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Those are attractive looking F-style Mandolin's, yet regardless of how nice the photo's appear, I'd be concerned making a purchase like that from a company in "Taiwan". As you say, when you pay that type money, you have US stores that have fabulous return policies such as Elderly Instruments, and Mandolin Bros.. Their sales dept's are also very good IMO, and take alot of time to discuss all concerns on the telephone... If you don't like the instrument, you just send it back, no questions asked... They even have a policy (or at least had a policy) where you can pay a certain amount, and try different instruments, (no strings attached)- no pun intended...


Only F-style Mandolin I've played is "The Gibson", which was a gorgeous Mandolin...


My current Mandolin is a roundback, which I find VERY uncomfortable...

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Yeah, it was Fiddle Britches. And Keith is gone, so the nicname can fade with him.  :(

But then again, maybe sweetcheeks will disappear now too?

haha

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

I'd run a webcheck on that company,  just out've curiosity.  See if there's anything written on them... Who knows,  they might be a division of Samick... or some larger luthier for all we know

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I won't mention it again.

Peace-out.

Yeah, I'm not bidding. I shy away from people overseas on Ebay, atleast for big items. My hubby did get some collectible snuff bottles from Taiwan, and all worked out well. I will most likely get the rosewood set though, I love that, and I've yet to see ANYthing that nice around here. Heck, I paid $45 for a set once, and it wasn't even inlaid with MOP at all, just plain. And, if I get burned, I guess I learn my lesson with that place. But, they certainly have alot of sales, and great feedback.




I would give just about anything to have a Gibson F5, that's what Bill Monroe played, and I've drooled over those all my life. But, to get an original one, made back in  "the day"...... you're talking some bucks. Steven, if you ever get one that says "THE Gibson".... good lord, hang on to that thing. Someone, like Charmin, might would snag it while you weren't looking. I held one and strummed it once, at a pawn shop. That's a lasting memory. It was $2700.  :shock:

And potatoe bug mandolins....... My mom has one, I don't like to play them either, though they have a deep tone.

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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

Portland Blues festival look's like a blast.  I was viewing that when I started this thread in fact.  Seem's to have quite an ecclectic mix of style.

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Yeah,  I'm going to do a webcheck of that company as soon as I get back from running an errand.  I love researching some of these companies that appear to have gorgeous stuff, yet to most of us are somewhat obscure brands. The MOP inlay looks quite attractive, and for all I know, this *might* be a decent brand... I'd just hate to think many are getting "hoodwinked" by flambouyance when underlying all that, the neck isn't even adjustable, or that good, etc etc...and the overall construction and way it's braced is lower-end perhaps.....

I have to really check that description too, I like learning about new brands internationally.  Some of these brands ARE quite good, but it's alway's buyer beware..... Takes alot of "researching" stuff to know what's cheap, and what's everybit as good as makes we know of here in the USA,  or MIGHT in fact be the manufacturer's of makes we'd buy here in the USA for that matter. Korea has come a LONG way regarding it's quality (pertaining to the guitar market) for instance.... In the early 70's the rule of thumb was if you weren't buying a very well known european make such as Hofner, Hagstrom, etc... You stuck with American Brands... Now just about any guitar under $600 is imported. I think RIckenbacker was Santa Anna California back in those days 1970's too not sure).. Ibanez started coming out with decent guitars, yet so did Electra/Westone in the 1970's,  People started buying Ibanez "lawsuit" model's from abroad.... The Artstar series, and Artist series  (GB series or George Benson jazz lines) were imports but very nice guitars, Ibanez and Washburn pretty much moved alot of buying during the "shred" period over-seas... Lot's of makers did late 1970's... Prior to that (and I think Fender started contracting to Samick plant in Japan in 1976) few would buy an imported guitar at least pro players wouldn't.  What many didn't realize is their Fender standard (not american standard) was a Samick they were paying $250 over the price of the identicle Samick guitar for...Samick was making their Fender Stratocaster, and Washburn, etc

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I "think" that is the festival Kurt invited me to, this weekend I beleive it is. Maybe I'm wrong though, I do know it is blues. He has backstage passes.

But,  :(  , I can't go. Baby still expected. (sometime this year I hope)


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♥ Laugh your heart out, dance in the rain. Cherish the memories, ignore the pain. Love and learn, forget and forgive. Because you only have one life to live. ♥

MJK,

 Depending on what you were going for in particular, assuming you were trying to nail the "cover".  I'd have to listen to Bobby Vee doing the song...  I don't recall hearing his version in YEARS... So my recollection isn't that great...Yet if I critique for "the cover", I do a head-to-head so I can at least listen for dynamic's, and nuance...

