Re: Northfield mandolins - USA or China made?
About 30-40 years ago we began seeing instruments made in China arriving at a music store near you. They were poorly made and the wood was terribly green when they used it. They did not cost much, but they were never worth much. Our typical acoustic instruments were not native to China, so they had little idea what it was all about. There came a point when economics became a serious issue for players and manufacturers. These had some significant issues compared to what we expected, no matter the price point. The company’s having their instruments built there realized there was a market for their products, but they needed better quality control, and some help from the US to help them build to our expectations. Some had US people help insuring better quality. It took a bit, but the Chinesenow have many years of experience building instruments, and the help needed to get quality up . Many Americans have a prejudiced view of any instruments made in China. They will never be a customer for the China made instruments, but for most of us, the cost has become a very important issue in our purchasing of musical instruments. When many of the companies that build in China found there was a period of time to achieve what was expected and needed for the instruments they sold. Many of the better quality Chinese instruments are ery good, and it is the same for mandolins and guitars. Now there are some good choices for mandolinists made in China. One important thing to remember is that there is not a mandolin machine that you feed wood into and out pops a mandolin. They are ALL built by hand. CNC machines are used by many big and small number builders to do some of the tedious wood preparation. For cheaply, low end models, that may be all the “carving”they get. However, for most instruments they do the final carving by hand, and the assembly is done by hand. The people working on them in the US or China are doing this essentially the same way. There may be a difference in hardware, and that is usually considered in the price. When Northfield first came out I didn’t think they were a great bargain at the price they were. However, experience and a management that demands quality makes the difference. Northfield has become a quality instrument at a price below what many of the US builders can provide. In the same manner, so have some of the other import mandolin builders. Kentucky has become a good instrument at a reasonable price. Some are ok, but some are great. The Loar has become better over the years as well. I am a bit more familiar with them, and even had one for a couple years. It played great and sounded great. The same can be said for US made too. The builders we put on a pedestal did not start there. In most cases it took some experience and learning the craft and seeing what others have done and as this occurred, they became better than when they started. I said all that to say it really doesn’t matter where your Northfield was made, it has to meet the approval of the company, or you are not going to get it. 40 years ago there was a real reason to run from the Chinese made instruments. Not any more. Some are entirely done in China, but many are sent here with some of the work to do here. It is often inspected when it gets to the US, and if it gets past that, the hardware is put on, and the setup and final prep is done here. I know there are exceptions to every situation, so I am not speaking for anyone, just observation from many years as a player and nearly every aspect of the mandolin business with some of the greatest luthiers there are.
Have a Great Day!
Joe Vest
I only wish there was a cutaway!
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