Results 1 to 10 of 10

Thread: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

  1. #1
    Registered User acharman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2022
    Location
    Lachlan, Tasmania, Australia
    Posts
    89

    Default NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    New mandolin (well mandolins) day. One of Peter Coombe's Classical Flattop mandolins arrived today (and an Eastman MD304, MDA315 & MDO305 have also just arrived but haven't been opened yet).

    The Coombe has a Red Spruce top, Jarrah back, sides and neck, Ebony fingerboard, bridge, tuning knobs and endpin, and opal & maple inlays.

    First impressions are that it is lovely to play, looks really nice and has the sound I was after. I'm sure I'll be even more impressed once I get used to it.

    First tune in the video is one I've just started to learn as it is named after the area I live - Lachlan Village near New Norfolk by Alexander Laing.



    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	coombe1.JPG 
Views:	42 
Size:	343.8 KB 
ID:	205525Click image for larger version. 

Name:	coombe2.JPG 
Views:	39 
Size:	573.1 KB 
ID:	205527Click image for larger version. 

Name:	coombe3.JPG 
Views:	49 
Size:	382.7 KB 
ID:	205528Click image for larger version. 

Name:	coombe4.JPG 
Views:	41 
Size:	518.9 KB 
ID:	205529

  2. The Following 8 Users Say Thank You to acharman For This Useful Post:


  3. #2
    Registered User Eric Platt's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    St. Paul, MN
    Posts
    2,045

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    Very cool. Excellent tone on it too. Similar to mine, but definitely different with the different woods.

    Nice playing, too.
    Brentrup Model 23, Boeh A5 #37, Gibson A Jr., Big Muddy M-11, Coombe Classical flattop, Strad-O-Lin
    https://www.facebook.com/LauluAika/
    https://www.lauluaika.com/
    https://www.facebook.com/Longtine-Am...14404553312723

  4. The following members say thank you to Eric Platt for this post:


  5. #3
    Registered User Bren's Avatar
    Join Date
    Sep 2002
    Location
    Aberdeen, Scotland
    Posts
    1,036

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    Thanks.

    I didn't know about Alexander Laing.

    https://petermacfiehistorian.net.au/...exander-laing/
    Bren

  6. The following members say thank you to Bren for this post:


  7. #4
    Registered User acharman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2022
    Location
    Lachlan, Tasmania, Australia
    Posts
    89

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Bren View Post
    Thanks.

    I didn't know about Alexander Laing.

    https://petermacfiehistorian.net.au/...exander-laing/
    Yes the Laing manuscripts were a good find and I like many of the tunes I've tried of his. I also like some of the stuff from Eileen McCoy and the Dawsons. I'm trying to use a lot of Tasmanian sourced tunes for practicing mandolin.

    Andrew

  8. #5
    Registered User acharman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2022
    Location
    Lachlan, Tasmania, Australia
    Posts
    89

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    A lot of Laing’s collected tunes were from Scotland though there are some that he most likely wrote. Many of the tunes he seems to have just given different names to tunes - Lachlan Village nesr New Norfolk is a tune referenced in other places as Dumfries House.

  9. #6
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Location
    Westchester, NY
    Posts
    30,753

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    Nice tune, nice playing, nice mandolin! You may have broken some sort of MAS record: you bought four mandolins at once? Or are you opening a store. Congratulations in any case… or at least four cases.
    Jim

    My Stream on Soundcloud
    Facebook
    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

  10. The following members say thank you to Jim Garber for this post:


  11. #7
    Registered User Dean Gray's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    East coast of Australia
    Posts
    87

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    Congratulations mate on your new Coombe. I'm sure you will have much musical joy with it.
    Interesting to learn about Alexander Laing. I will have to add him to my "tunes to learn" list.
    We play a couple of Eileen McCoy tunes, and a bunch of Joe Yates among others.

    We might have to start an Australian Tunes thread!

  12. The following members say thank you to Dean Gray for this post:


  13. #8
    Registered User acharman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2022
    Location
    Lachlan, Tasmania, Australia
    Posts
    89

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    Nice tune, nice playing, nice mandolin! You may have broken some sort of MAS record: you bought four mandolins at once? Or are you opening a store. Congratulations in any case… or at least four cases.
    Thanks. No store just a bad case of MAS - or actually more broadly string instruments. I need to ban myself from buying any more - but there’s a couple of vintage banjos tempting me at the moment so I’ll see. My mandolin playing is slowly improving but there’s a long way to go - as I’ve only been playing mandolin seriously for less than a year it is coming along.

  14. #9
    Registered User acharman's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2022
    Location
    Lachlan, Tasmania, Australia
    Posts
    89

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Dean Gray View Post
    Congratulations mate on your new Coombe. I'm sure you will have much musical joy with it.
    Interesting to learn about Alexander Laing. I will have to add him to my "tunes to learn" list.
    We play a couple of Eileen McCoy tunes, and a bunch of Joe Yates among others.

    We might have to start an Australian Tunes thread!
    Thanks Dean, it is very nice. Some of the Laing stuff is good, a lot of old Scottish tunes including many where he just renamed them with local references but I think a few are originals by him. Most of what I’ve been playing to learn mandolin has been some of the NFF collections so that includes Joe Yates, Eileen McCoy and many other sources including other Tassie ones like Dawsons and Browns.

    Yeah an Australian tunes thread could be fun - don’t know how much activity it would get though there must be a few of us who play Aus tunes on mandolin. I should listen to more traditional authentic versions like on the Trove to get a better sense of timing and rhythm though I’d probably end up putting my own influences on anyway. I am not involved in any sessions or playing anything other than rock and other contemporary stuff with others but that could be fun some time.

  15. #10
    Registered User Dean Gray's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2019
    Location
    East coast of Australia
    Posts
    87

    Default Re: NMD: Peter Coombe classical flattop mandolin

    Ok I'm going to start the Australian Tunes thread! I consider myself a perpetual intermediate player but am lucky that I moved to an area with a thriving folk music community. I get to play in the local bush band for dances (with Peter Coombe). Listening to how the fiddle and button accordion players play these tunes for actual dancing has been really helpful. And a lot of fun.
    You can definitely add your own thing to these tunes (even snippets of harmony that might get you strange looks in an Irish session) but the important thing for a dance is to keep the pulse going and make it bounce along.
    I have come to love playing for dancers! It's a real energy exchange.

Bookmarks

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •