Anyone played the Roasted Red Diamond at Music Emporium?

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

Just wondering if anyone has played and had thoughts on it. MAS is flaring a little...

[JAK]

Is that a good price for a used one?

[Mandobar]

A new one is $14.5

http://www.morganmusic.com/red_diamn...tegory=4398139

I believe the one at TME is consigned, so the price may have been set by the seller.

[Glassweb]

i like them baked, not roasted... as in Frank Wakefield's Red Loar F5!

[guitarpath]

I have not played the one at TME, but if you are considering it, you should get it. Red Diamonds do not come up on the used market too often, and roasted/torrefied ones are even more rare. You will not find a used roasted one for less, if at all.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

Red Diamonds come up on the used market pretty frequently in my experience. There's one at Carter's now. Although the voiced ones and Torrefied ones admittedly less so. At $13,500, there's little difference between the 2 new torrified ones at Morgan Music currently for $14,500 so the new vs used issue is a little moot. I'm not hot after a Red Diamond of any kind per say, really just looking for a great mandolin. I'm through buying site-unseen without some third party verification on tonal qualities at least, even with a return policy, unless the deal is spectacular. The deal on that Red Diamond "MAY" be fair, but it isn't spectacular. IMHO

[Jim Roberts]

I haven't played that RD but Don's roasted mandolins are something special.

[guitarpath]

I think there is a pretty big difference between the early standard non-voiced Red Diamonds and the later vintage-voiced ones. I do not see the vintage-voiced models (Crusher, Reischman, Osborne, July 9th, etc) come up very often in the used market. The roasted ones are even more rare.

btw, I bought Jim's Vintage F'22 (Crusher)-voiced Red Diamond nearly five years ago, and it remains my one and only mandolin. I don't think one can buy a better mandolin than a vintage-voiced Red Diamond. If I were searching for a lifetime mandolin and a used one of the caliber of the one at TME came available and I could afford it, I would jump on it.

[Gary Alter]

The Music Emporium has now posted a video of Matt Witler playing the Red Diamond for anyone wanting to give it a listen: http://themusicemporium.com/mandolin...h-roasted-2015

[FLATROCK HILL]

Sounds very nice...dry and balanced. Someone should buy it so I don't have to think about it.

[Astro]

So do you think anyone actually just presses the "add to cart" button on an instrument like this?

[MarkHunter]

50-50 chance I will be at Music Emporium this weekend. If so, I will check it out and submit a report...assuming it's still there. It was as of yesterday.

[Denny Gies]

Mando Mike, give Randy Wood a call if you want a great mandolin. I have had one since 1993 and, IMO it is great. Good luck.

[Don Grieser]

The RD sure sounds nice on "Father's Hall" by Nancy Blake in that video. Very nice.

[red7flag]

Listening as I type. WOW. That has some real tonal depth and drive. The player is really solid, but the instrument stands on its own. What a beast. For the first time is a while I can feel myself scheming to get that sucker. That mandolin is a step above the signature RDs that I played at IBMA in Nashville a number of years ago (granted IBMA is a loud and difficult environment to judge an instrument in). MAS strikes again.

[Mandobar]

i sold a high end instrument through TME a few months back. it was someone who hit the add to cart button, a fairly well known and successful musician too they tell me. so, yeah, there are folks who hit that button and don't look back.

[Atlanta Mando Mike]

Denny,
I owned a mid 90's randy wood for about 13 years and recorded many albums with it. It was a great mandolin but I was ready for something else.

[Josh Levine]

50-50 chance I will be at Music Emporium this weekend. If so, I will check it out and submit a report...assuming it's still there. It was as of yesterday.

Let me know how it compares to the Campanella Due. Thing seems like a beast in its own right.

[Mandobar]

The Campanella is on hold.

[Marty Jacobson]

Let me know how it compares to the Campanella Due. Thing seems like a beast in its own right.

The Campanella Due I played recently was very different... I wouldn't compare it apples to apples vs. a mandolin intended for traditional bluegrass.

[Mandobar]

Joe makes a fine bluegrass-voiced mandolin. I think you need to evaluate each instrument on its own. Most of the Dues I have played were euro topped. The one in question here is adirondack. Different sound.

[Gary Alter]

If you check TME YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqa...ZnQn3K07yyRjmg) there are recent videos of Matt Witler playing the Red Diamond July 9th Roasted, Campenella Due two point, Collings MF5 and and an Ellis A all with the same setup so a pretty good opportunity to hear their sonic differences.

[blauserk]

If you check TME YouTube page (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCqa...ZnQn3K07yyRjmg) there are recent videos of Matt Witler playing the Red Diamond July 9th Roasted, Campenella Due two point, Collings MF5 and and an Ellis A all with the same setup so a pretty good opportunity to hear their sonic differences.

I agree. Great recordings. I particularly like how the Red Diamond sounds there.

Incidentally, great video here of Don McRostie discussing mandolins in which he shows the apparatus he uses to "voice" mandolins like particular Loar-signed instruments. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TzrmDUgKWh4

[Mandobar]

And the Red Diamond is gone.

[blauserk]

And the Red Diamond is gone.

Crap. This has happened in 100% of the "has anyone played" threads I've started/participated in on the Mandolin Cafe. Mind you, that is a class of 2.

I've had the Music Emporium's pictures and video open all day on my computer since I first saw it. A lovely sounding mandolin.