 26 17 12 JMB sound. Any one ever used these strings? Does anyone have copy of his discontinued Murphy method mando video?

There was one (VHS tape) on eBay not long ago. I got outbid by a buck or two. Sure would have liked to have that one. I guess the next one that comes up...I'll be bidding against you now too!

The Johnson Mountain Boys are (were) fabulous...super tight vocals. Mclaughin's breaks always sound relaxed, smooth and tastful to me. He's not trying to force a bunch of extra notes in, just for show. The perfect compliment to Stubbs' fiddle. My favorite of theirs is Weathered Gray Stone. Bet I've listened to it more than a thousand times.

[BluegrassWarehouse]

The Murphy Method recording is still available in DVD format. I just bought it and the "Picking Up The Pace" slow jam video that has him playing mandolin on it.

I also just started Skype lessons with him and have had 2 so far. So far I am very pleased. I also bought a set of the Labella strings but haven't put them on yet. They are the mediums he uses now, not the heavies he used with the JMB. I may try them later.

Lance

[BluegrassWarehouse]

For all you Johnson Mountain Boys fans and David McLaughlin fans, David was in the studio last week recording for an upcoming album with the band he is in currently, Springfield Exit. Along with him was Marshall Wilborn and Tom Adams, so there will be 3 former Johnson Mountain Boys on this album. Of course, the founders of Springfield Exit, Linda and David Lay will be included as well.

Lance

[sgarrity]

Please let us know when that recording comes out.

[Mike Bunting]

Here's some

[f5loar]

Many ask what is the Loar sound. IMO it's what you hear from McLaughlin and his '23 Loar F5. Every recording I've heard of the JMB has that sound from his mandolin. Few pickers can get that tone. Is it the heavier strings? Is it the dead and dirty strings? Is it just that particular Loar? Is it his right hand technique? Is it the type pick he used? I don't know the answer, but I do know it is what I think a Loar should sound like. He got that tone in the studio or live. Truly one of the most amazing mandolin pickers to come down the pike. In my list of the best he is up there in the top 10.

[Mike Bunting]

Like this? I've always loved this band and can Dudley ever grow a 'stache!

[Wolfmanbob]

David is also one of my favorites, especially for bluegrass. I use those strings sometimes, I think he is referring to the flatwounds which are lovely and eliminate some of the string noise but may be a bit quieter than standard strings. I also agree with Dave in not liking the sound of new strings and I keep mine on for as long as possible. They do, eventually deaden though.

[BluegrassWarehouse]

I had another excellent lesson today with David and he asked me to add a comment for him here because he can't access the café at the moment. He said that he now uses light gauge strings with the action set low. Of course, he still has that great tone regardless. Here's a video of Springfield Exit with him on the mandolin:



I can't wait for their CD to come out! I wish I lived closer to Winchester, VA where they have a monthly gig at the George Washington Hotel.

Lance

[Ivan Kelsall]

A good thread here.The Johnson Mt Boys were (& still are) one of my favourite bands ever in Bluegrass music. Re.David McLaughlin's mandolin tone - i know (via the Cafe), that he prefers old,well played strings,& in a past thread,i put forward the idea that maybe the tone of his mandolin & the tone of Bill Monroe's mandolin might have a lot to do with the dry,less reverberant sound of old strings. From what i've read about Bill Monroe,he used to leave the strings on until they broke & then replace just that one.
I see in the Clip above,that Tom Adams is back on banjo,using his 'finger & thumb' style - he still sounds as good as ever !.
I have to say that i'm excited re.a new recording,& Lance - please keep us posted re.the CD issue date,
Ivan

[f5joe]

Many ask what is the Loar sound. IMO it's what you hear from McLaughlin and his '23 Loar F5. Every recording I've heard of the JMB has that sound from his mandolin. Few pickers can get that tone. Is it the heavier strings? Is it the dead and dirty strings? Is it just that particular Loar? Is it his right hand technique? Is it the type pick he used? I don't know the answer, but I do know it is what I think a Loar should sound like. He got that tone in the studio or live. Truly one of the most amazing mandolin pickers to come down the pike. In my list of the best he is up there in the top 10.

Amen

[tnranger]

I also impressed that David does not appear to have aged at all. Apparently grey hair does not improve one's mandolin skills.

Dang.

