Used Northfields

[Jason22]

If everyone thinks Northfied mandolins are so great, wonder why there always seems to be so many used ones for sale. There can't be that many of them out there. They always seem to be priced very close too new as well. Any thoughts?

[sblock]

Well, I think you are answering your own questions, to some extent. Used Northfield mandolins are priced near the new price (that is, their re-sale value is high) precisely because these instruments continue to be in high demand. In fact, Northfield is back-ordered for certain models, and it makes more sense for some folks who want a Northfield to buy a used instrument right away, rather than wait six months, or more, for a new one. That's from a buyer's perspective.

From the seller's perspective, the high resale value and hot market for Northfields means that they can get very nearly what they paid for the instrument -- and in some cases, even more than what they paid. So they can turn over the instrument with either no penalty or a gain. This accounts for more Northfields being brought to market.

It's basic economics.

[Jason22]

But why once people get their hands on one are they so ready to give them up?

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

I think you can say the same about any mandolin and brand. In fact, we just did.

[Jackgaryk]

MAS...it can be expensive.

[Manfred Hacker]

I am selling my FS2 oval hole because I can't adjust to the narrow nut. My main mandolin has a much wider nut and I thought adjusting would be easier. Otherwise I would never sell it.

[Mandoplumb]

But why once people get their hands on one are they so ready to give them up?

Something I've wondered about. I've been to Lynchburg twice to play one ( closest dealer to me) and have yet to play one so supply seems to be lite, but why should demand be so great if you're not going to keep it. If they are that good the supply in the secondary market should be just about nil.

[Mike Sutterfield]

I love mine. I've personally played the 2012 MM in the classifieds and it's a beast!

[darylcrisp]

i'm quite impressed with mine i recently acquired.
i had played two others in months past, both having englemann tops-nice mandolins but not the sound i was looking for.

the one i have is adi on top and is a really nice sounding, easy playing mandolin. it has a very organic tone, that pleases.

i have a Collings MT(that is a beast) and a recently acquired used Weber BitterRoot F that is probably the best sounding Weber i've owned.

all three sound quite different(which is what i was after). if i had to choose and keep only one, i would probably edge towards the Collings since it just fits me perfect and i am drawn to the aesthetics of an A style. but, it would be nip and tuck and i would be playing them over and over trying to make sure.

the one and only issue(and its a personal issue), i have with my NorthField, is the less wide fingerboard area as it travels up the neck. all three have 1 3/16" nut widths which is what i like and need. the string spacing at the saddle for the Collings and Weber is 1 9/16", whereas the NF has 1 7/16" (1/8" difference). I'm getting used to it, but it is a different feel for me.

d

[Nashville]

A Northfield MM is my next instrument purchase. I've played a couple that were wonderful. Just saving up my pennies now.

[bigskygirl]

I've had my NF5-M for a month now and love it! It plays so nice and smooth and the neck profile is great! I have the thinner neck but my hand is smaller and I like the smaller necks on my guitars as well.

I decided on a new one and waited six months, at the time I never really saw any used ones for sale or if they showed up they were snapped up pretty quickly. Mine has an Engelmann top and Cocobolo fretboard. I really love the sound, it does well strumming and handles a bluegrass chop with ease.

I don't think that items showing up for sale is an indication of a problem, it's not like they are being offered at a substantial mark down. I think it just shows that different people have different tastes....that's a good thing.

[Scott Tichenor]

If everyone thinks Northfied mandolins are so great, wonder why there always seems to be so many used ones for sale. There can't be that many of them out there. They always seem to be priced very close too new as well. Any thoughts?

Not so much thoughts, but similar posts we see over and over. And over. And over.

What's with all the Rigels?
Are gilchrists looseing their desire
Why's everone unloading oval-holed mandolins?
A lot of "the best mandolin ever" for sale
Why so many Sam Bush mando's for sale
Why are so many Loars for sale?
Why so many cheapo mandolins on Ebay?
Every time I look I see a pre 30 Gibson A for sale
Glut of used instruments for sale?
Gibson fern mandolins
Why do i see (glut of Collings for sale)
How can a Breedlove breed more love? (glut to Breedlove for sale)
Dudenbostel A Models for Sale
On the frequency of Northfield "Big Mon" in the Classifieds

Just the tip of the iceberg with a cursory search. Of course we couldn't have a list like this without the granddaddy of them all:

Classifieds Gone Wild

There are hundreds of these threads.

