CBOM buying strategy

[acumando]

Hey Steve,

Thanks for the tip. Looks like a good deal. I do have a Foley mandolin that i love except that the neck is a little chunky/uncomfortable, so i'm hesitant to invest in one of his zouks. The mandolin sounds heavenly though.

Anyway, i've put the idea of a CBOM on hold for now until i've managed to try some out. Not an easy thing in South Florida... i'm thinking of visiting some family up North and making a day trip to Elderly in late summer.

Thanks again.

[WJF]

I'm due to get my Crump OM-II this week! I'm totally psyched and will reporty back here once its arrived and I've some playing time in on it.

In the meantime though for anyone who might be interested, through a strange set of events Phil wound up with an OM-II body all glued up and ready for a top etc. Its a Bubinga body. I mention this because Phil's wait time is somewhere around the 9-10 month mark but if someone wanted one of his OM-II's in bubinga it might not take quite as long. No financial interest here just hoping to ease the wait anxiety for those who crave the low voice but need (next to) instant gratification ...

[clarksavage]

Acumando - Looks like you have what you need here. I can only emphasize and echo a lot of it. I lucked out, when I got the urge there were 3 Octave Mandolins locally built right down at our local music store (and I live in a sleepy little town!) I chose an OM based purely on sound, I wanted a deep boomy voice and I got that in spades (OM made by Eric Darnton, he has a few others I believe...) As many observe, you may get one and play the heck out of it to slowly discover what you really want. I don't think there's any avoiding that, I really did try hard, but here and there I can see things I'd "rather" have now (and might have had Eric build into the thing had I thought of it!) However, as opposed to my guitar and mandolin choices, I got close and am very happy with my first pick for now. I believe this one's a keeper and I an adjusting to the little things that I need to....(and some of the "negatives" are turning out to be "positives" as I continue to learn to play the thing, like the fingerboard width, its really great to have the same width as my mandolin, though I didn't think so at first!)

Hey, if you lived nearby, I'd bring mine over.

[clarksavage]

Oh, hey, I just noticed your signature line Acumando. You have Newell's no 22? I just picked up his no 24, maple flattop mandolin. Sweet piece of wood! I often compare it favorably to my Eric Darnton OM :-)

[acumando]

Thanks, Clark.

Yeah, Keith's flattop is excellent! Amazing especially for what i paid. I got it as a backup for the Foley (which cost me almost 3x as much), and actually i'm playing it more because the neck feels really good. Different tone than the Foley (smaller body, maple vs rosewood), but a great mandolin for the chunes... great volume and tone, i'm very happy with it.

[clarksavage]

That brings up an interesting point (subjectively). I really found I wanted more "boom" and "bottom" from my OM compared to my strong desire for "clarity" and "balance" from my mandolin. For two weeks now (a new record according to my wife!) I have the exact instruments I want and am very satisfied with them (including my new guitar with amazing balance between the two sounds, just "larger"). My Eric Darnton OM is also pretty loud and I keep rather heavy strings on it (rosewood back and sides) and that seems to support the boom. It has an induced arch in the top, some say that supports volume, I suspect it is more about strength and long term integrity of the top :-) but what do I know. The neck shape on my OM is a lot like the neck shape of Keith Newell's mandolin. Not quite as fat as the Gibson A4 neck, but about right for my hands. Now if I could just increase the span of my fingertips to work the OM fretboard easier.... Do let us know what you decide.

[stevebenn]

Acumando: I've played two other long scale Foley zouks and, of course I've played my short scale a bit. The necks on Foleys zouks are really nice and easy to play, at least the ones I've played. I'm kind of surprised to hear that your mandolin neck is a bit clunky, I wouldn't have expected that ... but there you go! How would you compare your Foley neck to Gibson A's from the early teens?


Steve

[acumando]

Acumando: I've played two other long scale Foley zouks and, of course I've played my short scale a bit. The necks on Foleys zouks are really nice and easy to play, at least the ones I've played. I'm kind of surprised to hear that your mandolin neck is a bit clunky, I wouldn't have expected that ... but there you go! How would you compare your Foley neck to Gibson A's from the early teens?


Steve

Hi Steve,

Haven't had the pleasure of playing a Gibson A, so i can't comment. The Newell is more of a V shape where the Foley is more of a squarish U. Sometimes the Foley doesn't bother me at all, sometimes it just seems a little uncomfortable. As i said, the sound is great, so that makes up for it.

One thing which makes a difference is my playing position, it seems like the Foley is a little more easy to play when is is lower on my body (in my lap, basically), though i usually play my other mandolins a little bit higher up. Also the 14" scale may have something to do with it... if i had a longer scale, my left hand would be in a totally different position and thus might not feel awkward at all. I can only speculate on this, though.

[mandohubris]

I played two Petersons at Gryphon a few weeks ago. They have a walnut bodied one, and a Koa bodied. Both are quite handsome (elegant in their simplicity). The grain of the koa is not as flamed or variegated as I have seen on guitars.

The Walnut had wonderful bassy tone, but I found the scale too long. I play the guitar too, and found I needed more stretch to play the Peterson OM than to play a Martin D-28 guitar.

I might buy a Trinity College OM to play for a while until I decide what I like. But I don't think I'd spend more than that until I am sure of what I want.

But if you don't mind a longer scale, that Walnut Peterson from Gryphon sounded great.