Flatiron Festival A discussion

[stringalong]

Anybody else got a Flatiron Festival A mandolin? Mine has a shiny cherry-colored finish, F holes,no pick guard. Made in Montana. Bought it new about 15 years ago. A teacher I had craved it; he would have bought it instantly, but it's not for sale! It has some "dings" where I've banged in on stuff. Comments I get about the dings when I complain about them are, that shows it's being played a lot. I still wish the finish were pristine. If I took it to be refinished, it'd just get more dings.

The feel of the neck is magnificent for me -- I have small hands. It's a "shallow" neck, not bulging out real far in the back. The sound can be loud and bright, or gentle. I mostly play lots and lots of fiddle tunes. Now I''m working on an Air in Dm by Henry Purcell, a classical piece that I am transferring from keyboard to mandolin. All the notes. It's my first classical piece. The technique is sorta a challenge, but the hardest part for me is memorizing the positions. When I was a kid I saw patterns on the piano. Now, I see the patterns in this classical piece, and instantly forget them. I learn about 2-4 measures at a time, and play them over and over for weeks. I still have about 8 measures left to learn.

I'm I'm getting a lot of help from my teacher. For the Purcell Air, I'm using a Dawg pick. Beautiful, soft sound. I'm lucky to have this pick. I think the factory burned down during the hurricane in New York. For fiddle tunes I use a Jim Dunlop USA Nylon 60 mm

[BrianWilliam]

Anybody else got a Flatiron Festival A mandolin? Mine has a shiny cherry-colored finish, F holes,no pick guard. Made in Montana. Bought it new about 15 years ago. A teacher I had craved it; he would have bought it instantly, but it's not for sale! It has some "dings" where I've banged in on stuff. Comments I get about the dings when I complain about them are, that shows it's being played a lot. I still wish the finish were pristine. If I took it to be refinished, it'd just get more dings.

The feel of the neck is magnificent for me -- I have small hands. It's a "shallow" neck, not bulging out real far in the back. The sound can be loud and bright, or gentle. I mostly play lots and lots of fiddle tunes. Now I''m working on an Air in Dm by Henry Purcell, a classical piece that I am transferring from keyboard to mandolin. All the notes. It's my first classical piece. The technique is sorta a challenge, but the hardest part for me is memorizing the positions. When I was a kid I saw patterns on the piano. Now, I see the patterns in this classical piece, and instantly forget them. I learn about 2-4 measures at a time, and play them over and over for weeks. I still have about 8 measures left to learn.

I'm I'm getting a lot of help from my teacher. For the Purcell Air, I'm using a Dawg pick. Beautiful, soft sound. I'm lucky to have this pick. I think the factory burned down during the hurricane in New York. For fiddle tunes I use a Jim Dunlop USA Nylon 60 mm

That's a heckuva pick!

[stringalong]

Yes, the Dawg is a heckuva pick, all right. One teacher I had wanted me to use it for everything. But I like it for the gentle sound, and use a brighter pick for fiddle tunes.

[fernmando]

If you bought it new 15 years ago, it was "new old stock" as they stopped building in Montana by the mid '90s. I just got a mint 1989 Gibson A-5L, which is very similar to yours except that yours is most likely X-braced and mine is tone bar-braced. These mandolins from the Montana era are wonderful creatures. Mine likes a rounded pick better than a pointed pick, as it's treble-midrange heavy. It has bass, but will have to be played for the bass to develop. I doubt it's been played much, as it's 27 years old without a scratch.

[Bad Monkey]

the other pick... the 60mm pick.

[BrianWilliam]

Yeah, that one

[stringalong]

the other pick... the 60mm pick.

Oh, now I see which pick BrianWilliams and Badmonkey meant. I use the rounded end of the Jim Dunlop USA Nylon 60 mm pick. I tried using the pointed end, without a lot of success. Thank goodness for mandolin friends -- cyber and local jammers -- for all the tips we get! Which side/end of the pick do you use? And gosh, I tellya, I've tried a lot of picks since when I long ago started playing mando. My technique depends hugely on the pick. I look at it this way: In my short history years ago playng fiddle, I realized that the bow can be more important for sound and technique, and more costly/valuable, than the fiddle itself. I figure the pick for the mandolin would have the same maximum sound and technique value as the fiddle's bow does.

[Bad Monkey]

I would think a 60mm pick would be tough to hold any which way you were poking the strings. Maybe it's a .60mm?

I tend to use the same pick I use for electric guitar, the green tortex .68mm jobbies. I already feel like a bit of a goober sticking a few of the green ones on the mike stand, having two kinds of picks lined up there would be even worse. Plus I'm a cheap Scot and can't see paying 5-35 bucks for a pick. Although I'm starting to cave on that one; I just have to get up to Dusty Strings and try some stuff out.

[stringalong]

Yep, the UsA Dunlop pick is a .60 mm, not a 60 mm. Ha ha.

A teacher gave me the Dawg pick. I think this particular Dawg model was the latest model before the present one. I think they cost a lot??? I think I had 3-4 of them -- might have given away one or two. I notice the current Dawg models are $1.50 each.

[WoMando]

I have a Festival A, blacktop with chocolate-colored b/s. Tonebar-braced. Will have to check the label.

[MikeEdgerton]

I had a burgandy one that I sold a few years back. They were and are a great deal.