I've got the octave mandolin blues :(

[the_polish_mandolinist]

So here's the deal.. I absolutely need an octave mandolin, I've fallen in love with the sound. I've never played one, I can only watch youtube videos and dream. The Webers sound the best.. but I am a student working my way through University so it's pretty much out of my price range, even the A-style gallatin which I think is around $2,900. I would rather not get a 'budget' style like the trinity church, because from what I have heard I don't like the tone.

Do I have any other options? It would need to have f-holes for that punch, A-style and no frills (to save cash), but well-built. I am keeping an eye out on my local classifieds, but I have the better chance of being struck by lightning since I live in Ontario, Canada. The mandolin choices are real slim up here!

Are there any other makers other than Weber that make a great sounding A-style f-hole octave mandolin?

[bigskygirl]

Look for a local luthier who can build you one and might be able to come in at the price point you are looking for. A carved top with f holes will add to the final cost. I was talking with a luthier friend of mine a few months ago and he built three that are in the finishing stages now and I'll get to choose which I want. Koa/spruce, black walnut/redwood, and black walnut/spruce. Asthetically the Koa wins and they all sound great, I am leaning towards the walnut/spruce but well see how they are after they are all finished.

They are standard oval holes but they sound great and have satisfied my MAS for an octave. Here's a link to Don Kawalak and the kits he makes he's on this forum as well.

http://donkawalek.com/pages/kits.php

[multidon]

You don't say what your price point is exactly except you don't want to spend 2900. Ok, The Mandolin Store has a used Weber Sage for 1199. They also carry the Lafferty line at around 1299 brand new. And Gypsy!s Music will custom build one for you at 1100 for plain woods. Petersens are good at around a thousand or so if you can find them. That just a few that come to mind.

[AW Meyer]

I've played this Irish bouzouki at Blue Dog Guitars in North Vancouver. It sounds real good. It's made by local luthier David Webber. Might be a little above your price range, but you haven't stated what that range is. I have no financial interest with the shop, but I know they are happy to do mail orders.
http://www.bluedogguitars.com/Mandolins_Vancouver.html (Scroll down.)

[allenhopkins]

If you want a carved-top f-hole instrument, your options are more limited, since many builders stick to oval soundholes. I've had 25+ years of good use out of my Flatiron "bouzouki," which is like a really big "pancake" style mandolin, but it's an oval-hole. You can find used Flatties now and then for $1K or so.

The Weber Sage and Sage 2 are nice instruments, but they're oval-holes as well. So are the Petersens and the Laffertys. I haven't seen widely-available f-hole OM's other than the Webers, and you know how they're priced.

So you may have to modify your search a bit if you're looking for something more affordable. Michael Kelly used to have a very short-scale octave mandolin in their catalog, F-model with f-holes, but the near-mandola scale made it somewhat less satisfactory as an OM. And the model's been discontinued.

You may just have to keep an eye out for a used Weber, or for one of those arch-top-guitar-to-OM conversions that seem to pop up now and again. Or consider an oval-hole instrument.

[pheffernan]

I've had 25+ years of good use out of my Flatiron "bouzouki," which is like a really big "pancake" style mandolin, but it's an oval-hole. You can find used Flatties now and then for $1K or so.

Colten has one with a repaired headstock crack for $895: http://www.cottenmusic.com/inventory.html.

[JEStanek]

Most of what has been suggested is flat topped oval holes. I think they punch well enough.

Here's a flatiron zouk in action.


Jamie

[foldedpath]

As a happy owner of an archtop F-hole Weber OM, I would suggest saving your money and keeping an eye out for a used one. Keep scanning the classified ads here, the usual retail sources, and Ebay. I found mine on Ebay at half the cost of a new one, and considering it's an F-style as well as F-hole, that was a massive savings. You just have to keep looking and be ready to buy. If you keep saving, you might eventually reach the point where you can buy new.

Or, you could get something else you can afford now, and aim for a Weber later. However, as you can probably tell if you've listened to enough YouTube vids and sound clips, it's a fairly unique sound that you'll probably only get from another luthier-made instrument built the same way. And at a similar cost, considering the time to build an archtop instrument in this size. Flattops and induced-arch tops just don't sound like that, especially with oval sound holes.

[foldedpath]

Most of what has been suggested is flat topped oval holes. I think they punch well enough.

Here's a flatiron zouk in action.

Well, you can get "punch" out of anything with compression like that in a recording.

Great playing by Thile aside, the tone of that OM still sounds thin to my ears. I know many folks like a thinner "cutting" sound in an OM or 'Zouk, but I'm attracted more to the darker, more midrange heavy sound of an archtop OM with F-holes. For me, it's a better contrast with the mandolin, and sounds less like a 12-string guitar. Or maybe it's just what I'm used to, since I lucked into this Weber OM.

[the_polish_mandolinist]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gv-P6B5NwwE

Here's the tone on an octave that I LOVE. This is the sound I want to get out of it!!! the flat tops oval holes sound nice (for celtic and open strumming)... but for bluegrass picking, I would love to get this sound out of an octave. So I think I am going to save up. Ideally... If a used Weber Gallatin f-hole A-style came up, it would definitely be in my price range. But I only see ONE that has sold recently on eBay (for around 1300), so they are rare to come by.

[multidon]

I never heard of an octave mandolin being us d for "bluegrass picking". Am I just out of touch?

[Dobe]

Look like a Cello, in her little arms !

[Charlieshafer]

I will say I actually prefer the oval holes on the bigger instruments. I like the depth and sustain they give. This is just one guys opinion, but I think it's more a function of body cavity size that gives the power, and the carved-tops do that. I have also played a bunch of smaller-maker guitar shaped (flat top) OM's and mandocellos, and they sound very nice. But still, the power of the arched, or carved, top does make a huge difference in these.

[Mandobart]

Yes you have options! I bought a beautiful carved F4 OM from my friend TJ at Cricketfiddle. I paid less than a third of a Weber built to the same specs (scroll down that link to see what I paid). Nothing wrong with Weber; we just all can't afford them. I've posted relentlessly about the quality of TJ's work, not because I have any financial interest (I don't) but because unless you just stumble across him you'll never know unless someone tells you.

I also recommend the oval hole, using octave pairs, and yes it can be used for bluegrass. I've posted several clips here on the cafe, easy to search or go to my youtube.

[ollaimh]

there is a great lutheir named cox near Toronto. his stuff is reasonably priced and will show up now and again second hand. in Ottawa Nathan currie made octaves, bouzoukia and citterns that sounded with the best. they show up on occasion as well. just keep looking . of course there is the 12th fret, but also on queen is Abrahams antiques one or two doors east of bathurhurst. he always had antique instruments. I have seen several ocatave mandolins there over the years. it's hit and miss but Toronto has quite a few zouk players.