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Thread: New OM on order

  1. #1
    Paul Wheeler
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    Default New OM on order

    I am indebted to Aidan Crossey's "A spectacular find" thread in the "Celtic, etc." forum, and inputs from John Kelly and Jill McAuley among others, for bringing Macdara O Faolain to my attention. Though his building experience so far is mostly with bouzoukis (and with spectacular success), I approached him about a possible octave mandolin, to find him already eager to go there as he plans his next "batch" for early 2022. We followed up with a very fruitful get-acquainted Zoom call. I find him most knowledgeable and accommodating, offering suggestions I'd not have thought of even for the relatively unadorned instrument envisioned. I wish I could say I had my own act together so well, when I was still in college! (I also wish I knew how to apply the right diacritical marks to give his name the proper Irish spelling . . .)

    In any event, in rather short order I have reserved my place on his list, and he has hinted at some special tonewoods he has in mind. This will be fun! -- Paul
    Last edited by twaaang; May-24-2021 at 3:05pm. Reason: typo
    He joyously felt himself idling, an unreflective mood in which water was water, sky was sky, breeze was breeze. He knew it couldn't last. -- Thomas McGuane, "Nothing but Blue Skies"

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  3. #2
    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
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    Default Re: New OM on order

    Well done on commissioning a build for what I'm sure will be an amazing instrument! Hope you'll post "in progress" photos here once Macdara gets started on it!

    On a Mac laptop or computer you can type a "fada" by holding the "option" key and then hitting the "E" key first - that will give you this: ´ and then you would type the letter that needs the fada over it: Macdara Ó Faoláin. If you're not using a Mac, then you would hold down "Alt Gr" and keep holding it while you type the letter that needs a fada over it.
    2018 Girouard Concert oval A
    2015 JP "Whitechapel" tenor banjo
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  4. #3
    Paul Wheeler
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    Default Re: New OM on order

    Áhá! Thanks, Jill! -- Paul
    He joyously felt himself idling, an unreflective mood in which water was water, sky was sky, breeze was breeze. He knew it couldn't last. -- Thomas McGuane, "Nothing but Blue Skies"

  5. #4
    Registered User DougC's Avatar
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    Default Re: New OM on order

    It amazes me about the things learned on a mandolin discussion. Typing a fada has been a mystery for years. Although my HP laptop does not have an Alt-gr key, it does have a fada/tilde (` ~) key near the number 1.

    Is this the guy building the instrument? Not sure if he has a website.

    Decipit exemplar vitiis imitabile

  6. #5
    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
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    Default Re: New OM on order

    Here's Macdara's website (and yes, that's him in the video):


    http://www.mofluthier.com
    2018 Girouard Concert oval A
    2015 JP "Whitechapel" tenor banjo
    2018 Frank Tate tenor guitar
    1969 Martin 00-18




    my Youtube channel

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  8. #6
    Registered User
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    Default Re: New OM on order

    Congrats on the new pending build! Very exciting stuff.
    Andrew Frink
    Phoenix Bluegrass, '23 Gibson A Snakehead, Clark octave coming soon

  9. #7
    Paul Wheeler
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    Default Re: New OM on order

    Happy to announce that my OM is complete. Here's the builder himself with a video he created a week before sending it across the pond -- certainly putting the instrument to better advantage than I could ever do (I am so in the wrong century with regard to audio and video recording).

    But I can gush. The workmanship and finish are perfect. The 22 and 3/4 inch scale plays easily. In past I've had various F-style and guitar-body OMs which I like but didn't actually love; this one surpasses all my memories of the others.

    Macdara says he was pleased enough with this outcome to begin planning some more at this size. You're in for a good experience if you contact him at his website.

    https://youtu.be/7iq21qvYUvU?si=NNAbAyCltXMnKU6O

    Now to see if I can figure out how to post some closer-up pictures. -- Paul
    He joyously felt himself idling, an unreflective mood in which water was water, sky was sky, breeze was breeze. He knew it couldn't last. -- Thomas McGuane, "Nothing but Blue Skies"

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  11. #8
    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
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    Default Re: New OM on order

    What a lovely looking and sounding instrument - congratulations and enjoy that thing!
    2018 Girouard Concert oval A
    2015 JP "Whitechapel" tenor banjo
    2018 Frank Tate tenor guitar
    1969 Martin 00-18




    my Youtube channel

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