[Mandobar]

Scott's right. It's like asking- "why is there air?"

Right now there are three Ziedlers for sale, all in the Nashville area. What are the odds of that happening? So, I don't think that you can make a generalization about any brand based on the used models for sale. Human nature is just that, human.

[Astro]

In my area its firewood. Its for sale all over craigslist.

Everywhere I go people are selling their firewood. From piles out of it out their front yard. From the back of their pick up trucks on the side of the road. Heck, they are so desperate to get rid of it, they'll deliver it to your house !

Whats up with that? Is the stuff not burning anymore ?

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

Many people on here are always trading instruments, always looking for the holy grail. Guys that have been doing this for years, decades, often talk about the one that got away. Or, they decide there isn't "the one" but many great mandolins, each with their own unique characteristics. Then there is the fun of something new, and Mandolin Acquisition Syndrome rears its ugly head. All of this together means people trade in and out of instruments all the time, often for no good reason.

Add on top of that that, as a hole, Northfields are regarded as one of the best values for a professional level mandolin out there. They are aspirational to players first getting into pro level instruments but they aren't the status symbol that the big guys are-Gil, Nugget, Monte, Heiden, Duff, Wood, Brock, Kimble, and are generally affordable comparatively. What this means is that a player may buy a Northfield, and it could be fantastic, but they may aspire to a bigger name maker that is more expensive. So Northfields may be a stepping stone instrument for some, even though they are quality instruments played by professional mandolinists.

[JeffD]

In that other thread I said:

When a particular quality mandolin cannot be found for sale used, many conclude that it is so highly prized that nobody wants to part with them.

When a particular quality mandolin seems abundantly available used, many conclude that it is so highly prized that the demand is creating a market.

If you own one, you know whether it is great or not, and what everyone may think, even if it could be gleened from the availability used, is no longer relevant.

If you don't own one, the general buzz over the last few years is so positive it could well motivate a tasting. The one I tried a while back, only briefly, was fantastic. If you have tried one and like it, then the abundance of used ones (if, indeed it is real and not just perceived) is a good thing.

[sblock]

But why once people get their hands on one are they so ready to give them up?

Absolutely YES! Getting a really nice mandolin (and Northfields are nice -- I owned one myself!) opens your ears to new sonic possibilities. It provides great motivation for playing more, practicing more, and enhances your personal enjoyment of the music. AND IT FEEDS YOUR MAS!!!!!! Folks with nice instruments are often looking for even nicer ones. As nice as the Northfields are, there are even better mandolins to be had, out there -- although these generally cost a whole lot more than a Northfield, too. Think Nugget, Gilchrist, Altman, Ellis, Monteleone, and many many others. Think pre-war Gibson, or the modern Gibson MM, even the 1923-4 Lloyd Loar-signed models. Why are you surprised that Northfield owners have succombed to MAS? I'd say it makes them more vulnerable, not less. I suppose some of us finally manage to find the instrument of our dreams, and stop buying there. Sam Bush stopped with Hoss; David Grisman stopped with Crusher (well , actually, he didn't: he keeps buying new ones, and look at his Giacomel!). But stopping with one nice instrument is the exception, not the rule, when it comes to MAS.

[Mandoplumb]

I thought MAS was Mandolin Acquisition Syndrome. That's what I have,what y'all are talking about is MES ( mandolin ejecting syndrome) a disease that has not affected me as yet.

[sblock]

I thought MAS was Mandolin Acquisition Syndrome. That's what I have,what y'all are talking about is MES ( mandolin ejecting syndrome) a disease that has not affected me as yet.

Those of us with limited resources are often required to eject some mandolins in order to acquire others. If you suffer from MAS but are never affected by MES, well then, you -- my friend -- have MHS -- Mandolin Hoarding Syndrome.

