A visit to the Music Emporium
I visit the Music Emporium a lot. I live about 20 minutes away, and I've come to the conclusion that they are the best shop for mandolins in the northeast now that the Mandolin Brothers is out of the picture. I went in today because they had recently added a couple of really attractive instruments to their lineup: a 2007 Red Diamond Vintage A, a 2001 Gilchrist 3A, and a 1992 Givens A6. (I think that after acquiring my new Smart A5, I've become a bit of an A-style junkie.) Lots of stuff impressed me, but here's what I really loved. Warning: videos of my amateur playing at unflattering angles ahead!
The Red Diamond. For anyone who hasn't tried one of these babies... do it! This instrument was ten years old and was just fantastic. I kinda love the right-angle headstock, and the inlay on the headstock is great too. $7000 is an amazing price for this instrument. Check it out:
The Gilchrist. I think it was the second priciest mandolin in the shop at $15.5k (I think the Dudenbostel F5 in the shop is $20k+), and while I'm pretty sure I'll never own a mandolin of that caliber, it sure is a beautiful thing to behold. I'll let it speak for itself:
The 2013 Pava Pro. Amazing value at $2300. Nice thin finish with a bright sunburst, very lightweight, and with gorgeous one-piece back to boot. Best value in the shop for a professional mandolin! Not up on their website yet, so here are some pics:
The Phoenix. I'm a huge fan of Phoenix mandolins... if I had found this one before I saw my Smart on the classifieds, I might have bought it instead. Light as a feather, big beefy neck, and heaping helping of hoss:
The Collings MT2 in cream and merlot. I almost bought this one before I found my Smart. This one is the best of the three MT2 models in the shop, and one of the prettiest Collings instruments. I could look at those back and sides all day. Here it is with its sibling:
Go check them out!
~David Chernack
2003 Lawrence Smart A5 #145
2011 Kentucky KM-1000
2010 Kentucky KM-150
1961 Silvertone 3/4 octave mandolin conversion
2015 Eastman E20D
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