Just Joined the Big Muddy Club

[Loretta Callahan]

And yes, I'll post pictures! I just bought a brand new Big Muddy M4 Mandolin. Thanks to all the great suggestions from my fellow cafe members, I got a mandolin that didn't have to be tweaktified. Right off the shelf, she plays like a dream; and she's just too stinkin' cute.

One thing I really love is the wonderful woody smell. I love my fancy pants, scrolly F5, but it's still opening up and it needed weeks of luthiership to be playable. All the Muddy needed was a home, and she sounds as sweet as a bubbling creek in spring at first strum.

She has a Solid Rosewood back and sides, Sitka Spruce top, Honduras Mahogany neck, and some kind of Black African wood on the fretboard. The Rosewood feels like silk to the touch. I think Jamie had recommended the rosewood Muddy; he was right, it had the best sound to my ear over the other Muddys.

Plus, she's light as a feather, so I can take her on the bus! So, now I have my Mandolin Cafe cap, my Muddy Mandolin, a Jazzy Powerchair, and a Portland, OR bus pass. Life's looking pretty sweet right now.

[Fstpicker]

Congratulations! As a former Mid-Missouri M-1 owner, I can vouch for the woodiness these instruments have. They have a sound all their own, and IMO, they equal, or in some cases even surpass some of the Flatiron pancake mandolins in sound. At least my M-1 sounded better than the pancake I used to own.

Jeff

[ColdBeerGoCubs]

Congrats, enjoy that bubbling creek.

I have to say I'm jealous as its on my wish list.

[Josh Kaplan]

The rosewood ones are my favorites.

[Geiss]

I am about to build a Redline Traveler, using a kit that Steve @ CA is putting together. Redwood over Claro Walnut.......it was playing a Big Muddy that made me do it.........I'm waiting for the parcel!!!!!!!
Mid Mo's/Big Muddy's just plain sound and feel great IMHO.
I'll either end up with something similar or a pricey piece of kindling.
Need an ax for sailing and the very occasional plane ride somewhere...

[Dave Weiss]

Welcome to the club! Ya gotta love the simplicity, just play and enjoy, no adjustment necessary... As Bill K so appropriately put it, we few, we fortunate few...

[Loretta Callahan]

Thanks for all the congratulations. Here's me and the Muddy

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...320#post916320

[billkilpatrick]

looks fabulous - both of you! there was a thread a while back which asked for the characteristics of a "quality" mandolin and i mentioned the scent of a brand new, freshly made M-4 as being one of them.

[Jim DeSalvio]

Ms Loretta,

Congrats!!! I am a recent owner too, and went with a cedar top, over rosewood, looking for a nice, mellow tone. I love mine, and keep it at work. Every so often, I take it out and run through Over the Waterfall, or Red Haired Boy, just to liven things up a bit. You will not be able to put it down. I am very happy I went with some different tonewoods, and Mike enjoyed working with cedar for the top. I might try an adi/hog combination too.

[Loretta Callahan]

Thanks for all the congratulations! And welcome, Jim, to the club. Yours sounds wonderful. Always wondered about cedar; it's just about my favorite tree. Your post made me realize I need to pickup Over the Waterfall again ... forgot about learning it.

[Bob Scrutchfield]

Loretta,
Congrats on your Big Muddy! I've played a couple of them and I was so impressed. Such a wonderfuly natural and sweet sounding little mandolin. A Mid-Mo or Big Muddy is on my wish list also. :-)

[puckboy99]

CONGRATS ! I just joined the club myself & mine should be arriving today !!!! :D

[multidon]

I have a "rosewood" Mid-Mo (earlier version of Big Muddy) mandola that I like a lot. I just wanted to point out that these are not true rosewood. You can check the Web site for yourself if you don't believe me. They are morado, which for some reason it is legal to refer to as "morado rosewood". Morado is a tropical hardwood also known as ironwood or pau ferro. Luthiers love working with it because it is a rosewood look alike and sound alike but it is not full of pores like true rosewood and therefore does not require filler to get a smooth finish. Now, this is not to say that it is a bad wood, in fact it is a great instrument wood, very resonant, it's just not "rosewood", to be accurate. But like Shakespeare said, " a rose by any other name would smell as sweet".

[Crabgrass]

New member to the club here also.... love my M-2W. I think the tone is just gorgeous. Enjoy.