Forum - Banjo Ben Clark

I finally upgraded

#1

I just got my new mandolin last friday!! I’ve been playing a Kentucky KM150 for the past 5 years or so, and as I already have really nice instruments for guitar, fiddle, and banjo, I figured it was finally time to upgrade to a nice mandolin.
I did my research, and ended up finding a used Northfield Model M in the Mandolin Cafe classifieds for a price in the low $2000 range.
Unfortunately, I will be out of town for a month, and I didn’t bring the new one with me, but before I left I filmed a few videos. So here’s a video of me playing it:

And I was curious, because my KM150 is the best mandolin I’ve ever played under about $1,000, how it would compare to the Northfield. So I did a back to back test, and found that the M sounds substantially better, and also plays Way WAY better. But I’m still quite impressed with the KM 150s performance.

Here are a couple more videos.

What do y’all think?

Thanks and Be Blessed
Gunnar

18 Likes
#2

Enjoy that Northfield. I listened to a couple of the videos; you make it sound good!

5 Likes
#3

Congratulations Gunner. The new mandolin sounds great. I skipped around in the comparison video and could tell them apart every time. There’s nothing better than an instrument you love to play.

I was thinking about you with the recent weather related destruction in WNC. I hope you are well.

2 Likes
#4

Thanks!! I’ve liked every Northfield I’ve ever played, so it’s really nice to finally own one!!

Thanks! It’s not really meant to be a close comparison, kinda like a corolla vs a Bentley lol. But I think my kentucky is one of the best KM150s, so I was curious if it would be that huge a difference.

We are visiting my family in Mozambique right now, so we were not affected. Heidi’s parents are ok, and all of our friends are ok, though some of them have lost a lot.

4 Likes
#5

gif @Dragonslayer Gunnar great to see you back on the forum

4 Likes
#6

Welcome to the Northfield gang
Happy for you!

4 Likes
#7

Simply dominating! :+1:

1 Like
#8

Excited for you!

5 Likes
#9

Thanks! I’m going to try and pop in here every so often, more than I had been.

Thanks! It seems like I’m in some very good company playing one.

Thanks!

Thanks!

3 Likes
#10

When the world needed him most, he returned…

Are y’all still in Mozambique?

3 Likes
#11

We are right now. We’re leaving saturday Lord willing.
I thought it was a little amusing that the one time I go back to Africa, I’m the one with power and internet and everyone back home doesn’t have it.
It’ll be harder to keep up with the forum back home, but I’ll try

8 Likes