Great Luthier in Lafayette CO

[Stevo75]

Just putting the word out there...

I just had my Summit set up at Sol Vista Violins in Old Town Lafayette. James did a fret dressing/crown/polishing and set up. His work is amazing! I have had setup work done at a few other places in the area and this is the best work I've seen. Not only do the frets look great, this thing is playing like a dream. The action is perfect.

Also, after waiting a few days for the job to be done (due to my own lack of communication regarding when it might be done), when James found out this was my only mandolin and I was waiting on it, he went back into the shop last night to finish it for me (which I really appreciated).

Here's the website: http://www.solvistaviolins.com/

[Northwest Steve]

So how do you like the Summit?

[Stevo75]

I love it. It's a great mandolin at any price, but especially for the $1600 I paid for it (used, and it's an A-style). I've had it about a year and I get a ton of compliments on it. I would say it's in the Gibson ballpark in terms of tone, which makes sense as Paul Schneider used to build for Gibson, but maybe leaning more towards the modern end of the spectrum - if that even makes sense.

Anyway, the lesson I learned is that I need a second mandolin so I don't get stuck without one again. I have a pancake style currently being made by Terry at Crystal Forest. And one day I will also have an F5 with a big, open, woody tone. Maybe a Krishot.

[Ivan Kelsall]

'Summit' mandolins,at least the 3 that i've played are excellent !. Paul Schneider did work for Gibson,alongside Bruce Weber. Their mandolins are very,very similar in construction & the 2 'F5' style Summit's that i've played were so close in tone to my Weber "Fern", that i couldn't tell them apart. One thing that i would say (i have said it on here in the past) my Weber will never have a ''big,open woody tone'' - big & pretty open yes,but it ain't 'woody'. I wouldn't describe the bass notes on my Ellis "A" style as 'woody' either,but on both mandolins,what's there is as good as 90% of others. The notes on the G & D strings are wide open,& rich sounding rather than 'woody' which can sometimes come over as a tad 'dull'. I wouldn't change either of them.

My Weber "Fern" sounds like this mandolin - which model of Weber it is i don't know - but it sounds good to my ears,& yes - 'modern sounding' is the way i describe the tone as well,
Ivan

[fiddleround]

James did a great job on my F4, but
equally wonderful work on my guitars and fiddles.