Thanks for the info. I did some quick research before I bought this mandolin so I didn’t go into detail other than the few sources I read. I read that Gibson uses/used corian on their Les pauls, so I guess its not too bad of a nut, but you are right, I would rather have bone. So I think I will upgrade the nut, bridge, and tailpiece down the road here. May also have the fretboard redone with Banjo frets (I like them better).
Show us your mandolin
There have only been 205 Pricetones F-styles built. Mr. Price is a great musician himself(He has played with The Osborne Brothers and Jimmy Capps among others) and knows how they should sound so he puts a lot of effort into making them sound perfect.
I really Like the look of the mandolin you have. I have asked Mr. Price about building another one for me with just a plain oil finish. Not sure if it will happen He is backed up quiet I like the no frills look!!!
I really like the color of your pricetone too. It has a natural look to it as well. I like the good woody type of staining. One of these days (if I can talk the wife into it) is to get a McClanahan mandolin and I hope to do that here in the future. I really like this guy and his attitude, lifestyle, and how he makes his instruments. I look at some of these custom built mandolins that run $6,000 or $9000 and you can’t help but question whether or not these people are there just to make money, I mean … unless they travel to the end of the earth to find these rare woods or something. 
I took brenton’s advice and talked to James at Red Valley. I was in the process of deciding if I wanted to go with maple or mahogany. James called to say that a partially completed mando was going to be available due to the original person ordering it not being able to finish the transaction. It had all of the items I was looking for anyway, and the hardware hadn’t been chosen. That made my tonewood decision a bit easier… mahogany it was. I told him I’d be happy to get it. He said if after playing it, it wasn’t exactly what I was looking for then he would make me another one. It came in last Thursday. I love it. The craftsmanship is just about flawless to my eye. The tone is really enjoyable. Tone is subjective, but I love what this one has. He set it up incredibly and it plays wonderful. I may even raise the action a smidge on the bass side. The neck shape plus a 1 1/4" nut width make playing so much easier for my left hand. For my tastes, I think it’s a very pretty instrument. The mahogany doesn’t have the same big quilted pattern as brenton’s, but it does have interesting figure. I am not quite sure what to call it. The figure pattern is smaller figures (but still spread throughout), and it shows differently depending on what angle you look at it. The closest thing I have seen a name applied to is “beeswing” mahogany. Whatever you call this, it’s kind of unique. Put it all together, and it’s a keeper.
Two days after I got it, I took it down to Glen Rose, TX for a BG jam. I had a blast just chopping away. I got to listen to it as some others tried it out as well. That was very enjoyable hearing how it did with much more experienced fingers in control.
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Congrats on the mandolin Mike. It really looks beautiful in the pics. It looks like maple binding instead of ivoroid or plastic. I love the F-5 style but it’s nice to see the A’s & different styles getting some recognition. I have a natural Breedlove Oregon A model myself. So when do we get to hear it?
I hope I don’t sound too ignorant, but I wanted to ask what all do I need to post a break onto the sight? Do I need an app for my computer, can I go directly from a good video camera or just a mic? I have a shure SM58, but it’s more for vocals & also an Audio-Technica condenser mic. Just not sure what all I need or how to do it. I may be asking this for others as well (I sure hope so. Don’t want to be the only one who doesn’t know).
I came up with a second part to your break on Lonesome Fiddle Blues & I’d like to try it out & see how it sounds, unless someone else would rather do it. It’s on mandolin & I’m more of a guitar player & all those involved were kinda waiting on a fiddle part, but I just wanted to see how it would fit.
Anyway, enjoy your new mandolin & let me know if you or someone else can help me.
Thanks & God Bless, JeffCongrats Mike! Great looking mandolin! I will be looking forward to hearing it.
Very distinctive mando. Can’t wait to hear it. That hand coming out of the wall is kind of scaring me, though.
Jeff, I imagine you’d get a better quality recording with your Shure or AT mic than you would with a video camera’s mic. My primarily mic is an AT3035 but I use my SM57 occasionally. Do you already have your mics connected to your computer?
Thanks Jeff! Good eye, its’ maple binding (very curly… it’s pretty stuff). I love wood binding. I am not really into instrument “bling” but I have a couple guitars with wood binding, and that really appeals to me. I suspect I’ll be recording it soon, but I don’t play it well enough to do it justice.
As far as posting a break just to show someone something, you can record it however is handy. As far as doing the collaborative recordings (netgrass), we are generally using music-specific mics and recording software (often called DAWs). I suspect using a mic built into a video camera wouldn’t give you results that you would be happy with for that purpose. Your AT condensor would probably work wonderful with instruments. If not, the SM58 would be fine. Since you already have a couple mics, my inclination would be to consider getting a USB audio interface for your computer. They run for about $100 and up. I have a focusrite saffire 6 USB and I think it does a great job. Alot of guys are using USB mics and they work well, so that is an option too.
