New Gibson K-5C Mandocello

[Gerry Cassidy]

Hmmm... Looking forward to trying this one out. The price tag is a bit rich for me. We'll see!

http://www.themandolinstore.com/scri...idProduct=9487

[Eddie Sheehy]

Don't do it... What if you like it?

[Gerry Cassidy]

I'm pretty sure I'll like it, but I also like the current version of my life. If I bought this that would change. My wife would see to that... :-)

[sgarrity]

I'd need to be able to play like Mike Marshall to spend that much dough on a 'cello. But if mandocello is your primary instrument, I guess it would be a welcome addition to a very niche market!

[Bernie Daniel]

Finally! Some specs on this instrument. As I suggested earlier they made this mandocello by putting mandocello hardware on an L-5C. Still pretty cool though!

[Jim Garber]

I doubt that they will be cranking these out but there are at least two of them -- the other at a store out on Long Island, NY. I have a friend looking and he will test drive that one.

[Ken_P]

I doubt that they will be cranking these out but there are at least two of them -- the other at a store out on Long Island, NY. I have a friend looking and he will test drive that one.

I didn't know there were any stores on LI that would stock something like that. I figured Mandolin Bros. maybe, though even they don't stock 'cellos most of the time. Where is it?

[Jim Garber]

I didn't know of any either, but then this one showed up. I think that may be list price but it is more than the one in AZ.

[Ken_P]

I didn't know of any either, but then this one showed up. I think that may be list price but it is more than the one in AZ.

Very cool. That's right on my way home from work - I think I may swing by this evening and see if I can try it out. I'll report back later

[Jim Garber]

Hi Ken... Just don't have $16K in your pocket. Looking fwd to your review. It is certainly interesting that a store like that would take on a mandocello. I wonder if someone there is a mandophile.

[Ken_P]

If I ever have that kind of money to spend on a mandocello (I'm not holding my breath), I'll go farther east and knock on John Monteleone's door Until then, I'm happy just to visit one every once in a while

[Jim Garber]

Ken: That may be just the downpayment for a Monteleone mandocello. i would imagine that he is getting more than $40K for one -- I think his guitars are even higher than that.

[MandoSquirrel]

Hey, for your 16K, they'll ship it free! What more could you ask?

[Ken_P]

Ken: That may be just the downpayment for a Monteleone mandocello. i would imagine that he is getting more than $40K for one -- I think his guitars are even higher than that.

Yeah, but we're talking imaginary money anyway, so the amount isn't important :D

So I managed to get to the store last night, and I'm glad I did. First, let me say that this may be the best built and finished instrument I've ever seen from Gibson - it was absolutely stunning to look at and hold. Whoever built this really took their job very seriously, and it shows. I'm also quite convinced that guitar style body is the right way to go for a 'cello. It's far more comfortable to play than the giant mandolin that most makers put out.

As for the sound, I wasn't disappointed, but it still wasn't quite what I expected. I will say the listening environment wasn't the best, and I'm sure it sounded much better out in front (f-holes, after all), but I really wanted more response from the bottom end. I've played cellos where the low C could rattle your chest and this one didn't really do that. Beyond that, though, the mid and upper registers were beautiful. They had that distinctive snap and richness that only a mandocello can achieve. I was playing some tremolo double stops on the G and D strings that really seemed to fill up the room. I played the end of the Prelude to Bach's first cello suite (would have played the whole thing but I can't do it all from memory anymore), and the parts where you're playing scales against an open drone sounded really magnificent.

I don't have much else to say, I only had about 20 minutes to try it out, but it was fun. The store owner said it was nice to hear someone who could actually play it! I don't think anybody else there knows what to do with it. If anybody is in the area, go check it out!

[Greg Stec]

Sounds like I need to make a road trip. What's the name of the store on Long Island?

[Jim Garber]

Sounds like I need to make a road trip. What's the name of the store on Long Island?

Greg... see my post above for the link to their site. If you are in the area, LMK. I am an hour or so from there.

[pfox14]

All that's missing off the K-5C is a really nice pickguard. Other than that, it's a stunning instrument.

[Gerry Cassidy]

I played the new K5 Mandocello at The Mandolin Store yesterday.... Wow! It's definitely a professional level instrument.

I am not a fan of guitar-bodied mandolin family instruments, but this thing is just mesmerizing.

I have a ton of pics in the camera, but I am currently in SoCal visiting family. I will post them when I get home early next week.

If you're interested, I recorded the sound sample file Brian put up on the TMS webpage yesterday. Sorry for the sloppy playing, but I play mandocello as well as I play golf.... I won't go there!

[Bernie Daniel]

Fantastic! Looks like they have not uploaded it yet though. Oh sorry I went to the Mandolin Store YouTube channel. I'll look on the web site now............OK had to load the Quicktime player but I got there.

Good sound file. Nothing wrong with your playing at all and the mandocello sounds huge.

Seemed to me to be a little bit of buzz on the C-course when you thumped it? Near the end of the mp3. But the voice is obviously huge. When giant mandolins roamed the earth.......

