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Thread: Thile's A-style?

  1. #1
    Registered User Kroland's Avatar
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    Default Thile's A-style?

    Don't think this question has been asked yet. I saw Nickel Creek in Portland this last week, and Chris brought out a beautiful A-style for one song, and I was wondering if anyone else had seen it and identified it? Hard to remember for sure, but I think he played it on their cover of Tomorrow Is A Long Time. It looked like a newer instrument, had a reddish finish that had some intense flamed maple showing underneath, had a black pickguard, and just a single letter on the headstock. Looked like it may have been a "B" but I was a little too far back to see for sure. Also, I don't remember seeing any binding. Any thoughts?
    I've lost my sheep

  2. #2

    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    I think that may be a Smart Mandola.

    There are some details in this thread(from 2005!):

    http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...le%27s-Mandola

    I found that thread through this thread from earlier this year:

    http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...eek-live-sound

    I took some pictures when I saw them in Savannah last month. One of the pics shows a fairly clear shot of the instrument that I think you are referring to.

    Here are the pictures:

    https://plus.google.com/photos/10603...41502766169313

  3. #3
    Registered User Tom Smart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    Here's a better look at Thile's mandola, from when it was new. It looks like he's put a few miles on it since then. I have a mandola from the same batch.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    "Few noises are so disagreeable as the sound of the picking of a mandolin."

  4. #4
    Registered User Kroland's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    You guys rock, and that's an exceptionally beautiful mandola. Are you a close relative of the maker, Tom?
    I've lost my sheep

  5. #5
    Registered User Russ Donahue's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    Great pics from the concert! Thanks for sharing...
    Make America Grateful Again!

    2013 Collings MF, 2017 Northfield NF2S, 2019 Northfield Big Mon F
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  6. #6
    Registered User darylcrisp's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    at the Ryman show in Nashville, the show schedule mentioned "mandolin and bouzouki" chris thile. Could it have been that?
    And he did do one, maybe two songs with it.

    d

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    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    Pretty much off topic given that the present question has been answered, but there are some vids on the Utube of him playing an A style Collings, think it was Edgar Myer's, but it's been a while since I've viewed them. Also, he did play a Zouk in the "Smoothie Song" video back in the day. I wasn't able to work out a trip to one of the reunion shows, but it's possible he pulled one out if they did that song (know they're changing up the set list as they go)...

    Hope you enjoyed the Portland show! I was in Portland and Seattle last August and enjoyed both cities quite a bit...hope to make it out to take in some hiking and kayaking at some point in the near-ish future...
    Chuck

  8. #8
    Registered User Tom Smart's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    Quote Originally Posted by Kroland View Post
    Are you a close relative of the maker, Tom?
    Lawrence is my brother. One benefit of that is I get to see a lot of his instruments, and I've even commissioned a few myself including a mandola from the same batch as Thile's. Mine is virtually identical to that one, but with a darker brown finish and no notches in the f-holes. I guess that makes them s-holes. Anyway, it's kind of a luxury to be so familiar with a maker's work that you can commission an instrument with total confidence. Now, if I also had Thile-like confidence in my playing, that would be something.

    Quote Originally Posted by darylcrisp View Post
    at the Ryman show in Nashville, the show schedule mentioned "mandolin and bouzouki" chris thile. Could it have been that?
    If you go to the last link JeffJones posted above and look at photo 17, it's clearly the mandola pictured above.
    "Few noises are so disagreeable as the sound of the picking of a mandolin."

  9. #9

    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    Chris also played his Bouzouki, a Flatiron I think, at the Savannah show. I just did not get a picture of him playing it.

  10. #10
    Registered User Kroland's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    Here's a picture I found of him with the Flatiron bouzouki:

    http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/xYVlU3AWfNY/hqdefault.jpg

    He's had it for a while!
    I've lost my sheep

  11. #11
    Registered User jefflester's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thile's A-style?

    At last night's L.A. show, Thile played the mandola on "Somebody More Like You."

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