As far as DAWs, I use Ableton, some guys use ProTools, others use Audacity. Often, if you buy an audio interface it will come with a stripped down version of a commercial DAW. You don’t need many features, so the simplest software should allow you to get good tracks recorded. Audacity is free. I have never used it, but it seems to give good results. It’s free, so it’s worth a look:
audacity.sourceforge.net/about/
I look forward to hearing the break you did. Let us know if you need some help getting going on the recording. If so, we could start a new thread so others in the same boat could find it.
Sorry, it kind of overlaps the previous messages… Shawn and Larry’s posts were put up while I was editing mine.
Thanks Shawn and Larry.
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That hand coming out of the wall is kind of scaring me, though.
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I have a neighbor who is kind enough to stick his hand through the wall and hold things when I take pictures. I think he needs to get out in the sun some more though.
Jeff’s questions got me thinking that we need a sticky topic for our netgrass section that explains how we go about recording, what equipment is needed, etc. Maybe a FAQ section or something like that would work.
I bet we miss out on collaborating with some good pickers because of the technological barriers.
Thanks Mike & Larry, I really appreciate your help.
To answer your question Larry, no I don’t have the mics hooked into my computer. I suppose adapter cables are available to go from XLR to USB. I also like your idea MIke of using an audio interface. I did some research today & it seems as though the Focusrite & M-Audio both have good reviews. I also found a Tascam at Elderly on sale for $109.00 which uses cubase or something like that. I don’t know a thing about any of these. I think I’ll rule out the video recorder, you both agree that the sound quality won’t be as good & it would probably cost more to go that route anyway.
I still have my old Tascam 424MKIII Portastudio cassette recorder, so I do have a little (not much) knowledge of recording & overdubbing. Putting it through the computer & today’s technology is what’s throwing me off.
By the way, my home PC has Windows Vista Home Premium (I know, I need to update) & my laptop has Windows 7, so whatever would work the best. Any other ideas would be greatly appreciated.
My son’s a Sophomore in college, so I can always drill him for info too.
Thanks again, JeffOne more thing Mike, I only have 989 more posts & I’ll catch up to you. Congrats on the 1000.
Good deal Jeff,
If you used to record on the tascam, the capabilities on the computer should impress you. I think you will like it. Larry and I (and maybe others… we really seem to like collaborating) are going to put up a how-to guide for the collaborative recording in the next few days. In the mean time, here’s a link to an introduction to computer interface recording:
homerecording.com/bbs/general-di … ng-323561/
In those forums you can find everything from basics to expert topics.
Mreisz,
Sorry, been AWOl for a bit working long hours but wow, it is fairly nice looking mando as well. I might go back and get me an oval hole down the road, they do have a bit more mellow/even tone vs. the F Holes and I wouldn’t mind having one of each myself. I did try both types out and ended up sticking with the F hole.I would call that type of Mahogany “Spalted” I believe is the term? Or a type of Spalted I suppose? I don’t really know either but that is what I think I was told it was closer to. This is most likely the same block of wood my neck is made out of as he didn’t have enough to make the entire instrument with the figured Mohagany. You even went with the gold tuners too, I see?
Hey Brenton,
Me and the mando are getting acquainted. I am loving it. I might raise the action on it a bit to see how it sounds. James had it set up as low as can be (and I appreciate it). On the tuners, they were what James suggested. He said they were a bit better made (cast instead of pressed). He also pointed out that the color matched nicely with the tailpiece. If I remember correctly, it was like a dirt cheap upgrade, so what the heck? Thanks for bringing Jame’s instruments to my attention.
The only spalted wood I am really familiar with is spalted maple. On that it’s a color variation (usually grey or black) due to fungi growth in the living tree. I used some spalted curly maple in some furniture I made years ago. Pretty stuff. Anyway, if my mando is spalted, it doesn’t look like it. It’s just an odd figuring. I guess the closest thing to it that has a description I know may be bird’s eye.
I might have some interesting tone wood for James. I talked to him about a neighbor having the old spars from his Stearman biplane from when he rebuilt the wings. If what I read is correct, it should be sitka spruce. In this case, it is at least many decades old if not from when it was originally made in the 40s. I need to go get a piece and plane it a bit to see what is under the varnish. Hopefully it’s good stuff and of sufficient width to make some tops. I am kind of excited to see what it looks like.
Wow, if you have some old sitka, I might have to have my oval hole made after all (and soon) 
I bet (with it aged as it is) that would make for some awesome sounding tops. So yes, do keep me posted on that.
I got to record a bit today. I thought I’d throw a bit of it up here so ya’ll could hear my mando. It doesn’t have a typical bluegrass sound, but I like it. It’s a little more bellsy and ringy. It’s a happy little instrument.
You all can thank me for leaving me trying to cover my wife’s (who’s out of town) vocal part out of the mix I made to upload
[attachment=0]West Virginia my home-Demo.mp3[/attachment]
Very nice Mike!
