The Black returneth once more as an A2

[Nick Gellie]

Well so far the roll call for Mike Black mandolins come to:
#? Black GBOM
#7 Black oval hole Mandolin with Virzi
#11 Black A-5 mandolin
#12 Black mandolin with no Virzi
#14 Black oval hole mandolin with Virzi and sound port
#27 Black mandolin with no Virzi
#34 Black oval hole mandolin with Virzi
#35 Black oval hole mandolin with Virzi

Any else out there like to add to our collection so far?

[Teak]

I hold that video clip, particularly the part in which Mike is chording and the tone seems almost in technicolor, singularly responsible for my decision to order a Black A2-z with a Virzi last year.

Same here. That video clip sold me on the Virzi. Now that I have been playing my blonde A2z with Virzi daily since November, I have grown accustomed to have the fuller sonic-scape. My Givens A5 sans Virzi still sounds great, but it is 37 years old and should sound outstanding. Once the Black gets to be 37 years old, I won't be around to enjoy it but my grandchildren will.

[pheffernan]

#? Black GBOM

Fun project, Nic. The GBOM in my signature is #6!

We also saw the Black #8 A2-z without Virzi in the video clip that I posted. That one seems well traveled, passing through the hands of Jill McAuley, Clement Barrera-Ng, and even (briefly) fatt-dad!

[Doug Freeman]

I bought the Black #8 A2z two years ago this week. Pretty sure this will be its final resting place, at least in my lifetime. It is a wonderful instrument. The owner before me noticed the top sinking, sent it to Mr. Black for evaluation, and he re-topped it on a warranty basis--even though it had been through a number of owners by that time. That's just the kind of guy Mike is!

Eddie, we should get #7 and #8 together for a reunion!

[Nick Gellie]

Thanks Doug for chiming in and telling us about the history of #8. Sorry I overlooked you since we have had some correspondence about Black oval hole mandolins.

[Nick Gellie]

an updated roll call for Mike Black mandolins come to:
#6 Black GBOM
#7 Black A4 oval hole Mandolin with Virzi
#8 Black A2z oval hole mandolin
#11 Black A-5 mandolin
#12 Black A2 oval hole mandolin with no Virzi
#14 Black A4 oval hole mandolin with Virzi and sound port
#27 Black A4 oval mandolin with no Virzi
#34 Black A2z oval hole mandolin with Virzi
#35 Black A2z oval hole mandolin with Virzi

[GKWilson]

No other A5's?
Mine barks and growls like a rabid dog.
Gary

[pheffernan]

A perusal of the archives reveals:
Black
#1
#2
#3
#4
#5 Brownburst A5 Brent Hutto
#6 GBOM Me
#7 Sunburst A4 with Virzi Eddie Sheehy
#8 Blonde A2-z Jill, Clement, fatt-dad, Doug Freeman
#9 Brownburst A5 Bill Duvall
#10 Blackface A2-z
#11 Brownburst A5 Gary Wilson
#12 Brownburst A2 Nic Gellie
#13
#14 The Black A4 Jim Clover
#15
#16 Sunburst A4 Piccolo with Virzi Molly Black
#17 Brownburst A4 with Virzi
#18
#19
#20 Sunburst A5 Piccolo
#21 A2-z with Virzi?
#22
#23
#24 Brownburst A4 with Virzi
#25 A2-z with Virzi Randy Smith
#26 Brown A1 Dave Weiss?
#27 Sunburst A4 Mike Snyder
#28
#29
#30
#31 Blonde A4
#32 Brownburst A2 with Virzi
#33 Brownburst GBOM
#34 Blackface A2-z with Virzi Me
#35 A2-z with Virzi Teak

[GKWilson]

Brent's #5 A5 is what got me started.
It's one beautiful Hoss.

[GKWilson]

Brent's A5

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Now I really miss #8 - it was a fine fine mandolin.

[Mike Black]

I'll help fill in the Early ones.

