Ellis F5 Special #380

[Denman John]

Hey, it's not just about tone. You WON them both!

I can see why ~ very tasteful playing and he makes that Ellis sound sublime.

Play it in good health and all the best in 2017

[JAK]

Your Ellis sounds more open than others I've heard. What kind/type of strings and pick are you using?

[Ivan Kelsall]

From JAK - "What kind/type of strings and pick are you using ?" . Tom Ellis' ''go-to'' strings are GHS A270's,that's what i use on my Ellis "A" style & it sounds like Jordan's Ellis. However,i did try EJ74's on it at one time & it sounded quite 'similar',still very distinctly ''Ellis'' in flavour. The A270's do give a slightly sweeter tone to my ears,so i'll stick with those. I've never been tempted to try DR MD11's on it. The Ellis has all the power it needs,& i think the DR's might just rob the Ellis of some of it's inherent tone,not something that i want,
Ivan

[Jordan Ramsey]

Your Ellis sounds more open than others I've heard. What kind/type of strings and pick are you using?

Hey John, thank you! Ivan is correct, I've been using the GHS A270 based on Tom Ellis' recommendation. As for picks, I seem to change daily. I was using a TPR 45 for a while, but was getting a ton of "clicky" pick noise on the strings in my first couple videos. Started experimenting with different options for the camera, ended up using a Dunlop nylon 1.0mm in this video. Not quite the fullness of the TPR in the room, but definitely quieter on the strings for this situation.

[AlanN]

The D Man would be proud, Jordan. Lovely....but a hair too fast...haha

[BigMuddyRI]

Jordan - did you also record the audio with a phone? It sounded great. Mind if I ask the type of phone?

[Jordan Ramsey]

Jordan - did you also record the audio with a phone? It sounded great. Mind if I ask the type of phone?

Hey BidMuddy, thanks! Yeah, it's the main camera on my new phone, no mics or processing / effects. The phone is a ZTE Grand X Max 2, just a mid level Android. But the camera kicks butt, super happy with how everything looks and sounds. Look forward to getting some high quality video lessons up for Don Julin soon (like this week, Don, if you're listening!!) . Thanks for the kind words, all the best.

[Ivan Kelsall]

After posting my last post,i did remember that i had indeed put a set of DR MD11's on the Ellis when i first got it. They were my 'new discovery'. I remembered because shortly after i bought it,i took it to show to a guy i know who plays Classic mandolin. His first remark was ''it's strung for Bluegrass'' !. However,when he played it,he produced some of the most sublime tones from it that i've ever heard from any mandolin,which sort of proved to me that ''touch is all'' (sort of). I did try Tom Ellis' favourites,the A270's & decided that i liked their tone on the Ellis,more than the DR's. The Ellis has a glorious tone & the DR's just made it sound a tad 'hard',
Ivan

[Al Trujillo]

Sweet!!! Beautiful sound from that Ellis. And a belated congrats on your win at Winfield this year.

[Jordan Ramsey]

Today is my six month anniversary of being the caretaker for this beautiful mandolin. It's been played every day, and I must say it sounds better than ever right now. Huge thanks to Tom Ellis for presenting an opportunity for someone like me to own such a fantastic instrument. Cheers,

[billhay4]

Lovely arrangement on a lovely instrument.
Bill

[Stevo75]

Nice! That was awesome, Jordan. I just learned St. Anne's Reel a couple days ago. I don't sound like that at all when I play it. It's probably the mandolin

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Stevo75 - " It's probably the mandolin..". Unfortunately,i don't have that excuse,on any mandolin.

That's a seriously fine Ellis there Jordan - i was bustin' some finger joints on my "A" style yesterday. I had a look at the re-stringing memo that i keep in my case - 5 month old A270's & it still sings !. It'll sound even better with new ones on it. Come to think of it,the strings on all 3 of my mandolins are around 5 months old,
Ivan

[mee]

Beautiful, thanks for sharing!

[Johnny60]

Beautiful! Love the cross-picking up the neck too.

[Steve Sorensen]

Fantastic!

Steve

[Luna Pick]

Jordan-

That was a beautiful interpretation with enviable tone and dynamics. Seems like you almost even got lost in your own wonderful cross picking.

Oh, and fabulous mandolin too. . .

[Bill McCall]

Really purdy.

[Grimm]

Sounds great! Beautiful instrument.

[Northwest Steve]

Great playing, I really like the sweetness of your Ellis. There are many terrific mandolins but one that has that sweetness when played softly really separates a special one to me.

[dschonbrun]

Really nice Jordan, the arrangement shows off the bell-like tone of the instrument in the upper register.

[jasona]

Sounds like a million bucks! Well played!

[Ivan Kelsall]

From NW Steve - ".....but one that has that sweetness when played softly really separates a special one to me.". In my fairly limited experience,Jordan's Ellis has a pretty 'typical' Ellis sound. Tom's mandolins have to be amongst the most ''responsive & musical'' mandolins out there.
I've mentioned before on here that when i first got my 'used' Ellis,i did put a set of DR MD11's on it (my new discovery). A young guy i know who works in a large Manchester UK music store,is a Classical mandolin player. He played it & the tones he got from it floored me !. At the same time,it could rip it up with any mandolin for playing Bluegrass. For sheer beauty & total clarity of tone,an Ellis is very hard to beat - if that's even possible !,
Ivan

[Austin Bob]

First video is a Charlie Provenza arrangement of Whiskey Before Breakfast, published in Mel Bay's Winfield Winners and Mandolin Anthology (Mandolin 2000).

Wow, what can I say. This is a fantastic sounding mandolin. And a great version of a classic that is played brilliantly. Bravo.

Can you please confirm which book has the right tab? I'd like to learn this, but I'm a bit confused when I look on Amazon:

When I search Amazon for Winfield Winners, I see these choices:

If I search for Mandolin Anthology, I see these:

[loess]

Crystal bells, all the way up the neck. What a fine instrument, and only right that it sits in the hands of a master player! I watched you win that one at the contest, Jordan. You're a crosspicking maniac Thanks for sharing these videos, keep 'em coming. Hope to cross paths with you at Winfield in September.