Dean OM almost done...

[otterly2k]

Will-- for me the pickguard was important b/c I tend to drag my fingers and don't want to mess up the top (soft spruce)... better to have a fingerrest/pickguars of hardwood to absorb that particular abuse. And as long as it was being added...might as well do it up!

I'm currently playing my OM mostly in weekly sessions with a bunch of friends... 2 fiddles (one of the fiddlers also plays concertina) and another mando/OM player (judith... who also has an OM on order from Chris Baird). I play some melody, a LOT of harmony lines, and some chord/rhythmic accompaniment. This new OM is tickling my creativity and I'm thinking I may branch out... as a guitarist, I've played a lot in open and alternate tunings, fingerstyle, etc. I think my ears and brain are cooking on some new ideas, and we'll see if we can get my fingers to cooperate. Who knows??

Re: mando... I have a Breedlove Quartz OO I'm trying to sell b/c I just acquired a used Old Wave oval recently... the Old wave is with Bill B. getting a once-over and pickguard added, so I'm still playing the Quartz at the moment.
KE

[FlawLaw]

Right, I remember reading the post about your Old Wave. Yes, that is a lovely instrument. It is so nice to have others on the board who are not scroll obsessed.

[otterly2k]

Here are those other pics... again.. sorry for the poor quality...
KE

[otterly2k]

I like the curved line of the neck joint...

[otterly2k]

Here's a shot of the Job's Tears tailpiece, in silver, and a bit of detail from the armrest... I didn't really get a good enough shot of the armrest yet.

[otterly2k]

even the label is classy....

[otterly2k]

last one for now.

[judith]

Judith here....I was one of the lucky ones to test out Otterly's new Dean. Wow. A LOT of range....loud and resonant without a lot of effort...REALLY loud with effort.Surprisingly light and easy to hold/play comfortably. It has a very rich and complex tone and its so resonant that it's hum goes on and on...the entire instrument vibrates. While Otterly played, I lightly touched the very top of the headstock...I could feel the vibrations. It is physically beautiful....(1)the grain on the wood (2) a really unique and attractive arm-rest design, (3) a lot of little design aspects that are well thought out and very harmonious, from the standpoint of shape, contour, flow from one part of the instrument to another. You'll see when Otterly posts more pics. It sounded kinda like a guitar and Otterly began playing it a bit like a guitar...so I understand her comment about new possibilities and seeing where she ends up. Anyway, that's my first take on it...so hard to describe sound. Thats sort of like being in a wine store while someone tries to define the taste.."fruity, woody, a hint of pear...." The words that seem most appropriate are resonant, even, complex, rich. Oh boy, oh boy. Its a keeper. Judith

[steve V. johnson]

Whew.... fantastic.

I've already said congratulations, but it doesn't really convey my joy for you.

So... enjoy, enjoy, enjoy. Now... you have BD's art in hand. Now for the MUSIC! Haaah!

Play on, Otter!

Love & chunes,

stv

[FlawLaw]

Judith,

Very good comments. #Interesting comments about it sounding very guitar like... That is something that fascinates me about a OM is that it can get some guitar-like tones while still having the complexities of the mandolin.

I played upright bass at a gig with someone who was playing a custom made Fluger (sp? - a Buffalo luthier) tenor resonator guitar made for him. #It was a stunning instrument made with cherry like this OM, and I was impressed by how easy it was to play, using many of the open mandolin chords, how beautifully woody it sounded, and how loud it was played fingerstyle.

I wish I lived closer to you guys when you jam, it would be front to lug the bass along and listen to superb playing (yours not mine).


Also, I have self-interest in wanting to know how your own OM comes out, has Chris sent you any update pictures?

Karen: Do you have any plans to amplify this OM when playing out?

[judith]

Hi there. Yes, chris recently sent me 2 pictures...mando is still in rough shape...the back, top, and sides are glued together, but so far, that is it....a long way to go.If I am lucky, it'll "only" be about 6 more weeks. I will try and send you the pics he sent me. What specs have you asked for? I believe the neck on mine will be 1-1/8", the scale will be 20.75, the depth he recently told me is 2.6 on the side, but since the top and back are slightly arched, different places on the body will have more depth. He thinks the string gauges will be 13, 22, 36, 52. (single strings...no set comes like that). I'd though he'd said before that the depth was 2.75, so I'm trusting that this small difference doesn't make a big difference in sound. I will definitely keep you posted. It would be great if more of us om maniacs lived closer. Judith

[FlawLaw]

Judith:

Still too early for specs on mine. He is still looking for the wood. I asked for walnut, as I like the warm tone of walnut and the dark mysterious looks of walnut. I am going to go with a longer scale length, though. Well, maybe a OM tasting would be in order?

Will

[Gerry Cassidy]

Wow Karen, as all have alreayd said: "Congrats!" Your excitement is really contagious. It WOULD be nice if we all get together with our 'Babies'. Again, many years of joy with your new instrument!

[otterly2k]

Thanks, all...
there have been questions about string gauges... here they are: .052w, .034w, .020w, .014. I'll play it with these for a while before deciding if I want to tweak this arrangement at all.