#1 - Sunburst GBOM - (MB logo)
#2 - Sunburst A4 with Virzi
#3 - Natural top GBOM with Carp inlay for Dave Firestine
#4 - 2-point Piccolo for son James Black (JAMES inlayed in the fingerboard)

Also #13 is a Lucalele (Uke) made for my nephew Luca

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Hi Mike
I believe #5 was an A5, wasn't it? I remember one of the cafe member ordered it from you and it was a very good sounding one.

[Eddie Sheehy]

I bought the Black #8 A2z two years ago this week. Pretty sure this will be its final resting place, at least in my lifetime. It is a wonderful instrument. The owner before me noticed the top sinking, sent it to Mr. Black for evaluation, and he re-topped it on a warranty basis--even though it had been through a number of owners by that time. That's just the kind of guy Mike is!

Eddie, we should get #7 and #8 together for a reunion!

Sure, Doug. Right now #7 is enjoying a reunion with a Gibson A2-Z. I'll prolly only hang on to one of them though...

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Hi Mike
I believe #5 was an A5, wasn't it? I remember one of the cafe member ordered it from you and it was a very good sounding one.

Well it must be one of those days as I had no idea how I missed all of the posts beforehand. Good work Nick and Pat on compiling a list of known Black mandolins and their owners. And better still to see #8 back in Southern California. Glad you like it Doug!

[Nick Gellie]

Well I am glad we have managed to locate most of the owners. I am really proud to be an owner of a Black oval-hole mandolin.

Thanks Mike for filling in the gaps.

Here is the more complete list with Mike's notes added:

#1 - Sunburst GBOM - (MB logo)
#2 - Sunburst A4 with Virzi
#3 - Natural top GBOM with Carp inlay for Dave Firestine
#4 - 2-point Piccolo for son James Black (JAMES inlayed in the fingerboard)
#5 - Brownburst A5 Brent Hutto
#6 - GBOM Pat Heffernan
#7 - Sunburst A4 with Virzi Eddie Sheehy
#8 - Blonde A2-z Jill, Clement, fatt-dad, Doug Freeman
#9 - Brownburst A5 Bill Duvall
#10 - Blackface A2-z
#11 - Brownburst A5 Gary Wilson
#12 - Brownburst A2 Nic Gellie
#13 -
#14 - The Black A4 Jim Clover
#15
#16 - Sunburst A4 Piccolo with Virzi Molly Black
#17 - Reddish brown burst A4 with Virzi
#18 -
#19 -
#20 - Sunburst A5 Piccolo
#21 - A2-Z with Virzi
#22 -
#23 -
#24 - Brownburst A4 with Virzi
#25 - A2-z with Virzi Randy Smith
#26 - Brown A1 Dave Weiss?
#27 - Sunburst A4 Mike Snyder
#28 -
#29 -
#30 -
#31 - Blonde A4
#32 - Brownburst A2 with Virzi
#33 - Brownburst GBOM
#34 - Blackface A2-z with Virzi Me
#35 - A2-z with Virzi Teak

[mandrian]

Hi,

Two of Mike's mandolins living happily in Scotland. A4 with virzi no.17 came to Scotland from Kansas via Australia and Italy. A5 no.28 came straight from Mike .



Regards

[pheffernan]

#20 - Sunburst A5 Piccolo
#21 - A2-Z with Virzi

I listed #21 with a question mark as there is some confusion about #20. On one hand, Mike's Facebook page seems to suggest that #20 is an A5 piccolo:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6505312&type=3

On the other hand, there is an A2-z formerly of Mike Romkey and Nic Gellie that has also been identified as #20:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/gr...103&do=discuss

Could there be more than one #20 or was one of these instruments misidentified?

