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Thread: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

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    Default Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    The Mandolin Cafe has posted the following news release:
    Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Steve Carlson, the founder of Flatiron Mandolins is once again building instruments after the purchase of ZETA Violins but there are plans for mandolins in the very near future. We catch up with an exclusive interview with one of the true legends of music manufacturing to find out what he's up to.



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    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    I'm looking forward to seeing what comes out of Mr. Carlson's latest endeavor. Best of luck!
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    Registered User Russ Jordan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Great interview and interesting history. Look forward to seeing what comes out of Bozemen in the coming months.

    Who knows---maybe Steve Carlson can buy back the Flatiron name!!!!!!
    Russ Jordan

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Zeta did do a mandolin once upon a time ...

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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    fishing with my mando darrylicshon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    I always wanted one of Zeta's synth violins, will he be making a synth mando i would like to try one.

    Mrmando was the one they made before a synth?
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Excellent! I have two Gibson instruments Mr.C signed . One from 88' and a second from 90'. I have worn the frets off both of them a couple of times. I look forward to playing his newly produced mandolins. In the past decade and a half I have managed to learn to fiddle so I will enjoy checking out his violin instruments as well. R/
    I love hanging out with mandolin nerds . . . . . Thanks peeps ...

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    Registered User bradlaird's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Interesting parallel track:
    Even Lloyd Loar turned to his attention to the electric violin after his Gibson days... http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/ElectricInst...ricViolin.html

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    Zeta did do a mandolin once upon a time ...
    I wonder if those were actually built by Zeta?
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    Registered User Steve Carlson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Thanks Scott for the interview and your time spent. Here is a couple more interesting pics of the ZETA CNC we made . . . and a photo of the 1st 12 Montana ZETA Violins.

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    So if Gibson was willing to sell him the Zeta brand, why would they be unwilling to sell him the Flatiron brand back?
    PJ Doland
    1923 Gibson Snakehead A

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    Registered User Steve Carlson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    I believe that was a branded import. I have found a use for these.Click image for larger version. 

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Maybe I misread, but I didn't get the impression that Steve bought Zeta from Gibson.
    Russ Jordan

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    Registered User Steve Carlson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    ZETA hasn't been involved with Gibson in a long time, maybe 1999 was the last of the Gibson association.

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    Registered User tree's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Carlson View Post
    I believe that was a branded import. I have found a use for these.Click image for larger version. 

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    Now that's funny!!
    Clark Beavans

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Carlson View Post
    I believe that was a branded import. I have found a use for these.Click image for larger version. 

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    That's pretty funny.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Carlson View Post
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Thanks Scott for the interview and your time spent. Here is a couple more interesting pics of the ZETA CNC we made . . . and a photo of the 1st 12 Montana ZETA Violins.
    Are those actually fretted violins or are they just markers on the fingerboard?
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  20. #17
    Registered User Steve Carlson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    They are bowed mandolins.

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    Registered User Steve Carlson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    . . . with frets . . . lots of fun!

    Last edited by Mandolin Cafe; Dec-07-2018 at 9:22am.

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Great interview. So glad Steve is back in the instrument manufacturing business.

    I own a Carlson-signed Flatiron A5-1, which is X-braced. The serial number dates it as 1983- I bought it new in 1985. I am wondering when the first arch-top mandolins were built at Flatiron and what influence, if any, Steve Gilchrist had on Flatiron's designs. I had heard that a Gilchrist Model 3 and a Model 5 had been used as templates for those early offerings.

    If Steve ever writes a book about the history and tradition of mandolins in Montana, I'd wait in line for a signed copy. It is good to know that history continues today.

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    My bad. For some reason I was under the impression that Zeta was owned by Gibson when they stopped production.
    PJ Doland
    1923 Gibson Snakehead A

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Yeah, the Zeta mandolin looked like a branded import to me. That photo is the only one I ever saw; there can't be large numbers of them out there.

    There was a Zeta bass that looked pretty cool ... I think you were supposed to be able to strap it on and play it guitar-style as well as putting an endpin in it and playing it upright. At one point J.D. Crowe's bass player was using one.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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    Registered User Mike Romkey's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Thanks for the great interview and interesting details about life at Gibson. Glad to see Zeta getting another at-bat. Best of luck.
    '20 Ellis A5 Tradition, '09 Gilchrist Model 1, “July 9” Red Diamond F-5, '12 Duff F-5, '19 Collings MT2, ’24 A2-Z, ’24 F-2, '13 Collings mandola, '82 D-35, Gibson Keb Mo. http://www.bucktownrevue.com

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Noting today is the 3 yr. anniversary of the publication of this interview.

    One of the most precious quotes from the interview:

    "After a year or so things got really crazy at Gibson. We used to get these faxes from corporate — we called them the faxes from hell — and at one point we actually placed the fax machine so it hung over a shredder. When that single continuous sheet of faxes came in they'd drop directly into the shredder (laughs). It was going to take a lot of my personal energy to focus and build a great fiddle and the whole thing at Gibson was constantly sucking that out of you. So I just tucked the idea away, thinking maybe things would change with Gibson or, maybe I'd get back to it someday, and here we are."

    and this:

    "Here I am standing in a music store in Bozeman staring at an import mandolin with the name Flatiron on the peghead and the scroll stops before it even gets started. It's just this piece of wood or something made to resemble a mandolin, and this is in the town where 10,000 mandolins were meticulously crafted. It was a very disturbing experience."

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  28. #24
    Registered User Russ Jordan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Thanks for reminding us of that interview. I missed when the cafe announced their mandolin model, including video:
    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/c...-JM25-Mandolin

    Anybody know who might be playing a Zeta mandolin? I would love to see/hear one in action.
    Russ Jordan

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    Default Re: Steve Carlson Tooling Up at ZETA

    Noting the anniversary of this interview with the man! Part of this interview is -- priceless.

    "... we used to get these faxes from corporate — we called them the faxes from hell — and at one point we actually placed the fax machine so it hung over a shredder..."

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