Hi, Everyone:
Just a little update. I am very excited to share I have a Northfield F5S on the way from my man, Dennis at The Mandolin Store. It should arrive today! :-)
For anyone on the Cafe who has noticed some of my posts, I've been experiencing some buzzing issues on my Collings MT2 that was proving to be very difficult to sort out. I took it to a well-respected luthier a few hours away, who couldn't "see" any issues so made a few tweaks that were helpful for a while. A few weeks later, I then took it to a great local fellow who made some tweaks that also helped for a while. However, I was still not totally feeling it, so I finally sent it to Dennis who offered to do whatever it would take to make it so I was happy with, but by that point I felt it was time to move on.
So, Dennis and I started talking about what else he had in the store that was what he deemed to be some special, and we found our way to an Englemen F5S he and people who've been passing through the store have been raving about. It was a step down in price for what I paid for the MT2, so Dennis was throwing in things left and right to balance it out. It was really great, and I was reminded as to why I keep going back to Dennis for my mandolin needs. He's a great businessman who establishes relationships with his customers first, listens to their needs, and then does his best to match what he has to what his customers want. It's been that way since I first bought an instrument from him back in 2008.
As for Collings, I want to add the MT2 was the second Collings I owned. The first, a MT, was an absolute beast and I only moved on from it to "upgrade." It obviously didn't work out, but Collings was also trying to help me sort out the issue. They hooked me up with the first luthier I went to who was definitely a good person and a knowledgeable luthier. They also followed up with me to see how it was going. So, no complaints there at all. I think my MT2 was a rare exception to the Collings line. I'd buy from Collings again if the need/desire arose.
So, the Northfield is on its way and it's bringing that good D-Vance/The Mandolin Store mojo with it. Gonna' be a great day!
Stay tuned....
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