[pheffernan]

#1 - Sunburst GBOM - (MB logo)
#2 - Sunburst A4 with Virzi
#3 - Natural top GBOM with Carp inlay for Dave Firestine
#4 - 2-point Piccolo for son James Black (JAMES inlayed in the fingerboard)
#5 - Brownburst A5 Brent Hutto
#6 - GBOM Pat Heffernan
#7 - Sunburst A4 with Virzi Eddie Sheehy
#8 - Blonde A2-z Jill, Clement, fatt-dad, Gary Bauer, Doug Freeman
#9 - Brownburst A5 Bill Duvall
#10 - Blackface A2-z
#11 - Brownburst A5 Gary Wilson
#12 - Brownburst A2 Nic Gellie
#13 -
#14 - The Black A4 Jim Clover
#15
#16 - Sunburst A4 Piccolo with Virzi Molly Black
#17 - Reddish brown burst A4 with Virzi Nic Gellie, mandrian
#18 -
#19 -
#20 - Sunburst A5 Piccolo or A2-z with Virzi
#21 -
#22 -
#23 -
#24 - Brownburst A4 with Virzi
#25 - A2-z with Virzi Randy Smith
#26 - Brown A1 Dave Weiss?
#27 - Sunburst A4 Mike Snyder
#28 - Sunburst A5 mandrian
#29 -
#30 -
#31 - Blonde A4
#32 - Brownburst A2 with Virzi
#33 - Brownburst GBOM
#34 - Blackface A2-z with Virzi Pat Heffernan
#35 - A2-z with Virzi Teak

[Nick Gellie]

I am pretty sure the A2z had #20 on the lable on the inside. Here is an image showing the lable.

[Mike Black]

The Piccolo is #19 and was listed wrong on the facebook page.

[Mike Black]

FYI...21 and 32 are listed wrong above. 21 is a sunburst A2 and 32 is a special short scale A4 w/ virzi and side port.

[Matt Harris]

I'm guessing my GBOM will be late 30's to early 40's!

[pheffernan]

FYI...21 and 32 are listed wrong above. 21 is a sunburst A2 and 32 is a special short scale A4 w/ virzi and side port.

Thanks for correcting my guesses, Mike. I questioned whether the #20 A2-z might be #21, due to the confusion with the piccolo, and speculated that the brown A2 which sold through Mass Street might be #32.

I also noticed that your A2-z design looks to have added a fret somewhere between #8, seen in post #29, and #20, as shown in post #45. I'd be curious to learn what precipitated this change.

[pheffernan]

#1 - Sunburst GBOM - (MB logo)
#2 - Sunburst A4 with Virzi
#3 - Natural top GBOM with Carp inlay for Dave Firestine
#4 - 2-point Piccolo for son James Black (JAMES inlayed in the fingerboard)
#5 - Brownburst A5 Brent Hutto
#6 - GBOM Pat Heffernan
#7 - Sunburst A4 with Virzi Eddie Sheehy
#8 - Blonde A2-z Jill, Clement, fatt-dad, Gary Bauer, Doug Freeman
#9 - Brownburst A5 Bill Duvall
#10 - Blackface A2-z
#11 - Brownburst A5 Gary Wilson
#12 - Brownburst A2 Nic Gellie
#13 -
#14 - The Black A4 Jim Clover
#15
#16 - Sunburst A4 Piccolo with Virzi Molly Black
#17 - Reddish brown burst A4 with Virzi Nic Gellie, mandrian
#18 -
#19 - Sunburst A5 Piccolo
#20 - A2-z with Virzi
#21 - Sunburst A2
#22 -
#23 -
#24 - Brownburst A4 with Virzi
#25 - A2-z with Virzi Randy Smith
#26 - Brown A1 Dave Weiss?
#27 - Sunburst A4 Mike Snyder
#28 - Sunburst A5 mandrian
#29 -
#30 -
#31 - Blonde A4
#32 - Short scale A4 with Virzi
#33 - Brownburst GBOM
#34 - Blackface A2-z with Virzi Pat Heffernan
#35 - A2-z with Virzi Teak