Can you comment on the neck -- it looks like a standard guitar neck with a mandocello nut and bridge?

[Gerry Cassidy]

Hi Bernie,

Yes, it is quite a pronounced tone. Not exactly loud, but very rich and deep. A very warm, and as I said earlier, mesmerizing tone.

As for the buzz on the C course; That little ditty I played at the end of the sample is a little riff that came out the very first time I played a mandola... for whatever reason. The last section where I hammer on the chord has the tendency to overdrive just about any instrument I play it on. The longer the scale the more percussive effect. As crazy as it sounds, I kind of go for that when playing it. Not necessarily rattling the daylights out the instrument , but the string/finger action on the board producing a desired percussive affect. I gave it a pretty good whack this time around and got a little more string action than I normally do. Anyway, I wouldn't let my playing detract from your view on the instrument.

The neck is very comfortable. If it is modeled after a guitar neck, it's a small-profiled version. After I played this one I immediately played an Eastman Cello they have there at the shop and it's fingerboard was considerably wider, and more of a chore to play. I'd definitely say the Eastman was much more the standard guitar neck with a Cello nut/bridge.

I took a few pictures of neck joints, FB, Tuners, etc. More views than just your standard front/back/headstock, etc. I'll try to get them posted this evening.

The K5 is very comfortable to play and well-proportioned to get around on with the left hand.

[Bernie Daniel]

...The neck is very comfortable. If it is modeled after a guitar neck, it's a small-profiled version. After I played this one I immediately played an Eastman Cello they have there at the shop and it's fingerboard was considerably wider, and more of a chore to play. I'd definitely say the Eastman was much more the standard guitar neck with a Cello nut/bridge...the [new] K5 is very comfortable to play and well-proportioned to get around on with the left hand.

This is good. IMO, it is an important feature on a mandocello. Over the last 6 months I have converted two arch top guitars to mandocellos. I left one with an unmodified guitar neck and made a new mandocello fret board and nut, re-contoured the neck for the other.

The difference in playability is pronounced -- particularly when it comes to doing anything with the G- and C-courses.

The comparison between the Gibson and Eastman cellos was a good one.

The Eastman is a great comparison -- it has a full up guitar nut & fingerboard.

Kudos for Dave Harvey for making that instrument -- especially in these hard times.

[Gerry Cassidy]

Sorry it took so long, but alas, pics from my TMS visit last week:

[Bernie Daniel]

Sorry it took so long, but alas, pics from my TMS visit last week:

Thanks for the pics. Beautiful instrument.

The nut does look to me to be close to 2" wide (using a ratio with the truss rod cover screws -- which should be about 1.92" apart). I think the slim neck is maybe what helps to make it comfortable to play?

The bridge looks exactly like the one on my K-1 because I think Steve Smith used my mandocello bridge as a template so that's kind of cool...I'll have to ask Steve if that is indeed what happened -- but I do know Harvey saw my mandocello bridge when it was at Cumberland Acoustics for some repair.

The price of $12.5 K seems on the high side? I'm not sure about if you can even buy a new acoustic L-5C but a new L-5 from Gibson will cost about $7K. That's a pretty big difference -- but I'll bet it sells anyway....

[Gerry Cassidy]

Yes, it is very nice. That coming from a guy who doesn't favor guitar-bodied mandolin family instruments.

The neck was very comfortable, and although I don't know the specs on it, I generally prefer smaller necks. That Weber 5-course Cittern in the background of one of the pics sounds nice, but the neck is a baseball bat.

The bridge is the same design as my Circa 25' Gibson A Jr. mandolin, so I imagine this had an influence on the original K5's. I think Bruce used the original K5 design as a rule for this build. I heard that along the grapevine and wouldn't be able to substantiate it, just for the record.

This K5 really surprised me by just how good it did sound and the smaller neck made finger-picking quite easy. Again, not being a GOM-type guy (even tho' I own one!) I was kinda biased coming in to the whole thing. This Cello induced some polarity shift on that bias.

I most definitely wouldn't pay the $12.5K sticker price. Remember though, that is MAP. I am fairly certain the sell price is well below that.

[Bernie Daniel]

....The bridge is the same design as my Circa 25' Gibson A Jr. mandolin, so I imagine this had an influence on the original K5's. I think Bruce used the original K5 design as a rule for this build. I heard that along the grapevine and wouldn't be able to substantiate it, just for the record.....

Yes the Gibson mandocello bridge after the shift to the master models (F-,H-,K- & L-) in 1922 were essentially larger versions of the F-5 -- i.e., adjustable two piece base and saddle. Anyway a year and a half ago the bridge for my 1936 K-1 was down at the Cumberland Acoustic shop for Steve to consider a fix for the saddle that had broken in the middle (I think they were under designed -- too thin). At any rate, it was a back-burner request so I had called Steve to check on it and he mentioned he had just started to take a look at it as Dave Harvey had come by the shop and notice my mandocello bridge laying there -- he asked Steve "to make a few". Now we know why!