Sobell Mandolin- outlets and prices ?

[Werner Jaekel]

Many musicians in Europe seem to like the mandolins made by Stefan Sobell ( Dagger Gordon) . I live in Germany and I have no idea where and how to get one and what prices are like. An email to him was left unanswered. Browsing the web provided no information.

[Dagger Gordon]

Hi Ja'he.

Dagger here.

I wish I could be more helpful, but the fact is Sobell mandolins are rare and pretty expensive when they do occasionally come up.

However, not that long ago there were about three for sale. It might be possible that they have not all sold.

Here is a thread from Mandolin Cafe about it. I got my mandolin in the early 1980s, when quite they were quite readily available. Thanks for your very kind comments on another thread, by the way.

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...bell-mandolins

[David Hansen]

I remember seeing 5 up for sale this year, one on Ebay, one at Elderly, one at Gryphon, one here at the cafe and one on Stefan's site. The one on Ebay was a 10 string from the mid 90's and went for 6K, yikes! I snagged the one from Stefan's site for considerably less. I also got an octave from The Music Emporium. The best way to a acquire a Sobell is to keep looking and be patient, they do show up from time to time.

[Gregory Tidwell]

mistake.

[Werner Jaekel]

Thank you, Dagger and David. You are the two who had me convinced that I should get one. Maybe I will get a chance, but I don't want to wait that long.
Here in germany it's barren ground if one looks for a good mando. Probably take a trip to Brighton next year. Could you recommend something equally good without having to spend the price of a car?

Dagger: my pleasure, you are welcome.

[Dagger Gordon]

Ja'he,

I use my Sobell on the Like Father and Highland Mandolin albums.

However, I use a Collings MT for my Scottish Mandolin Tutor book and its accompanying CD. I like the mandolin very much. It is quite different from the Sobell and has f-holes rather than the oval hole on the Sobell.

They are quite readily available in the UK. The MT is the cheapest model which Collings make, but it's good enough for me. I'm not necessarily saying it's 'equally good' as the Sobell, but it's certainly not bad at all and I preferred it to many others in Brighton where I bought it. I don't believe TAMCO still sells Collings, however. There are lots of threads on the Cafe here about how good Collings MT mandolins are.

http://www.themusicroom-online.co.uk...oducts_id=4151

Collings actually have a number of German dealers. Perhaps you could try them.

http://www.collingsguitars.com/dealers-intl.php#Germany

[Dave Hanson]

Colings are undoubtedly good mandolins, but here in the UK be prepared to pay well over the odds for one now that TAMCO has stopped selling them.
At another well known music shop in the UK a Collings MT is £2470.00 which with the current exchange rate is over £800.00 more than the US price.

Dave H

[Dagger Gordon]

The link I've put up for The Music Room shows an MT at £1777.50 including case.

Let me make it clear so as not to mislead anybody.

Although I sometimes use a Collings MT, it is a different mandolin from my Sobell - indeed that's why I have it- BUT I do find it a good mandolin for my style. It is the mandolin which I use on The Scottish Mandolin Tutor CD.

However, I am generally a firm believer in actually trying out any instrument before you buy. Each instrument is a little bit different, not so much in fit and finish etc but in the way it rings and resonates. I have very often encountered name brand instruments which just didn't excite me at all, and which I really had expected to like very much more.
Mandolins which are good for bluegrass often don't have a great deal of sustain, while Sobell ones have quite unbelievable sustain. This is one of the major differences between his instruments and others.

So there is a reason why Sobell instruments are so highly valued.

Incidentally, my Collings cost about £1600 about 4 years ago. Not a cheap mandolin by any means.

On the other end of the scale, I think Kentucky mandolins can be really quite good, but in the end I guess you get what you pay for.

[Dave Hanson]

Dagger, it's on their website but they don't have one in stock and can't say when they will, they have in stock an MT, gloss finish wide nut at £2470.00 same model in the USA $2475.00, thats a very big difference.

Dave H