[Markelberry]

Really glad I brought this up much great info brought to my attention , I agree heartily with f5loar on Loar tone. I dont know what one is supposed to sound like but its Davids sound that nails that something for me as does Mike Compton, Mr. Bill ,Frank Wakefield. I remember Mike saying at one of Butch's classes I attended when commenting on his string choice(cant recall exactly) but he remarked they were dead right off the bat! I laughed out loud,but I kinda got it then and it makes alot more sense now. I am pretty bad at changing out myself and usually not till they start to rust! Really excited about the new stuff David is comin out with!

[David W McLaughlin]

Hello and thanks for the kind words, people. Yes, I do like the way old dead strings sound on this particular F-5, but not with every brand of string. Some strings sound really bad or fall apart after a week or so. And I do use light strings with low action now because I no longer have a job-requirement for the heavier strings with high action.

I've owned this old mandolin since about 1980, but have had an intimate relationship with it since early childhood since it belonged to a close friend of my parents (Mike Seeger) when I was a kid. It was Mike's very first F-5, found in Peoria, IL in 1958. He used it on some early NLCR cuts, such as Long Journey Home. It sounds exactly the same on those old records. When I was a little boy, I knew it was meant to be mine someday. Mike agreed and told me so when I was a kid. Number 73481

[John Ritchhart]

Agree with F5Loar. I met David at Augusta Heritage a few years ago. He helped me a great deal with my tone and listening in general. The JMB is my all time favorite band. If stuck on an island and could have only one band to listen to, it would be them. David's playing is perfect as far as I'm concerned . Not too much, just right. Tasteful is the right word to describe his playing to me. And David is a gentleman, the kind of guy you would be proud to call friend.

[David W McLaughlin]

Thank you!

I do indeed believe that tone is critical. Good tone can be pulled from any instrument. The player should and can always work for better tone.

There is no question about it... For my own playing, I am a note minimalist. I love the fact that all the notes are there on the fretboard for the taking, just as I appreciate having all those bottles in my spice rack. But it has always seemed to me that very few bottles need to be grabbed to make the stew taste good. Some get used more than others, for sure.

I always believe that if I take out more notes and simplify, it just might improve the piece. But of course, I'm talking only about my OWN playing, since some of my favorite go-to music for listening is rather heavy in notes.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Thanks, David, for your great picking over the years and for that wonderful sound. (f5loar nailed it.) Thanks so much also for being such a nice fellow to hand me your Loar to pick some on it, in Gettysburg back in 1993.

[FLATROCK HILL]

Thanks, David, for your great picking over the years and for that wonderful sound.

10-4...+1...Ditto...etc...

[David W McLaughlin]

Thanks, Henry.

Yes, f5loar knows my mandolin about as well as anyone. And I think he is right about my tone being a combination of many things.

I am always joyed to have people try the old F-5, so I am very open with it to friends and strangers. There have only been a very few times I have NOT let a person play it, but for good reason.

[yankees1]

Many ask what is the Loar sound. IMO it's what you hear from McLaughlin and his '23 Loar F5. Every recording I've heard of the JMB has that sound from his mandolin. Few pickers can get that tone. Is it the heavier strings? Is it the dead and dirty strings? Is it just that particular Loar? Is it his right hand technique? Is it the type pick he used? I don't know the answer, but I do know it is what I think a Loar should sound like. He got that tone in the studio or live. Truly one of the most amazing mandolin pickers to come down the pike. In my list of the best he is up there in the top 10.

Maybe it's the the person doing the picking !

[f5loar]

Maybe it's the the person doing the picking !

No question it's the picker that get's the right tone when others don't. David handed me his F5 and it didn't take me long to figure out I was not getting his tone. I got more of a dead string tone. If you want to hear what a person can do with tone, listen to the Skaggs and Rice duet CD. Skaggs is using Grisman's Fern with new strings on it. What great tone he got on that old Fern. Now go and listen to some of Grisman's recordings around the same time and it's not even close to being the same tone. I too like to hear others play on my old F5 so I can hear what it sounds like to me. When you get down to it all the bluegrass instruments are the same way in getting the "right" tone out of an instrument. So bottom line, it's not always the instrument that creates the right tone.

[Mike Bunting]

I have been listening to Earl Taylor the last few days and realized that he got a very similar tone to that of Mclaughlin. Anybody else notice this?

[Alex Orr]

I may have to see about those skype lessons, though my webcam is a piece of junk. Our banjo player has been hounding the rest of the guys in the group to add "Five Speed" to our repertoire four a couple of months now and I finally started messing around with it yesterday. Thank goodness for slow down software! However, even listening to David's solo at around 34% I'm still struggling with it. That is some ferocious pickin'.