Good deal on mandos (no financial interest)

greenspiderweb · Post by **greenspiderweb** » Mon Apr 23, 2007 4:12 pm

livethe question wrote:Barry,

Star of the County Down is also one of my favorites. Currently I can do it on the whistle, flute, concertina and mandolin. I'm just doing single note melody on the mandolin. Do you have any input on how to mix single notes with chords and/or double stops?

jim

Hi Jim,

Yes, nice tune! I don't mess much with chords or double stops yet-I think a drone string below or above the melody fretted string sounds real nice-even better sometimes than a double stop or chord that is fretted, which kind of kills the open string ring. Or, a nice crossed picked note or two on an open string works well too when you mix them in.

I just go with where my fingers and ears lead me-sorry for the sketchy explanation, but my music isn't real technically or theoretically oriented.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Tue Apr 24, 2007 6:06 am

I like to play Star nice and slowly like an air, then kick it up to reel tempo: a medley of one tune.

greenspiderweb · Post by **greenspiderweb** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 12:09 am

OK, I got the Fullerton Hammonton the other day. It's a nicely made mandolin-fit and finish are fine. The bridge isn't fitted very well though, so I switched bridges with another and that fit pretty closely.

I've had a chance to play and compare it to the Gloucester and Pennington, and I think this particular mandolin would do well to have the bridge optimally fitted, since the tone isn't as strong or deep, and seems it needs a little help. Also, fitting a nice cast tailpiece and other strings probably would help too. It seems to weigh more than the other two, so maybe that has some effect on the tone.

It's still an amazing value for a solid wood mandolin (and nice lightly flamed maple too), but I'll either pick the Gloucester, or even the Pennington, which I'm still impressed with. I did get a chance to compare it to another Pennington, and yes, this one sounds much better-for a laminated wood instrument, and $89, it's amazing! But, I imagine it's the luck of the draw on the cheaper ones. The other one wasn't finished as well either-some drips, looked thicker in finish, and the sunburst and wood wasn't as nice.

So, now I get to play them and have some fun, and then decide on the one that stays-might be hard though! I don't know-one for the beach, and one for the mountains? One for Irish, and one for Old Time?

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:17 am

I'm thinking ahead to when I get to "keep" my Gloucester after my birthday, and was speculating on possible modifications.
People talk about cast tailpieces, but gorsh they're expensive! How much diff does a tailpiece REALLY make? What really makes them worth the $$?
Do I want/need an arm rest? I've never felt the need for one, but then again I only recently became aware of them.
One thing I noticed on the Gloucester during my all-too-brief test was that the tuner knobs look sort of cheesy. I looked at replacement ones (black would look really sharp) but again was dismayed to see how expensive they are. Anyone know of decent but reasonable replacements?

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:11 pm

Paul, if y're gonna replace tuners I'd bite the bullet and pay for good Schallers. If you buy cheaper then you may as well stick with the perfectly serviceable ones that come as stock.

Again, the stock tailpiece is ok. Cast makes little difference IMHO, and I have tried swapping cast and stamped over, with no noticeable difference in tone or volume.

The only change I'd personally make would be a well-cut bone nut in place of the cr*p plastic one.

As for accessories, my vote goes to anything that keeps you from accidentally damping the volume and tone. So I'd say get an armrest and a ToneGard.

My Gloucester is just so great. I like it more every day!

greenspiderweb · Post by **greenspiderweb** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 5:32 pm

Yes, ditto on the tuning machines-they will make more of a positive difference in playing than most accessories (all those strings are hard to keep in tune very often). So, that's the place to spend the money if yours aren't keeping your in tune.

I probably wouldn't spend the money either for a cast tailpiece (even though they seem popular). I just mentioned it for that Hammonton that appears to need some help tonewise, but I won't be keeping it. It does appear to be nicely made, but doesn't have the tone of the Gloucester (at least the one I got). But that bridge needs fitting too.

Though, an armrest sounds like a good idea for hand comfort. I'll see if I need one when I get my strap (another good idea) so I can hold it easier and see where my picking hand lies then. Holding it in my lap when I play, I don't seem to need the armrest.

fearfaoin · Post by **fearfaoin** » Fri Apr 27, 2007 7:59 pm

buddhu wrote:Paul, if y're gonna replace tuners I'd bite the bullet and pay for good Schallers. If you buy cheaper then you may as well stick with the perfectly serviceable ones that come as stock.

