How do Webers compare to Northfields?

[guidoStow]

Greetings,

I'm a newbie mando player trying to find a nice mid grade f5-style instrument. I fought enough bad guitars years go that I'd prefer to get a decent mandolin that will let me concentrate on playing music not fighting the instrument. There is a Northfield dealer in my area and I really like how their instruments sound and play. But I keep seeing ads in the classifieds for nice looking Webers in the same general ball park price and I wonder how they compare tone wise -- the local dealer doesn't stock them... I'm looking for a darker more rounded tone quality. The Collings instruments I was able to test had a brittle quality I really wasn't fond of. For those who have played both where do the Weber Yellowstone, Bitterroot or Gallatin instruments fit tone wise?

Thanks,

guido

[atbuckner21]

Welcome!!! I may be very partial, but I felt the need to respond. Over the last 2 years, I have owned 10 plus mandolins including, a Kentucky KM900, a Givens Ode, a Morris, a Bulldog, a Pava, and a Weber. While all of these mandolins were fantastic in their own way, the Northfield Model M that I just acquired is hands down my favorite. The fit and finish are incredible, the tone is unique and sounds, to my ears, what I have always wanted to hear. I hope you find something that speaks to you

Greetings,

I'm a newbie mando player trying to find a nice mid grade f5-style instrument. I fought enough bad guitars years go that I'd prefer to get a decent mandolin that will let me concentrate on playing music not fighting the instrument. There is a Northfield dealer in my area and I really like how their instruments sound and play. But I keep seeing ads in the classifieds for nice looking Webers in the same general ball park price and I wonder how they compare tone wise -- the local dealer doesn't stock them... I'm looking for a darker more rounded tone quality. The Collings instruments I was able to test had a brittle quality I really wasn't fond of. For those who have played both where do the Weber Yellowstone, Bitterroot or Gallatin instruments fit tone wise?

Thanks,

guido

[Ivan Kelsall]

Unless you really ''have to have'' either a Weber or Northfield,forget 'brands' & try to play as many different makes / models as you can. Of course, play the Webers & Northfields,but don't neglect other makes either. 'Our' opinion of these makes may not be yours when you play them - it's a very individual choice,
Ivan

[Johnny60]

Ok, purely to answer the Weber vs Northfield question, without bringing up other brands, here are my findings. I went through EXACTLY the same process a couple of years ago. Really liked the looks of the Webers and was also reading great things about Northfields.

A couple of years later, having played around 10 Webers and exactly 7 Northfields I feel I can give you some opinion, based purely on my own experiences. Your mileage may vary, as they say! Also, if you're in the US you may have access to a lot more of these instruments than we do here in the UK.

First things first - both manufacturers make really great, quality instruments so you can't go wrong with either. Fit, finish, workmanship, attention to detail is fantastic on both. The newer Webers I played all had radiussed fretboards with larger frets - just like the Northfields.

However, the sound was where the two brands differed quite a bit. I'll say this first - they ALL sounded great, with the notable exception of one particular Weber Yellowstone F5 which really needed to "wake up". You also have to understand that, just like with guitars, each instrument has its own individual voice. However, here's what I found about the "typical" Weber vs Northfield voice:

WEBER: loud, clear, great note articulation, good sustain and overtones, with the sound more focused in the mids and trebles.

NORTHFIELD: loud, clear, great note articulation, tons of sustain and overtones, with a "meatier" bass than the Webers, and sweeter trebles.

As I mentioned above, individual instruments do differ but, in general, I've found the Northfields to have a deeper, woodier voice. Both are great, though.

I ended up buying a Northfield F5S which I'm very, very happy with.

I'm sure that others with more hands-on experience than me will chip in soon enough.

Cheers

Johnny

[yankees1]

Depends on whose ear is listening ! Only way to know for your ears is to play both.

[guidoStow]

Depends on whose ear is listening ! Only way to know for your ears is to play both.

