Re: Opinions? Insights?
They sound different. They will have a different tonal color than an arch top oval or ff holed instrument. They may be perceptibly less loud to the player than an arch topped instrument. I had the opportunity a couple years ago to play a whole wall full of vintage Gibson oval hole instruments. There were also some Martins scattered there too. I thought they sounded "bad" after playing all of the Gibsons.
They weren't really "bad" they were different. I've come to appreciate the different voices different styles of instruments have. The cylinder backs and bowl backs have different voices too.
I currently have a cant topped (like the martins) oval holed mandolin by Jack Spira, a L&H Style A inspired mandolin by Brian Dean (Labraid), and an Eastman 2 pointer with F holes. They all sound different and they all sound great to me.
Jamie
EDIT: many of the posters here are bluegrassers and the Archtop ff hole model is thier tool of the trade most often. There are plenty of other mandolin styles and players well represented on the boards.
There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. Logan Pearsall Smith, 1865 - 1946
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