The one at TMS is $300 less than the one at Elderly. Are there different models?
"your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."
Haven’t played one but it sounds to me like it got mostly Eastman genes in this generation, as I’d have to say my older Eastman is a lot clearer/cleaner sounding And definitely not “woody” like the Northfield. Considering they probably got not much input from Bourgeois, it’s unsurprising, even if a bit of a conundrum on what they’re trying to accomplish.
"Waverly Golden Age" tuners... this whole thing is a bunch of branding fun. I'm not saying they aren't decent mandolins. But leveraging brand recognition to the max. This reminds me of the Abarth 124 vs Miata. One of those "skip the similarities, just a couple differences" situations.
FWIW, Waverly mandolin tuners are well over $500, and while Golden Age mandolin tuners are sold by the same folks, but are just about the cheapest functional mandolin tuners currently available. I think that's representative of what's going on here.
I'm guessing the target market is guitar players/gearheads (not unreasonable, since there are so many more of them) who have done some casual research and want top specs for a mandolin. But may... not... exactly... know what they're looking at. Or care!
The time it takes to make this mandolin (and time is a huge driver of cost) is marginally more, if any, than any other Eastman mandolin.
"your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."
A friend who lives 1000 miles away recently visited. I got to hear and play his Northfield NFA-5V3 4th Generation - absolutely fantastic, balanced woody tone.
Reviews, video demos and a taste of Northfield quality makes me yearn to play a Northfield Model M
https://www.northfieldinstruments.com/model-m.
It would also be great to have a chance to compare it with the Bourgeois.
I have one on the way. Details to come next week.
" Give me some words I can dance to and a melody that rhymes" - Steve Goodman
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I should have been more specific. RE: It might not be fair to compare it to an F5S. No doubt. I agree. Rather than compare - it's the Northfield "ilk" or relative sonic signs of Northfield DNA I'd be seeking. I'm tire-kicking to upgrade for an Eastman MD305 which has a dry, woody tone and lots of volume. Another (more local) friend recently tried out the Bourgeois M5A - he (a fine player, who knows my mandolins) seemed to feel the Bourgeois seemed to lack depth and woodiness. An ideal scenario would be for to do my own A/B assessment in one shop.
Agreed Chompa. Earlier in the thread they were compared to a used NF5. I thought that was a bit unfair as you always get more value if you're willing to go with a used instrument.
The Model M is a pretty fair comparison and I think it's a fairly high bar for the Bourgeois to clear.
Girouard Concert A5
Girouard Custom A4
Nordwall Cittern
Barbi Mandola
Crump OM-1s Octave
www.singletonstreet.com
The aesthetic on the Bourgeois looks like this:
https://themusicemporium.com/product...nish-used-2013
which is ok, unless you are expecting it to perform the same way. If you could order a new one from Collings, it would be over $9k, and minus the Collings case.
While I think it’s great that Bourgeois/Eastman took such pains on the aesthetic, in the videos I have seen the tone comes across as fairly heavy. I’d be interested to hear a first-hand non-salesman’s account of the sound and tone these mandolins produce.
I’m also expecting that with all the inflationary elements in play across the globe that the price on these will escalate shortly.
"your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."
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Sounds good to me. I think the quality of recent Eastman instruments is impressive and this new line continues that streak, IMHO.
“Mandolin brands are a guide, not Gospel “
- Data Nick
Kind of pricey for an import. You can get better instrument made in USA by someone like Ken Ratcliff who makes the Silverangel line.
Last edited by Amandalyn; Nov-07-2022 at 12:25pm. Reason: Spelling
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for $440 less at the same store:
still trying to turn dreams into memories
I have a feeling that some folks will use it for a drinking game --- drink a shot for every time he says "exciting" or "excited". (Too much coffee dringing from those guys?)
Frankly, it looks like an A-5 mandolin to me and probably decent quality like Eastman produces. Sounds OK to me—he is a very good player which, of course, helps. I can see a torrified top and even torrified back and sides but does it really affect tone to use torrified neck and fretboard?
It was good to hear James at The Mandolin Store play it as we have heard him play a lot of other mandolins. Somehow the tone of this doesn't excite me, but maybe I am just a spoiled mandolin brat. I would certainly like to try one in person. At the least it would to compare other carved mandolins in that same price range.
Jim
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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
How was Northfield received when they first started? I tried doing a search and can't find much from the period of their founding around 2006-2007.
" Give me some words I can dance to and a melody that rhymes" - Steve Goodman
I don’t believe Northfield started that far back. The website, under the team section states 2011, and there was literally nothing like them pricewise, at least not with the level of quality. I remember it being hard to find one to even try, and that was probably around 2013.
I remember they popped up around 2013 as well, and they were very nice right out of the gate. Have only gotten better.
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I was basing that date on this story from 2016 that said the company was founded 10 years before. Maybe that's just when they initially had the idea.
https://www.wmuk.org/arts-more/2016-...grass-favorite
" Give me some words I can dance to and a melody that rhymes" - Steve Goodman
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