Are Schallers the bee's knees? I notice stewmac.com has both
Schallers and Grovers at a similar price (both brands are under $55)
So far, I've only used Grover replacements (on a guitar).

(P.S., are Waverly tuners really worth $500? Good grief!)

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 12:19 pm

fearfaoin wrote:
buddhu wrote:Paul, if y're gonna replace tuners I'd bite the bullet and pay for good Schallers. If you buy cheaper then you may as well stick with the perfectly serviceable ones that come as stock.
Are Schallers the bee's knees? I notice stewmac.com has both
Schallers and Grovers at a similar price (both brands are under $55)
So far, I've only used Grover replacements (on a guitar).

(P.S., are Waverly tuners really worth $500? Good grief!)

I slightly prefer Schallers over Grovers, but both are good, and it's a matter of taste. As for Waverly tuners... how can *any* tuners be worth such a preposterous price?

If anyone does change out the tuners, check that you get the right ones - you'll need ones where the tuner shafts go over the top of the gears/posts rather than under. Both kinds are available, so it needs to be checked when ordering.

TheSpoonMan · Post by **TheSpoonMan** » Sat Apr 28, 2007 4:35 pm

Hmm... if my mandolin weren't already IMO the best cheap factory mandolin ever (OM12(B)), I'd definately think of this... good stuff! I'd be interested to see how it holds up over time tho- I hope you guys'll keep us updated?

Now, if only I could find a similar deal for a bouzouki, then I'd be in business...

greenspiderweb · Post by **greenspiderweb** » Tue May 01, 2007 12:31 am

fearfaoin wrote:
buddhu wrote:Paul, if y're gonna replace tuners I'd bite the bullet and pay for good Schallers. If you buy cheaper then you may as well stick with the perfectly serviceable ones that come as stock.
Are Schallers the bee's knees? I notice stewmac.com has both
Schallers and Grovers at a similar price (both brands are under $55)
So far, I've only used Grover replacements (on a guitar).

(P.S., are Waverly tuners really worth $500? Good grief!)

Over on The Mandolin Cafe, there's a topic about tuners here:

http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/iko ... 12;t=43383

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Tue May 01, 2007 1:58 am

If Paul reckons there are quality issues with current Schallers then I'm happy to believe him. He knows what he's talking about. I've clearly been lucky so far.

Like I said before, with the good quality tuners it's largely a question of preference. QC issues in the equation, Gotoh or Grovers might be best.

That said, the Schallers on my Campfire mando and on my electro acoustic guitar are great... But the guitar ones are about 8 years old, and the mando ones could just be a lucky strike.

greenspiderweb · Post by **greenspiderweb** » Tue May 01, 2007 4:23 pm

Yeah, I've got Schaller's on 3 of my guitars, and they've been fine. They are a little older too, the oldest going back about 10 years though.

So, I can't speak of Schaller's quality now, and have little experience with mandolins, but I'd probably go with Gotohs if I could find them, although they don't seem readily available at the moment from doing a search.

Yes, Paul Hostetter (from the previous link about tuners on the Cafe), a luthier who does mostly repair, and some building, has plenty of experience in the matter, and would know about the tuners. The Stu-Mac Elites look nice too that he suggests. I just like the look of the ivory buttons on the Gotohs myself.

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 4:53 am

Only 23 days until I get my Gloucester...

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Mon Jun 04, 2007 7:45 am

brewerpaul wrote:Only 23 days until I get my Gloucester...

Oh, man. I'd forgotten you are having to wait.

I really feel your pain, mate.

But it'll be worth it. I love mine more every day. It's not the best mandolin in the world, but it is a good quality instrument at an absurd price.

Sadly, we are among the happy few. Apparently the Gloucesters are no longer available.

Try not to think about it, Paul. A watched pot never boils, and all that...

buddhu · Post by **buddhu** » Tue Jun 05, 2007 4:03 am

A pic of my Fullerton in action is posted in this thread.

http://chiffboard.mati.ca/viewtopic.php?p=665399#665399

Not a great image, but the Gloucester more than holds its own even in the presence of an amplified bass and a pretty thunderous banjo!

Not often you get to hear 'Duelling Banjos' with a clarinet in the mix!