MAD Mix A5 Carbon fiber Mandolins

[J.C. Bryant]

How many of you still play these? Do any of you have a history with #47?

[Joe Bartl]

Not every day and not well, but I play #40. Got this from the Cafe classifieds about a year ago. I was warned by the seller that the neck would be a bit chunky, and, indeed, it is that. While this defeats any serious playing on it, I still find it useful for other purposes (no, I'm not talking about paddling down the Susquehanna). When I first got it, I had to have the nut tweaked a bit to correct an issue with one of the A strings. I also found that the E strings sounded pretty weak. A Cafe member suggested Elixers and they seemed to help with this a good deal (maybe it just needed new strings regardless of maker/model).

You know, I do have a question about these, perhaps a ridiculous and unanswerable question: The other day somewhere in the Cafe a saw a reference to carbon fibre mandolins "opening up", the term for acoustic mandos that seem to blossom once they get "played in". Well, so, I always assumed this was a phenomenon related to wood. Can it possibly be that carbon fibre instruments also blossom?

[mandroid]

I too bought one 2nd (or 3rd) hand, (# 56) It recently had it's frets replaced..

As I understand, Clear Carbon in R.I. worked from a positive*, making the molds ,

I think they use Pre-Preg,cloth , Vacuum bagging , autoclaved, ,.. heat activated resins..

then Peter did all the finishing, in VT..

*the positive it was learned from the A, should not have been full size,
the neck on the F was reduced so final piece did not come out oversize..







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[Ken Lucas]

I've got #63. I use it as my camping mandolin. The chunky neck doesn't bother me at all.

[J.C. Bryant]

The one I have now (#47) is actually my secocnd one. Several yars aago I had one, my first (matter of fact the first one I ever saw) it as #28. It ws (I know now a little different) in that the finish was smooth and shinny but had a kind of orange peel look. I thought that was the way the all were. Anyway I sold that one and now have #47. The neck doesn't bother me a bit, I think it plays wonderfully and to my ears has a fantastic sound. I have owned too many mandolins but I know that now I have this one it will not leave. I really like it. After I got it, (it was pretty dirty) I cleaned and polished it and it looks like a new one.

[rjs]

I have #20 (A style oval hole) and it has been played regularly since I got it.