Which is a problem if there are no dealers around...

[yankees1]

Which is a problem if there are no dealers around...

You could buy on an agreed trial basis with the seller but you would be out a shipping cost if you don't like it. I have not played a Weber but I did own a Northfield and I don't think you would be disappointed with it. I had an earlier model with a lot of finish problems but the sound was very good--------to my ears ! Your ears may differ !!

[Stephen Cagle]

johnny60 I have to agree that what your saying is pretty on target. I got to play Steffey's northfield several years ago when The Boxcars were in Suwanee Ga and I had a student that played a Weber Fern at the time. The Weber fern was very focused and terrific mids and certainly sounded good, the northfield was just really well rounded in all the categories. At the end of the day I would play a northfield in a heartbeat. It really had it all! Very meaty and woody mandolin.

[Buck]

WEBER: loud, clear, great note articulation, good sustain and overtones, with the sound more focused in the mids and trebles.

NORTHFIELD: loud, clear, great note articulation, tons of sustain and overtones, with a "meatier" bass than the Webers, and sweeter trebles.

Interesting comparison. Unfortunately, there is a distinct lack of Northfields near me. If you were to add Collings and Gibson in, how would those to fit compared to the Weber and Northfield? Just trying to get a sense of Northfield and the brands I do know pretty well.

[pops1]

Interesting, I was really wanting a Northfield M until I played one, didn't speak to me at all.

[guidoStow]

Interesting comparison. Unfortunately, there is a distinct lack of Northfields near me. If you were to add Collings and Gibson in, how would those to fit compared to the Weber and Northfield? Just trying to get a sense of Northfield and the brands I do know pretty well.

To my ears i found the Collings instruments quite brittle very focused on the highs and mids with a dull low end. The only Gibson I have played was a used F4 that didn't have the richness I want....

[CES]

Not intending to muddy your waters at all, and I'm sure Allan will give me a ham sandwich wrist slap any second now , but if you're after a bassier sounding mandolin, consider Silverangel as well. Ken really builds bass into those mandolins. I've got one of the Econo models from back around 2009 or 2010, and recently took a Collings MT in on a trade. The two mandolins are quite different tonally. I've been digging the Collings of late, but need to restring the SA with similar strings to fairly compare.

To my ear, the SA has excellent bass and midrange response. Trebles are very good, but it does lose a little something above the 12th fret (still very good, though). The Collings is more balanced and has a brighter, more "modern" tone. Both are different than the typical "dry" Gibson tone, IMO. I've only played one Weber mandolin, a Gallatin. It was very well made and sounded good, but not really a fair comparison given the different tone woods used in that model. My Weber Hyalite OM was well made and a nice sounding instrument, but, again, a different beast altogether.

Sorry I can't help more with the comparison you requested...good luck!

[Br1ck]

Yes, I can't imagine a more warm and woody sound than a Silverangel. There was an f style in the classifieds. You have to like distressed though. They go from lightly distressed to very distressed. The redwood top makes for a unique sound that is very resonant.

[JeffD]

I'm looking for a darker more rounded tone quality.

To throw another complication at you - the type of pick makes a huge difference. A thinner pointer pick will pull a higher more brilliant sound, a heavier stiffer less pointy pick a deeper sound.

Test drive the mandolins you can with a range of picks and see if that helps.

In my experience, the type of pick makes a lot more difference in a mandolin than it does in a guitar. I have experienced the truth of this, but I am not sure why. The argument I have heard is that the mandolin is smaller, so "everything matters more."

[pheffernan]

Welcome!!! I may be very partial, but I felt the need to respond. Over the last 2 years, I have owned 10 plus mandolins including, a Kentucky KM900, a Givens Ode, a Morris, a Bulldog, a Pava, and a Weber. While all of these mandolins were fantastic in their own way, the Northfield Model M that I just acquired is hands down my favorite. The fit and finish are incredible, the tone is unique and sounds, to my ears, what I have always wanted to hear. I hope you find something that speaks to you

I'd be curious to learn how the neck profile of the Model M compares to your Pava, Andrew. And it looks like it's time, once again, to update your signature.

