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Thread: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

  1. #51
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    . I'm just reacting to an independent builder stating that he has the "God-given talent" to correct Gibson's design and construction errors with "secret" procedures only he understands.
    How is this different from the dozens of services advertised for optimization (I am not referring to a proper set up).

  2. #52
    Registered User G. Fisher's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    That's not what this thread is about.
    “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by G. Fisher View Post
    That's not what this thread is about.

    Early on in the string the video of the builder making the aforementioned statement was included for us to read. Some are commenting on that video which clearly pertains to the OP's topic namely "The Bluegrass" mandolins. Other poster's statements are smarmy?
    Last edited by Bernie Daniel; May-29-2011 at 9:53pm.
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  4. #54
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by G. Fisher View Post
    That's not what this thread is about.
    Message boards, 101: Anyone can start a thread on any topic, but the thread discussion can meander in whatever different directions the posters take it, not unlike the way person-to-person conversations can meander. Whether you like it or not, that's the way it works. Any thread is "about" whatever the people who post on it make it be about. It is not limited to any directions set by the original post.

  5. #55
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    You're right John.

    I should've said "That's not what this thread was started about."
    “Wise men speak because they have something to say; Fools because they have to say something.”

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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    You guys have been going round and round the same points for quite a while now.

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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by michaelpthompson View Post
    You guys have been going round and round the same points for quite a while now.
    Sure, because each time a statement is repeated the more correct it becomes...

    One thing is for certain if I ever see a "The Bluegrass" mandolin I sure will want to check it out.
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernie Daniel View Post
    One thing is for certain if I ever see a "The Bluegrass" mandolin I sure will want to check it out.
    Got that right Bernie. After all this, I'm much more intrigued to find out what they sound like.

  9. #59
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernie Daniel View Post
    One thing is for certain if I ever see a "The Bluegrass" mandolin I sure will want to check it out.
    Me too. Heck, I might even take it apart to see what he done wrong ... er, did wrong.
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernie Daniel View Post
    ...One thing is for certain if I ever see a "The Bluegrass" mandolin I sure will want to check it out.
    I'm halfway to calling up Mr. Cecil and ordering one! (Which, I guess, proves that hubristic marketing can succeed, even with a cynical/skeptical audience, such as I.)

    But, could I send it back if it "sounds like a cigar box"? After all, I'd be comparing it to my vintage Shmergel Devastator...
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    If all three of us bought one that would be 3/4's of his yearly production! He at least ought to buy us all a Mandolin Cafe hat for that kind of sales boost. How do you sell mandolins -- maybe by getting a good "discussion" raging on the fourm...
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  12. #62

    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Hi all, Tim the OP here! You never can tell what's going to spark up a discussion round these parts! For what it's worth, I was really impressed by the sound of this mandolin; rich, dry and woody when chopping, and a clear, articulated tone when playing fiddle tunes and breaks. The guy playing it wouldn't claim to be a super-picker, but he was drawing loads of tone from the instrument, and plenty of volume without seeming to dig in too hard. There were two loud guitars, a Mastertone banjo, upright bass, mandolin banjo and a uke playing, and the mandolin cut through like a knife. The mandolin owner clearly knew his instruments; he also had a very old, battered and wonderful-sounding Martin D28. As far as the maker and his ideas goes, he seems to have got it right on this one. Anyone else spotted one of these mandolins yet?
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by mandotim1955 View Post
    Hi all, Tim the OP here! You never can tell what's going to spark up a discussion round these parts! For what it's worth, I was really impressed by the sound of this mandolin; rich, dry and woody when chopping, and a clear, articulated tone when playing fiddle tunes and breaks. The guy playing it wouldn't claim to be a super-picker, but he was drawing loads of tone from the instrument, and plenty of volume without seeming to dig in too hard. There were two loud guitars, a Mastertone banjo, upright bass, mandolin banjo and a uke playing, and the mandolin cut through like a knife. The mandolin owner clearly knew his instruments; he also had a very old, battered and wonderful-sounding Martin D28. As far as the maker and his ideas goes, he seems to have got it right on this one. Anyone else spotted one of these mandolins yet?
    You got your moneys worth! Hey you can never tell what WON"T spark a debate here. But you did hit a nerve and yes I think many of us would now like to see a "The Bluegrass" mandolin. Probably one will appear on the classifieds later today.
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  14. #64

    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Living here in the UK, it's unlikely that I'll see another of these small-scale US built mandolins. I guess the real test of a builder is consistency; not necessarily the same mandolin every time, but consistent high quality in terms of tone, volume and fit/finish. I'd be really interested to hear from someone else who has seen or heard one, to see if this builder really has worked out a way of producing high quality mandolins, or whether he just 'got lucky'.
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Hi Tim!

    I’ve actually had a play on this very mandolin, I believe. It belongs to Steve Read, who has been playing and listening to bluegrass for 50 odd years. I play with Steve once a month in Sheffield. When you mentioned about his old Martin, I thought it must be him.

