Northfield Big Mon Versitility question

[CWRoyds]

Hi All,

I am about to upgrade my mandolin collection, and I am leaning toward the Northfield Big Mon. My question is for those who play one. I hear it described as a great bluegrass mandolin by Adam Steffey, which is awesome, but how versatile have you found it to be for other genres? Does it's tone and vibe confine it more to the bluegrass genre, or do you find it is just a great all-round mandolin. I hope that makes sense. I tend to play whatever music is around at the time, and I would like my mandolin to be able to hang in a lot of different situations.

Secondly, the thick bass notes from the larger body on the Big Mon are incredible, but does that take it far from a traditional mandolin tone, into it's own thing, OR is it just a great sounding traditional mandolin, that has strong bass tones. It is hard to tell from videos, where sound is never optimal. They sound incredible regardless.

My dream mandolin is an Ellis F5, but I think the Northfield, for a third of the price, will be awesome for me. Someday I will spring for an Ellis, but for now the Northfield seems like a pretty great alternative.

I had a killer Northfield NF5S for about two days, but the neck width was too small. I figure a Big Mon with the wide nut will be just right.

Any input from current Big Mon players would be appreciated.
I really look forward to upping my mando scene.

[dwc]

Having had an Ellis A5 before I got my current Northfield "Big Mon", I have some insight into your question and your dilemma.

The Ellis was a fantastic mandolin; the build quality was impeccable. The Northfield, being an F5 and less expensive, is slightly rougher in fit and finish in the non obvious places, like the inside of the scroll and under the Florida, and inside the F holes. Nothing major, nothing glaring, but fit and finish definitely go to the Ellis. Now remember, the Ellis was an A5, so there were fewer potential problem areas, but still, the Ellis had an almost otherworldly perfection to it.

Now to function over form, which is more important, and indeed what you asked about. Briefly, playability. I don't know what exactly contributes to this, but the Northfield is the most comfortable mandolin I have ever owned. I love the neck and the fretboard. Maybe it just fits my hands.

Finally, the tone. I don't think that it is possible to say one simply sounds better than the other. Subjectively, I think the Ellis was louder. I never had them in my house at the same time, but I feel like on the recordings that I have made, I have to hit the Northfield harder to get the same volume. In terms of tone, they are actually remarkably close, and I have several recordings where they sound very similar. Both have a "modern" tone to them. Both mandolins work great for bluegrass, and that is what I play, but neither hasvthat super punchy, grassy, super focused mid range tone, but of the two, the Northfield is closer. The Ellis had a scooped tone, solid chop, solid bass response and great highs. The Northfield has good to excellent chop, probably slightly better chop than the Ellis in that the more prominent mids allow for more cut. Like I said, the Northfield has better mids by just a little, but the Ellis was superior in the highs. The Ellis had highs that sounded like wooden bells, just a beautiful tone. The Northfield highs aren't bad, the tone never gets metallic or shrill, but it just doesn't have the note clarity or ringing brilliance of the Ellis. The Ellis had a better E string pair, stronger, subjectively louder, and clearer. The Ellis also had more sustain and more overtones. Whether this is good or bad depends on what you play.

So, in short, both are good mandolins, and both are very versatile. I certainly don't think of my Northfield as being "just" a bluegrass mandolin, or even really mostly a bluegrass mandolin. I think it is a slightly better bluegrass mandolin than the Ellis, and I suppose if I were playing classical and really needed to play way up in forth or fifth position then the Ellis would be the superior mandolin, but otherwise, I find them surprisingly similar.

The final thing I will say is that the Ellis is a better couch mandolin. If you are just sitting around by yourself, playing for yourself, the sustain and the overtones and the beautiful highs make the Ellis sound like a better mandolin. But once you are in a jam or on stage, so much of what makes the Ellis sound so good just gets lost, and the focus on the fundamental that I hear from the Northfield makes it, to my mind, the better ensemble mandolin and answers, for me, the question "Why do I have the Northfield instead of the Ellis?"

[almeriastrings]

I have both. An Ellis and a wide-nut Big Mon. There is undoubtedly some individual 'sample' variation... more on the Northfield's than on the Ellis line, going by others I've heard/played. I broadly agree with dwc's summary (above). They are both excellent. There is no doubt that the 'fit and finish' on Ellis are quite some way ahead of Northfield - not that the Northfield is rough (it isn't), but Ellis mandolins are jewel-like and about as close to perfection in detail as you'll see anywhere. My own strong personal preference between the two is for the Ellis, but the Northfield's are remarkable instruments, especially considering the huge price differential. This really does come down to exactly what sound you're after... and other personal preferences such as 'feel' on the neck, etc. I feel pretty sure a nice Northfield would not disappoint in any way, but it might not entirely scratch the itch if you relish the Ellis 'experience'. It's all very subjective once you cross a certain quality threshold....

[ccravens]

DWC,

What a great description of what is often a difficult, subjective subject: tone. Thanks for that.

In the past, I have had mandos that sounded amazing when playing by myself or maybe 1-2 others in a small, quieter acoustic setting. Sustain, overtones, evenness, nice highs, etc. But in a bluegrass jam much of that, as you said, got lost.