Guitarish? Yes, a bit...and having played Guitar for 30+ years, it wouldn't be surprising if my original stuff comes out as a blend of guitar and mando techniques.

re: pickup... it has a McIntyre Feather installed in case I should want to use it that way some day. I don't have immediate plans for doing so, but it is nice to have that option. Right now, I don't even have anything of quality to plug it INTO, so I haven't even tested that out. It just made sense to me to have it put in while it was being built. My experience with amplifying/recording my guitar (1980 Martin D28) is that I like a combo of external mic and internal pickup. But I'll cross that bridge when I get to it.

re: OM tasting... what a great idea. It would be nice if there were events other than Zoukfest where this was possible. (I'd love to get to Z'fest some day, but the distance, cost and time off of work is prohibitive for me for the time being). I expect we'll be having a small one locally in the foreseeable future.

[otterly2k]

ps-- how about if y'all start up a new thread re: those Arches OM's that are in progress... and post some pics!?! I'm sure there are a lot of us who would like to follow that story (myself included).
KE

[judith]

Otterly and Will et al - Yessiree. I'll send in the pics I have tonight, after work. J

[Eric F.]

Somehow I missed that this has arrived. A belated congratulations, Karen. It looks like a magnificent instrument.

[otterly2k]

I just realized that I have been rhapsodizing about this instrument without giving sufficient props to the builder.

Yes...his skill and artistry is abundantly clear in the finished product. The woodwork is astonishing, and the aesthetics even more so... perhaps not to everyone's tastes, but what judith said about the harmony and balance of design elements and contour and flow...that is really Brian's unique and prodigious talent. He took my ideas and specs and requests, and his own, and created an elegant blend of form and function that is unique.

I also need to mention what a pleasure he has been to work with. It is his way to be driven by the desire to make each dream instrument right for each dreamer. That's the challenge... you'll notice if you visit his website (bfolk.com) that each instrument is different from the one before (wait till J. Mark's bowlback hits these pages!). He brings his ideas, research, skills into it... but he is very responsive to the customer. He sent periodic in-progress pics and reports at my request...and was patient with my impatience.

Clearly the business aspects are not his focus, but he does them with diligence, clarity and honesty. A couple of obstacles came up in the construction of the OM... and I will say that Brian handled them with 100% integrity and in a way that speaks volumes of his intention to do good by his customers.

Timeline was about 6 months from the time I sent my deposit to the time the instrument was delivered... not bad at ALL (even though the waiting felt torturous at times!) and this despite the fact that he has had to deal with moving his shop and apt.

Anyway... as you can tell, I'm happy to recommend working with Brian Dean to anyone who is looking for a luthier who is wildly creative. While I'm sure he COULD make you a Gibson copy F5...it would be a shame not to take advantage of his distinctive gifts.

I'm gonna post this up in the General section too... it just seems like the right way to say thanks.

[J. Mark Lane]

I've been away for a couple of days and just got to check this thread again. Wow. Unreal. That thing is just stunning. I know it sounds great, too. Just amazing. Congrats!

[otterly2k]

Thanks, Mark... I was wondering where you were hiding!

Now we get to wait for your bowlback...I expect report and pics...

[Gerry Cassidy]

So Karen, it's a week (or so) later... any new observations? Did you get a chance to plug it in? There's a p/u in my Sobell, but I still haven't plugged it in. It sounds so wonderful acoustically I'm almost afraid to hear it thru' an amp.

I had the chance to play it with a violinist and we both went au' natural and it sounded great. Eastern european (gypsy music) in a church sanctuary. Almost a perfect setting.

Here's a pic (I'm playing my Azola Electric Upright Bass. My GF didn't get a chance to take any when I was playing the sobell)

[otterly2k]

No, Gerry-- haven't had a chance to plug in. #Will certainly report if/when I do.

New observations? #
Well, I did notice last week that when I play/strum hard, I must hit the pickguard, b/c the floating pickguard was tapping on the top of the instrument during those stretches. #Easily remedied with a little felt pad tucked between the pickguard and top (you know... the kind they put on the bottom of a chair leg to keep it from scratching the wood floor).

Other than that...I have to say my initial observations pretty much hold. #This instrument demands somewhat more precise technique than the other, since it is so responsive. #I think it will force me to clean up my act some. #I am still just amazed at how much sound comes forth with so little effort. #The new string sound is worn off now, so I'm thinking it is settling into its real sound. #Although, I certainly will be interested to hear how that transforms over the next several months.

Here are a couple more pics...I wanted to get one of the armrest...best I could get...really unique and quite lovely. #the black pieces are sliders that work to open and close it, but I have not taken it off... see no reason to.

[otterly2k]

and here's a better shot of that elegant neck joint. these are a pretty good approximation of the colors too... the other (blurry) shots I posted were kind of faded out.

[PaulD]

Beautiful! That neck joint is another of those wonderfully executed details... that instrument really stands out. Definitely cause for a case of Octave Envy. I'll keep Brian in mind when I have money for a decent OM and have retrained my fingers for that longer scale. I've got custody of my friend's Weber Sage II this week while he's out of town and I'm trying to focus on the retraining.

Paul Doubek

[steve V. johnson]

Karen wrote, "This instrument demands somewhat more precise technique than the other, since it is so responsive. I think it will force me to clean up my act some. I am still just amazed at how much sound comes forth with so little effort. "

I remember how lightly I played on the Crump when I first got it, the thing just scared me so much! LOL!! It's so wonderful to hear about players with instruments that bring on great challenges, and, consequently, great growth.

Wunnerful....!!!!

OM Tasting !!! Oboy! Philly? Where, when?

stv