    ‘The Bluegrass’ is a perfectly fine instrument. I think I might borrow it for a tune or two next time I see Steve. Personally I prefer the sound of my own mandolin (Collings MF), but these things are subjective, aren’t they? It’ll be interesting to hear one and then the other on an A/B basis.

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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Trevor Thomas View Post
    ...snip...‘The Bluegrass’ is a perfectly fine instrument...snip...Personally I prefer the sound of my own mandolin (Collings MF), but these things are subjective, aren’t they? It’ll be interesting to hear one and then the other on an A/B basis.
    I wonder how Collings figured out how to improve upon "The Bluegrass"? They must have had a retired jet engineer take one apart.
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by John Flynn View Post
    the folks who made "Moonbeam" mandolins a few years ago. They took a similar approach and those sold pretty briskly for a while.
    Serendipitous reference. Randy Jones of the LRB was playing one this past weekend. I had a chance to check it out. Somewhat non-trad in shape, had very good tone and feel.

    I agree, naming it what he names it is pesky. He can name it what he wants. He is the maker.

  19. #68
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    Little-known fact: Lloyd Loar's great-nephew Cosmo Loar, experienced mandolin luthier, took apart a GE J79-11A turbojet engine "to see what was wrong with it" and make improvements. Cosmo was last seen when his plane's engine exploded over central Iowa...

    At least when you "improve" a mandolin, you don't fall from 30 thousand feet.

    I'm thinking, "Loar Jet"!
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  21. #69
    Still Picking and Sawing Jack Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by jim simpson View Post
    I'm thinking, "Loar Jet"!
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  22. #70
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Why would a structural engineer be unable to fully understand wood and acoustics as applied to the construction of musical instruments if they work mainly with metal? Has anybody mentioned that Lynn Dudenbostal is an engineer? He makes some pretty good instruments. Lloyd Loar was also an engineer.
    Last edited by Capt. E; Aug-03-2011 at 4:15pm. Reason: spelling
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  23. #71
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Capt. E View Post
    Why would a structural engineer be unable to fully understand wood and acoustics as applied to the construction of musical instruments if they work mainly with metal? Has anybody mentioned that Lynn Dudenbostal is an engineer? He makes some pretty good instruments. Lloyd Loar was also an engineer.
    You're attacking a straw man, really. No one has said that the luthier who builds "The Bluegrass" mandolins, is "unable to fully understand" mandolin construction. What bothers some of us is the idea that, because he's worked in a very distantly-related field (jet engine mechanics vs. mandolin luthiery), he would be able to take apart a mandolin and quickly figure out "what all other mandolin builders -- or at least this one -- are doing wrong." There are several leaps of faith in that narrative, IMHO.

    I'm perfectly willing to concede that he may build a nice mandolin. And, by the way, Loar called himself an acoustical engineer, and his writings were in the field of applied acoustics and their relation to instrument design. He taught The Physics of Music at Northwestern, and the lab notes of one of his students have been preserved and published.
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  24. #72
    Capt. E Capt. E's Avatar
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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Sorry, I'm not attacking anyone. I agree it takes quite some ego for anyone to claim they know what is "wrong" with current or past mandolin construction. A little humility is in order from any builder, designer, engineer, etc. Heavens, Lloyd Loar himself was never completely happy with his mandolins. They weren't even his favorite instrument.

    All power to anyone who attempts to "improve" on anything.
    Last edited by Capt. E; Aug-04-2011 at 11:12am. Reason: spelling
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  25. #73

    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Man this has been the best reading thread, it has kept me riveted from first to now!
    I was a jet mechanic in the Navy, and I credit my ability to build fine guitars from my dad, who built boxes.

    If this thread is any lesson to me, I should make some outlandish claims, and get all the attention I deserve.
    Being humble isn't getting the job done.

    Canadian Luthier Doug Woodley was also a machinist. I haven't heard much about him lately and suspect he may no longer be building. Hope I am wrong.
    I worked on a Woodley instrument last week, a friend owns it. I estimate it is one of the finest sounding mandolins I've ever heard. Doug Woodley no longer builds, I also gather.

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    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Hi fellows,I'm relatively new to this forum and to the mandolin(under 2 years)but i must say that ''the bluegrass'' is for real.I recently bought #81 a few days ago and it sounds far better than i expected.I know that might not mean much with my limited experience to some but I have played a couple gibsons,webbers,1 flatiron,and a couple eastmans and i know its louder and deeper than any of those by far.It does have that woody sound that reminds you of monroe's. I 'm not impressed with some of the detail work,because I've seen far better, but he sure got the sound down.

  27. #75

    Default Re: 'The Bluegrass' Mandolin

    Quote Originally Posted by Tootie De Marco View Post
    Hi fellows,I'm relatively new to this forum and to the mandolin(under 2 years)but i must say that ''the bluegrass'' is for real.I recently bought #81 a few days ago and it sounds far better than i expected.I know that might not mean much with my limited experience to some but I have played a couple gibsons,webbers,1 flatiron,and a couple eastmans and i know its louder and deeper than any of those by far.It does have that woody sound that reminds you of monroe's. I 'm not impressed with some of the detail work,because I've seen far better, but he sure got the sound down.
    Well, it's the sound that counts.

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