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Michael,


  As I mentioned in "Summer Wind", for the listener to really hear the blend, your vocal timbre, the horn timbre, and the overall big-band type dynamics of this genre, this needs some speaker volume on their part.... It mixes alot nicer on moderate volumes.... To capture the fullness of the orchestra it requires some volume, there's alot going on in these standards and swing type tunes... Anything from the bigband genre, needs some volume to really stand out IMO... You have the singing and orchestration reaching Crescendo's, and decrescendo's throughout... You miss this on low volumes... Listener needs some volume to hear the whole story....

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Well it was on July 4th, 1995 that I was playing with Jon Koonce And The Gas Hogs at the Portland Waterfront Blues Festival.  This is a video clip of us doing the Fabulous Thunderbirds w/ Jimmie Ray Vaughn's song "Tear It Up".

http://www.yousendit.com/transfer.php?a ... AC2CC6D864

Man,  why didn't you call me.... I could of added ALOT to that on the Yamaha electra grand, and B-3.. C blues,  I'd have turned that into an NRBQ type boogie... I'm no Terry Adam's, but I've sat in for him  

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Man,  why didn't you call me.... I could of added ALOT to that on the Yamaha electra grand, and B-3.. C blues,  I'd have turned that into an NRBQ type boogie... I'm no Terry Adam's, but I've sat in for him  


BTW,  Stock Telecaster IS NOT an easy guitar to fill in that way in a three piece blues jam such as that.  Guy has ALOT of energy...Very strong drummer !  I wonder why he opted to to that in C with just the three of you, perhaps his vocal range..

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

I'm not sure why we did it in C.  What's the original key?  Don't even know that for sure.  We kept this band as a trio mainly for economic reasons and because it was a challenge to squeeze as much sound as possible from a trio.  Jon has several guitars, but he always seemed to favor his Tele.  Andy is the best rock drummer I've ever played with.  He sold drums at a local music store.  He was on tour for awhile with Tommy Tutone of all people.

His root position is the 8th fret, so he hasn't tuned down, that's root position C pent.. Usually A or G is often favored (not that it really matters) but if there's no keyboard, or instrument I'm playing with, I like to shift into higher positions on the neck.... using all five positions in the blues scale..... Ergonomically C chokes me up because it's tougher to bend in the lower positions in standard tuning.... It somewhat restricts range IMO.....  Interesting... Considering he's either playing thru a deluxe reverb, or twin and getting that full a sound mic'ing the telecaster into the PA, that's tough to do..... That'd be the Tele into the Marshall if I tried that... Tele is so clean, especially thru a fender amp.... It's tough tough work to do what he did !!

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

OH yeah, C is a weird key for rock/blues.  Fine for country and folk.

Yeah Don,  Even if I'm walking blues on the bass trying to cover the whole neck, I get choked up in "C", I lose my reference more easily if I'm trying to walk basslines freely in C... Not sure why, yet geometrically, C is a slightly tougher key to go wild in and maintain a reference especially during turnaround....  I know my positions in ALL keys,  yet if I want references for jumping 5th's and octaves, C drives me crazy in terms of resolution... Just a weird inversion

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Don, you know what I think it is ?  Walking the whole neck in C takes more concentration than most other keys, since the bass is quite geometric, the scale positioning differs when playing C root fast blues, or shuffle.  Assuming you want to jump around, you don't have the exact geometric reference using neck positioning as you do in other standard blues keys... Even Bb is MUCH MUCH easier to land back home in...

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".

Well with C you're either starting on the third fret A string or 8th fret E string. Not a lot of other logical options.

Don, if I'm doing more of a major 12 bar pattern I jump around
Duple meter, fast walk 8 beats to measure....

3rd fret C-Bb-A-E-D-A-G-B (fifth fret G) C crossover walkdown to E, and start descending pattern

walking to the 4th would land me on F or 8th fret A string in which case I'd either ascend, or descend.... I do alot of jumping.. Constantly changing positions.. I try to cover the whole neck... I'm a pig like that .. If I can't over complicate something it's not worth doing !

Incidently that's usually with an added ii-vi prog

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Northeast United States runner up for the "Singing Hall of Shame".