The new mando sounds great & sounds more bluegrass than I thought it would from your description. It has a nice sweet articulate tone. Good playing on both the intro & the rythym. I’d love to hear it with the vocals.
Was that recorded with your new mic, Mike. Ha ha. Either way it’s nicely recorded. I’m still working on getting some recording gear together. I tried an interface with my computer & didn’t like it all. The interface was fine. I just didn’t like going through the computer, so I took it back & am now looking for a work station that I can download a mix to the computer. I guess I’m old fashioned & too used to my old 8-track cassette recorder with knobs & slides. The Tascam dp-02 or dp-03 looks like what I may go with. Anyone have thoughts on this before I may make a mistake? Or should I give an interface more time? Also I wouldn’t have to buy monitors for the computer as I’m already set up with my old Tascam cassette through a stereo amp. Anyway I liked your recording & the new mandolin sounds great.
J.W.
Thanks for the compliments JW. Don’t get me wrong, I love the sound of it. To my ear, it doesn’t have that round, deep throaty sound that you often hear in grass. Of course part of that is probably me. I can’t pull tone out of an instrument the way some people can. But with that said, the mando has a sound I really think works well for live and so far, recorded as well. It’s very resonant and you pick up all sort of harmonics.
It was my first time recording it, so I was playing with different things. What you heard on that MP3 was simultaneously recorded with two mics, the (new) Shure SM7 and the MXL 990. I had them fairly closely positioned, about 8 or 10 inches in front of the mando. The SM7 was in front of about the 8th fret, pointed towards the neck joint, the MXL 990 was near the tail end of the mando and below the centerline and pointed back up towards the center of the body. The SM7 didn’t sound as I expected, but it provided a nice sound. I thought it would sound deeper than it did which is why I positioned it higher (to prevent any muddiness). Instead, it provided a lighter sound. I think the SM7 is very sensitive to how close you are to it.
In my opinion, I would suggest giving recording through the computer a bit more time before throwing in the towel. Once you get over the hump of learning your way around, it provides so many convenient, time saving, capability enhancing features. It’s kind of like the difference between digital and film pictures. Digital is not necessarily a better medium, but millions of people get better pictures simply because they can preview them immediately and take a bazillion shots to get one good one. If I were recording on a dedicated physical workstation (like a digital version of what I used to do on my Fostex), the results would be much diminished. Not because I couldn’t do the same thing on it, but because the software interface makes things so much easier, I can accomplish much more in much less time. That applies to every aspect of the process, including recording, mixing and mastering. I wish you could visit one of us that use them. In less than an hour, I think you’d be convinced (and over the hump). If you give it another shot, I would be happy to help get you going with it.
On a related note, I am going to get “more better” DAW software. I am bumping up up against the limitations of my free version of Ableton software a bit too often. I can work around it by ping ponging tracks and using effects loops, but it doesn’t make much sense to keep wasting my time when I could get past that with a fairly modest amount of cash. Pro Tools is widely held in great regard. I might go down that road. But before I do that, I am going to try out Reaper (http://www.reaper.fm/). I have read about it and seen some reviews, and I think it might be a great fit. In addition, their pricing is incredible. For the fully functional package it’s only $60 for a home user like myself. The software is the same as what is sold to commercial studios for several times more. They have a 60 day test drive for free, and I am going to do that. Once I try it, I’ll post a review on the forum.
Thanks Mike for all the help. I probably should have kept the interface a little longer. It was the Audiobox Presonus with two xlr inputs (the smallest one they make) & I believe it had the protools or prostudio software.
What I didn’t like, was to record a second track like a lead over a rythym track, I had to unplug my mic & plug it into the second xlr input to use another track. Then if I wanted to do a mandolin break I couldn’t get it to record any more tracks. I’m sure there’s a way around this that I don’t see, but with my cassette portastudio, I could record track over track over track with no problem & never having to plug my mic into another jack.
Also, my wife wasn’t too happy about all the cords, recording gear, mics, mandolin, guitar, banjo, upright bass, 400 watt fender amp, 32 piece drum set & 100 piece orchestra sitting on the desk (it’s a really big desk) when she wanted to balance the checkbook. OK, maybe it was just a mandolin & guitar, but I’m sure there’s a way to work around this.
So, for now I think I’ll do some more research & try to learn more before I buy anything. I really do appreciate your help. Let us know what you thing of the new DAW program. By the way if you haven’t already, check out Sweetwater Music. It’s an incredible store for recording gear & mic’s & such. I had work in Ft. Wayne, Indiana last week, so I stopped in & was in awe. Most of their sales is internet, but the walk in store is amazing. They have one room strictly dedicated to mics alone, a professional recording studio & even an in house restaraunt. I wish I had the time to stay longer. Thanks again…
J.W.