This weekend, I played a friend's Gibson Fern and Adam Steffy. Both exceptional mandos, but I missed the overtones and sustain that I'm used to and that I like. But when they were in a bluegrass jam, they were powerhouses! Chop and cut for days! You could not get any better.

Since there isn't one mando that will fit for all purposes, I think the OP just needs to figure out what genre/settings that he will play in the most, and act accordingly. If you play mostly bluegrass, and want to save money, go with the Northfield. It would sound just fine in other settings as well.

If playing bluegrass but also a large mix of other styles, the Ellis would be awesome. It would sound just fine in a bluegrass setting also.

[CWRoyds]

Thanks for the input guys.
I really appreciate it.

Yeah, the Ellis mandolins are astoundingly beautiful in every detail.
I went Ellis crazy after seeing an F5 with the tortoise binding.
It was unbelievably beautiful.
From every angle it was flawless and stunning.
I also love the tone of every Ellis I have heard.
Just great thick tone.

I know about the flaws you refer to on the Northfields.
My NF5S had the roughness inside the scroll and under the fretboard.
It actually surprised me that it was left like that.
The rest of the mandolin was superb and quite beautifully made.
Not sure why they leave the scroll rough in there.
My J Bovier is finished inside the scroll, so why not the north field.
In the end it didn't bother me at all as you can't really see it unless you are looking for it.
I loved the tone of that NF5 but the nut was really thin.

I am assuming the Big Mon will be somewhat similar to the NF5S but with a bit more mid/bass and a touch of air.
That would be awesome.
I am selling my house, and a new mandolin is my treat for working my tail off for five months getting it ready for sale.
My better half said I could stretch up to the Artist Series, so maybe I could push it to a used Ellis...
Maybe I will find a used Artist model, but I will probably just go with a Big Mon.
I love the way the Big Mon looks.
Great traditional styling with that awesome sunburst.
They have been achieving great coloring in their finishes.

I can't wait to have a big boy mandolin.
I just love playing amazing instruments.

[CWRoyds]

This ellis just slays me.
I just love the tortoise binding, with the thin line of white.
It is just so beautiful.
This is my ultimate mandolin.
(Well, I lust after a Dudenbostel, but the Ellis is an attainable goal. The Dude, not so much.)

http://themusicemporium.com/new-arri...age-style-case

[almeriastrings]

This is my Northfield... nice color, excellent materials, plays really well.







It has a bit more volume, and 'air' I think, than the F5S's I've encountered (they were very good too, however). I've had it for around 4 years now.

[CWRoyds]

Wow.
That is a beautiful mandolin.
Love the back.
Actually I love everything about it.

I just think these Big Mons look awesome.
They are what an F5 should be.
They pretty much have everything I am looking for.
They look right, sound right, and are priced comfortably.

[Billy Packard]

I played this one on Wed. 8/23/17 and it is wonderful. As new as new can be, it is ready for action now.
Big sound with very refined sound and a breeze to play.

Billy

billypackardmandolin.com

https://shop.gryphonstrings.com/prod...rst-new-50129-

[Ivan Kelsall]

CW - My own 'dream mandolin' is an Ellis F5 - but !. My Ellis "A" style sounds incredible & i can't imagine even an Ellis F5 sounding any ''better''. When i first got it (used),i strung it up with a set of one of my favourite string brands/gauges - DR MD11's,which are a pretty powerful string. I took it to one of Manchester UK's leading music stores,wher a young(ish) guy i know plays 'Classic' mandolin just to shown it to him. Despite the fact that as he said - it was strung for Bluegrass,he produced some of the most subtle & sublime tones from it that it's possible that i'll ever hear = it's mostly down to the player. These days,i've taken Tom Ellis's advice & use GHS A270's on it & it sounds wonderful.

If you can find a good 'used' Ellis "A" style,go for it,you won't be disappointed. I'd also venture to say that the difference between an Ellis & a 'Dude' is overall 'sound' = tone/volume. Which one you'd prefer is simply a matter of your opinion. One isn't ''better than'' the other,one would have a ''more pleasing difference'' to you.

Tom Ellis is up there with Gilchrist / Dudenbostel & any other mandolin maker you'd care to name - he's a ''second place'' builder to no one !,

Ivan

[almeriastrings]

Worth noting that the spec has changed slightly on the more recent ones:

* Now Gotoh tuners with removable black buttons (mine has Schaller's with non-removable)
* Now 'hybrid' varnish + lacquer finish (mine is spirit varnish only)
* The 'old' ones came with the option of super-high grade back/sides and top (which was a $1,000 upcharge on the then base price). Mine does have that.

[CWRoyds]

That Big Mon at Gryphon is perfect for me.
It has the 1 3/16 nut width, which is good.
Hopefully it will still be there when I get up to the Bay Area in a month.
That would make me happy.
I would like one with the super flame back like Almeriastrings' Big Mon, but I can be happy with slightly less bling.

Who knows, maybe at the time I am ready to buy there will be a used Ellis in the classifieds.
I might go crazy and spend way too much, just because I can't pass up the chance to own an Ellis.

[Br1ck]

I played the Big Mon at Gryphon too, and a blond they had a while back. Both were awesome mandolins, but I have an F5S budget.