[Mike Sutterfield]

Many people on here are always trading instruments, always looking for the holy grail. Guys that have been doing this for years, decades, often talk about the one that got away. Or, they decide there isn't "the one" but many great mandolins, each with their own unique characteristics. Then there is the fun of something new, and Mandolin Acquisition Syndrome rears its ugly head. All of this together means people trade in and out of instruments all the time, often for no good reason.

Add on top of that that, as a hole, Northfields are regarded as one of the best values for a professional level mandolin out there. They are aspirational to players first getting into pro level instruments but they aren't the status symbol that the big guys are-Gil, Nugget, Monte, Heiden, Duff, Wood, Brock, Kimble, and are generally affordable comparatively. What this means is that a player may buy a Northfield, and it could be fantastic, but they may aspire to a bigger name maker that is more expensive. So Northfields may be a stepping stone instrument for some, even though they are quality instruments played by professional mandolinists.

As good as this one is, its very likely its a stepping stone to my next instrument. Well said!

[Nashville]

As good as this one is, its very likely its a stepping stone to my next instrument. Well said!

Yes indeed. I do plan on getting a Northfield next, but after that it will be an Altman, Ellis and Dudenbostel in that order (I think). Just have to double or triple my income to make it happen while I am still alive.

[darylcrisp]

for a good source to hear Northfields being played, pick up Adam Steffeys New Primitive CD.
he uses a Big Mon on tracks 1,2,4,5,8,10,12,13

and a F5S with englemann top on tracks 3,6,7,9

great CD

d

[bigskygirl]

As good as this one is, its very likely its a stepping stone to my next instrument. Well said!

I dunno, I really like mine, I think it'll be the last mandolin I buy......

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.....HAHAHAHA........hahah aha...whoo boy, I crack myself up!

[Ron McMillan]

It's true that there's no explaining how brands appear in clusters on the Classifieds, but I for one am wary of a new name that has only been on sale for a short time, yet very frequently appears for sale second-hand, on shop websites as well as here.

[sblock]

It's true that there's no explaining how brands appear in clusters on the Classifieds, but I for one am wary of a new name that has only been on sale for a short time, yet very frequently appears for sale second-hand, on shop websites as well as here.

You are entitled to your "wary" opinion, but there's an entirely plausible, alternative explanation that says nothing negative at all about Northfields -- so you should not be so quick to jump to your conclusions, here. Most of the people in a market for a Northfield these days tend to be intermediate (or even advanced) players looking for something substantially better than an entry-level instrument. Entry-level instruments include the lower-end Kentucky, The Loar, Eastman, Bovier, Breedlove, many Weber offerings, and so on. These folks are looking for a better mandolin sound (and perhaps also improved playability), and they're willing to pay out a few thousand dollars -- but perhaps not tens of thousands of dollars! -- for it. So they buy a Northfield -- and love it! -- and it opens their eyes to the new possibilities of truly high-end (often, single-luthier or small-shop) instruments. But now, they develop a bad case of MAS. They start to save up their money. These same people tend to become the next market for top instruments, like Dudenbostel, Gilchrist, Altman, Ellis, Nugget, Giacomel, Gibson MM, etc., etc., all costing well above $5,000 (up to $25,000). And many of them are selling their Northfields in order to move up! Not because they dislike their instruments.

Also, the total number of Northfield mandolins ever created currently numbers around just a few hundred (it only went past the 100 mark about two years ago, if I'm not mistaken). And the brand has only been around for a few years. So it would not have been possible, numerically speaking, to find very many used Northfields for sale anywhere a couple of years ago. There weren't enough of them in existence!

Finally, Northfield recently ramped up its production to meet the high demand, and it introduced two lower-cost/low frills models (M and S). So OF COURSE there are more Northfield mandolins for sale, at least by vendors.

So NO, I'd argue that no one is "dumping" Northfields these days due to low quality issues. There is nothing to be "wary" of, in my opinion. Some happy Northfield owners, in fact, are now selling their beloved instruments for a nice profit (and moving up), since the base prices went up nearly $1,000 for some of their top instruments during the past year or two. I think you just need to think harder about the market, and about human psychology.