Here’s a new one with the magic cedar top:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/194556#194556
Here’s a new one with the magic cedar top:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/194556#194556
1924 Gibson A Snakehead
2005 National RM-1
2007 Hester A5
2009 Passernig A5
2015 Black A2-z
2010 Black GBOM
2017 Poe Scout
2014 Smart F-Style Mandola
2018 Vessel TM5
2019 Hogan F5
I had the opportunity to play pretty extensively the Girourard that’s for sale at the Music Emporium while Max still had it in his shop. It is an excellent oval hole mandolin and just an awesome mandolin in general. In my limited experience it’s the best new oval I have played. I have a 1921 A2 and briefly owned a Campanella A440 and have also played a handful of Collings MT-0’s and a Pava Oval hole (plus many vintage). The new Girourard does an excellent job in my opinion of straddling the best of both worlds tone wise between older instruments and new with a great mix of bass and boom bit with fantastic clarity, sustain and overall playability. I find a lot of modern ovals to be close in tone to F hole mandolins and I personally want a very different vibe sonically when I go for an oval. I think whoever goes for that new Girourard mandolin is going to have a lot fun and make some great sounds with it.
1924 Gibson A Snakehead
2005 National RM-1
2007 Hester A5
2009 Passernig A5
2015 Black A2-z
2010 Black GBOM
2017 Poe Scout
2014 Smart F-Style Mandola
2018 Vessel TM5
2019 Hogan F5
I have two oval holes. An epiphone mm40L and a Washburn M1SDB1. Many here would dismiss them - pac rim ‘budget’ instruments. But I find them both excellent. The F style epiphone has a warmer tone to the a style Washburn but both have great tone. Once setup properly fantastic playability. I keep thinking to upgrade the epi, but there’s nothing I’ve played that I like quite as much.
JBovier ELS; Epiphone MM-50 VN; Epiphone MM-40L; Gretsch New Yorker G9310; Washburn M1SDLB;
Fender Nashville Deluxe Telecaster; Squier Modified Vintage Cabronita Telecaster; Gretsch 5420T; Fender Tim Armstrong Hellcat: Washburn Banjo B9; Ibanez RB 5string; Ibanez RB 4 string bass
Pedalboard for ELS: Morley Cry baby Miniwah - Tuner - EHX Soul Food Overdrive - EHX Memory Toy analog Delay
Fender Blues Jr Tweed; Fender Greta;
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
https://themandolinstore.com/product...55706787109375
Sold in less than 24 hours....
I've had a Paul Shippey oval hole mandolin for a number of years, it's a superb mandolin from one of Brittains best builders.
Dave H
Eastman 615 mandola
2011 Weber Bitteroot A5
2012 Weber Bitteroot F5
Eastman MD 915V
Gibson F9
2016 Capek ' Bob ' standard scale tenor banjo
Ibanez Artist 5 string
2001 Paul Shippey oval hole
I think Eastman make really god F-hole mandolins but of the 3 oval hole ones I have played (all F4 style) were great looking but poor on volume. Northfield seem to know what they are doing. I think you have to go and play them and one will say 'YES'.
I've not played that specific mando, but I've played another oval from the same batch - Will makes spectacular mandolins. It was powerful, full bodied but with great mid range cut, fast response and overall a joy to play, listen to and indeed look at. I'm sure the F4 (dunno why TME refer to it as an 'F5 Oval', as to me that's an oxymoron) is every bit as good. Will's work is very consistent and high quality. Whoever gets it will be very happy, and lucky, as there aren't that many Kimble ovals about.
It was consigned directly from Will so perhaps he calls it that. The neck is joined at the 12th fret and I am guessing also that it has either x-bracing or tone bars. That would explain its hybridity (if that is indeed a word).
That video is too wonderful to not post it here.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
I call it an “FO”. Traditional transverse brace. Not really a hybrid, built after the example of Gilchrist using hard maple for the back & neck.
Will Kimble
Looks like the F oval is gone as well.
This is the specific Kimble oval I tried:
https://themandolinstore.com/product...hole-mandolin/
I have two Collings oval hole mandolins, one an F-style and one an A-style. Both great mandos. Oval holes have natural reverb that f-holes don't, and I like that. But I've learned that, for amplified gigs, for that same reason oval holes are more prone to feedback than f-holes. So these days I'm playing a lot of both, depending on the setting and the material.
Collings MT O
Collings MF5 0
Weber Gallatin Mandola
Weber Bitterroot Mandola
Weber Sage Octave
THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!
nah, all of my mandos have K&K twins through a Fishman PP to the FoH. Here's an example with the f-hole but it's not well mixed -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wPPmCadga7A
Collings MT O
Collings MF5 0
Weber Gallatin Mandola
Weber Bitterroot Mandola
Weber Sage Octave
There's a beautiful looking Collings oval for sale in TMS as well:
https://themandolinstore.com/product...-mt2-o-custom/
A friend of mine tried it and said it was particularly good. In addition to the Kimble and Collings ovals, they also have a pair of Eastman ovals (A and F) and a flatop Northfield oval. If someone was interested in modern oval holes, they could do a lot worse than taking a trip to The Mandolin Store.
Regarding mic'ing an oval hole for live gigs; my two cents worth. I like using the gooseneck clip on by DPA, aimed at the twelve fret. Seems to work well.
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