New Calace Mandolins

[Chris Berardi]

Hello,

Is the Calace website the only place to get a new Calace mandolin?

If so, does anyone have experience with emailing/faxing and ordering form them?

I'm looking at possibly the model 24/26.

[Jim Garber]

Yes, these are only sold thru the Calace shop. I am sure that Victor K will chime in here. The 26 IIRC is his main instrument and he got one a few years back. I know of at least two others who bought higher grades in the last year.

I have emailed the shop a few times over the years and they never seem to answer questions but have sent me price lists. I hear they are better responding to faxes or phone. You might be better off if you speak italian of have someone handy who does. then again, you could send a fax with a google translation included.

[vkioulaphides]

At your service!

Yes, my day-to-day instrument is a 2004 Calace Model 26. Back when I bought it, I put in my order via e-mail, but it is true that Raffaele, ah... takes his time to reply. Others tell me that response is more prompt if one sends in a fax instead. The most recent customer I know personally --she just got a Classico B-- reports that the language-barrier is no longer an issue, as a young woman named Annamaria (grand-daughter/niece of THE Annamaria?) at the Calace shop/office responds swiftly and adeptly in English.

I would be happy to discuss these instruments further, if you wish. All in all, I must say I am very happy with mine.

Cheers,

Victor

[Chris Berardi]

At your service!

Yes, my day-to-day instrument is a 2004 Calace Model 26. Back when I bought it, I put in my order via e-mail, but it is true that Raffaele, ah... takes his time to reply. Others tell me that response is more prompt if one sends in a fax instead. The most recent customer I know personally --she just got a Classico B-- reports that the language-barrier is no longer an issue, as a young woman named Annamaria (grand-daughter/niece of THE Annamaria?) at the Calace shop/office responds swiftly and adeptly in English.

I would be happy to discuss these instruments further, if you wish. All in all, I must say I am very happy with mine.

Cheers,

Victor

Thanks for the replies. Yes, I'd love to hear what you think of these instruments.

Also, how much time was spent waiting for email replies?

[vkioulaphides]

...how much time was spent waiting for email replies?

Oh, entirely too much, by American business standards. Weeks... But if you take the consensus advice of faxing in your order, you should hear back very promptly.

For starters, look in the Classical, Etc. section below, under the Bowlbacks of Note thread; there is recent talk (and images) of that Classico B I mentioned earlier. Also, if you wish, I can easily post images of my own Model 26, although of course such images are also available "from the source", so to speak. Calace's own site, after some badly needed tweaking, now does post lovely images of most models they make. You may have seen those already...

Cheers,

Victor

[Chris Berardi]

Oh, entirely too much, by American business standards. Weeks... But if you take the consensus advice of faxing in your order, you should hear back very promptly.

For starters, look in the Classical, Etc. section below, under the Bowlbacks of Note thread; there is recent talk (and images) of that Classico B I mentioned earlier. Also, if you wish, I can easily post images of my own Model 26, although of course such images are also available "from the source", so to speak. Calace's own site, after some badly needed tweaking, now does post lovely images of most models they make. You may have seen those already...

Cheers,

Victor

Thanks. Yeah, I've downloaded the brochures. I think the only difference between the 24 and the 26 is the pickguard. Though, it mentions that it comes with markings on the fretboard but the picture doesn't show it -- does yours have markings for the 3/5/etc. frets? How much did yours cost?

Beyond the brochure, how does your instrument play -- good tone? action? etc. I'm looking at this to be used for Italian music primarily and also classical and Croatian music with bluegrass as a mere distant possibility.

[vkioulaphides]

I think the only difference between the 24 and the 26 is the pickguard. Though, it mentions that it comes with markings on the fretboard but the picture doesn't show it -- does yours have markings for the 3/5/etc. frets? How much did yours cost? ...how does your instrument play -- good tone? action?

You are right: the only difference IS in fact the floral vs plain pickguard; no fingerboard markers on either model-- frankly, I don't need them. MUCH more useful (IMHO) are the markers the instrument has on the upper side of the neck, right in your line of vision, if you look at the instrument as you're playing it. As for the florilege, I thought, "Hey, I don't buy a mandolin every day... what the heck?"

Sadly, Models 24 and 26 (which have always stood 50 euros apart, price-wise) have gone from 500/550 in 2004, when I got mine, to 600/650 soon enough, and 700/750 last time I heard about pricing.

The tone is remarkably even and sweet; as will all newborn mandolins, it started rather neutral and "rubbery", then warmed up to a lovely, but still even complexity of overtones.

At first, I HATED the medium-gauge carbon-steel strings the instrument had on-- YMMV, of course, and many mandolinists I respect and admire disagree with me on such matters of taste. The set-up was also sloppy, and the stringing downright disreputable (as was that of the Classico B on that other thread.) The action was too high on the G-side and, due to the undue height of the G-course, intonation was distorted.

After a couple of months, I had the instrument set up to my liking --you will ALWAYS need to, no matter what instrument you ever get-- and switched to bronze-wound (lower) strings, which IMHO define the sound I want to hear from an Italian bowlback. Ditto, YMMV, and OMTO-- others may think otherwise. I had the action lowered somewhat, which correspondingly corrected the intonation issues.

Post-set up, the instrument is ~just~ the way I like it: the action is velvety-smooth, the tone is even and getting richer by the day, intonation is the best compromise I have EVER heard on a fretted instrument... I'm a happy owner.

While modern Calace instruments reputedly pale in comparison to the products of the family business during the Golden Age, i.e. when Raffaele Sr was in charge, I believe that they deliver a very decent quality:cost ratio. I also confess my "new instrument bias": for me to make a fair comparison, I'd have to stand a mint-condition Model 26 from the 1920s against mine. Such a thing is, of course, hard to find...

Cheers,

Victor

[Chris Berardi]

Thanks Victor. Just to note -- maybe I'm just plain lucky, but I heard back from Raffaele within 24 hours of my email. I just have to wait a couple more weeks to get the $$$.

[Chris Berardi]

I just received my new Calace model no. 24 the other day -- very nice!!! I also got the same day the Neapolitan pick from Red Bear that I ordered.

[Schlegel]

Good to hear! Will you be giving us any pics or clips so we may indulge our envy? I confess I have a plan of one day buying a brand new no-repairs-needed bowlback myself.

[Fliss]

Congratulations on your Calace! Would love to see photos

Fliss

[Chris Berardi]

Now don't laugh -- I don't own a digital camera. I can, though, extract the pictures from the brochure and upload those.

[JeffD]

Yum!

[Jim Garber]

I am sure that we would love to hear a report on your lovely new Calace. How does it play, sound, etc.?

[Chris Berardi]

I am sure that we would love to hear a report on your lovely new Calace. How does it play, sound, etc.?

It is much nicer than my $50 Rogue. This is a difficulty because it is such a drastic improvement that it is hard to quantify or qualify.


At first, I thought that the sound was very, very weak. But, I was using a Dunlap Gator pick which I had bought earlier because it was thick, but from the start I didn't like the pick. When I switched to a Dunlap gel pick and then the Red Bear Classic Neapolitan pick -- WOW!

The action is lower than the Rogue and I find it easier to fret. I have had great difficulties in holding it, as I write in another thread. I also have gone back to square one with playing without resting my hand behind the bridge.