[pheffernan]

Depends on whose ear is listening ! Only way to know for your ears is to own both.

Fixed that for ya!

Which is a problem if there are no dealers around...

See above.

[Bill Kammerzell]

Never having done the taste test on the Northfield I can't do the comparison. I played numerous mandolins in Nashville over parts of a 2 day period this past June and the Weber River F14 I ended up with was the best sounding by far. As people say, "it spoke to me". It was a fantastic build also. Just beautiful. Kind of like the girl with beauty AND brains. (If you like that.) Plus it sounds better every time I play it. By far the best mandolin I have played or owned. Nothing close.

[fscotte]

Get a Nugget.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I'd personally like to thank Johnny myself. Being a Weber owner,it's nice to hear what others think when comparing 'other' makes with a Weber. I'd agree with Johnny's assessment of the Weber 'bass' tone - it' isn't 'deep & woody',but it's most certainly there !.

Overall,my own Weber 'Fern' has what i'd term a 'modern' sound, crystal clear clarity reigning over a deeper bass tone. I wouldn't even describe the bass tone of my Ellis as ''deep & woody'' - beautifully rounded & clear yes,but D & W it ain't - that's where my Lebeda steps up to the plate !!.

All this is a ''matter of personal opinion'' & buyers must be aware of that. ''Our opinions'' are exactly that & they differ.

JeffD hit the nail on the head yet again - picks !. They can make a huge difference in the 'sound'
(tone / volume) that you get from a mandolin. 2 (or more) picks of different materials / thicknesses & shape can make a mandolin sound like 2 (or more) different instruments,so,even after making your choice of instrument,try out different string brands / gauges & different picks to see if you can optimise what you get from it.
I thought i'd hit the end of the rainbow when i put DR MD11 strings on my Weber for the first time,the difference was huge - then i bought some Dunlop ''Primetone'' 1.5mm thick 'teardrop' shaped picks, & the sound jumped up to yet another level !. You never know until you try & it's fun (mostly) doing it over time,
Ivan

[Johnny60]

Hi Ivan,

Thanks for the thanks!

As I said in my little review, they're both great brands and you can't really go wrong with either. At the end of the day, it's usually down to how you bond with the instrument "in your hands". And yes, picks and strings also make a real difference.

Interestingly, one day when the time is right and finances allow it, I'd love to get an A style Weber Gallatin (with f holes) to complement the beefy tone of my F5S.

[atbuckner21]

I feel like the Northfield has a small, rounded v neck. It's literally perfect for my hands, and I wouldn't change a thing about it I gotta change that again!

[Luna Pick]

I agree with the assessment of the Northfield M neck (I have one as well), although to me it's not particularly small, although that is relative. It's the most comfortable neck I've played, and luckily very similar to my other mandolin, so there's not much notice in that regard when switching.

[Johnny60]

Agree with Luna Pick, I don't think the Northfield neck is small in comparison to a Weber. I had an Eastman 505 and the neck on that felt tiny.

[George R. Lane]

When Bruce Weber owned the company you could request a particular neck profile, I have a soft v neck on my Yellowstone. I don't know if TOH still offers this option. I have only hear one Northfield,it belongs to BigSkyGirl and it is a really good instrument.

[yankees1]

To throw another complication at you - the type of pick makes a huge difference. A thinner pointer pick will pull a higher more brilliant sound, a heavier stiffer less pointy pick a deeper sound.

Test drive the mandolins you can with a range of picks and see if that helps.

In my experience, the type of pick makes a lot more difference in a mandolin than it does in a guitar. I have experienced the truth of this, but I am not sure why. The argument I have heard is that the mandolin is smaller, so "everything matters more."

I couldn't agree more in regards to the pick !