As new 604 with strap button. Pic is not of actual mandolin.

When I started TAMCO back in 2001 I never thought I would be able to offer a bluegrass mandolin of this quality for such a price. All solid woods, hand carved top and back and solid cast tailpiece. It's got the bluegrass bark and chop but with the added bass and sustain of the oval hole. I've said it before and I've never been afraid of repeating myself.. you lose very little 'cut' with the oval over f hole but gain a lot in bass and sustain, that's my opinion, lots of folk disagree with me... With shaped violin style lightweight hardshell case. Classic finish.

Unbelievable value, solid spruce, hand carved top, solid maple (hand carved) back and sides, and solid cast tailpiece, triple bound top, unbound back. Great tone, good resonance and plenty of the bluegrass bark and chop. With shaped violin style lightweight hardshell case. Classic finish.

Hand carved solid spruce top, solid maple back and sides, black and white diamond rosette, bound sound hole and solid cast tailpiece, triple bound top, unbound back. Great tone with the woody thump of an oval hole. Clear, well separated mids and trebles. With shaped violin style lightweight hardshell case. Available in classic finish.

An amazing value F5 in hand carved all solid woods, spruce and maple, solid cast tailpiece, triple bound top, single bound neck, ebony fingerboard, nickel fittings. Fantastic value and a banjo killer too, lots of volume, bark and chop. With shaped violin style lightweight hardshell case. Classic finish.

All solid spruce/flamed maple A style, oval hole with triple binding on top, back and single bound headstock, nickel fittings, including Schaller tuners and a solid cast tailpiece, ebony fingerboard. Lovely bass and balance with clear mids and trebles. With fitted violin-style rectangular lightweight hardshell case. Classic finish.

The 605 has hand carved all solid woods, with flamed maple back and sides, nickel hardware, triple bound front and back and single bound headstock and a solid cast tailpiece. It's got the cut beloved of bluegrass players with good balance for all styles of music. With fitted violin style lightweight rectangular hardshell case. Classic finish.

All solid, spruce and flamed maple with black/diamond rosette, ebony fingerboard, nickel fittings, solid tailpiece and Schaller tuners, triple bound front and back and single bound headstock. The oval hole increases the bass, middles and resonance and perhaps reduces the cut a bit but with great returns in melodic and harmonic complexity. Comes with violin style fitted rectangular hard-shell case. Classic finish.

An all solid woods spruce/flamed maple hand made, hand carved F5. Triple bound top, back and single bound headstock, solid cast tailpiece, Schaller tuners, plenty of bark and chop, and projection and volume to battle those ba*jos. With fitted violin style hard-shell case. Classic finish.

As 615 but the other way up, with custom case.

Solid spruce top, spectacular solid flamed maple back, black/diamond rosette, Schaller tuners and solid cast tailpiece, ebony fretboard, triple bound top, back and headstock. It's got that gorgeous deep thumping bass typical of a vintage Gibson, with great projection and balance. With fitted violin style rectangular lightweight hardshell case. Classic finish.

With all solid woods (including some very nicely flamed maple on the back and sides), Schaller tuners, solid cast tailpiece, triple bindings on the top, back, fretboard and headstock the 805 has all the appointments of a much more expensive mandolin. It's got the bark and chop of an f hole for those bluegrass jams, watch out banjo players! With fitted violin style lightweight rectangular hardshell case. Classic finish.

A beautiful all solid woods F4 with Schaller tuners, solid cast tailpiece, triple bound top, back, fretboard and headstock, spectacular flamed maple on the back and sides. Rich, deep and resonant bass typical of the oval hole, warm middles and sweet, clear trebles, a tone monster. Comes with violin style fitted rectangular hardshell case. Available in sunburst and classic finishes.

This is a very lot of mandolin for the money!! A beautiful F5 mandolin with solid spruce top and solid flamed maple back and sides. Schaller tuners, solid cast tailpiece, triple bound top, back and headstock. Great projection and balance, plenty of cut for that noisy jam, a bluegrass player's dream. Very solid bass and clear, ringing trebles with plenty of sustain across the tonal range. Comes with violin style rectangular fitted hard-shell case. Classic finish.

As 815 but reversed, with custom case.

Second in the series of Eastman collaborations with David 'The Dawg' Grisman. This is a reproduction of his 1920's Bacon Artist mandolin. Commonly known as Bacon and Day but actually the Bacon Banjo Company they were better known for their banjos.. In 1940 they were bought out by Gretsch. The Bacon Artist is a rare beast indeed, I've been trying to get my hands on one for many a year. They are held in high esteem for the amazing design and tone. I am therefore grateful to the men from the East and Mr. Dawg for producing this fine facsimile. The tone is rich and deep with a chunkiness usually only found in oval holed mandolins from individual makers, it has plenty of volume and warm mid range with bright, ringing trebles. With hard, lightweight violin style case.

Oval or f hole for a mandocello? It would seem logical (from my point of view that an oval hole gives more bass and resonance) that a cello would be better with oval holes given that bass and resonance is the point of a cello. I was surprised when I visited Bill Bussman to hear the incredible bass from his jazz guitar bodied, f hole, octave mandolin, so surprised that I insisted he sell it to me! Not being a jazz fan I have never understood the sound of a jazz guitar, I just don't get it or particularly like it. It's the last thing I would have thought would produce a bassy and resonant larger mandolin family instrument, but is does! ... end of long story.... This Eastman cello proves the theory (ok idea, that somehow a jazz guitar body produces a deep and resonant sound). It has incredible warm and dark basses with rich and thick resonance, it plays easily and is a very fine mandocello. Comes with cello style case.

Corrado Giacomel is one of the world's top mandolin luthiers. A few years ago he astounded traditionalists with a radical new take on the F5. Non other than David Grisman (aka The Dawg) was so impressed; with the look, workmanship and sound that he represented him in the US of A. Not long after The Dawg and Eastman mandolins got together and agreed to produce a limited number of reproductions of instruments from the Dawg's famous collection. The DG1 Giacomel is the first of the series.

I remember when I first saw photos of the Giacomel. I just couldn't decide whether I liked the look or not. Years later I still hadn't made my mind up and decided I had to wait until I saw one.. it still took me a few days (and my appreciation of radical design is well known) but now I love it.

This beauty came in set up with very light nickel strings (.032 - .09) and an action so low you couldn't have fitted a banker's conscience under it, I really didn't care for the sound. Ted Eschliman of Jazz Mando described a DG1 as having no chop and a slight lack of authoritative lows. With a set of J75s and action high enough for a banker's bonus (that's the kind they should get at 2 mm at the 12th on the G) it has a fantastic rich tone. It chops and barks and has a full and resonant bass as well as a strong mid range and sweet clear trebles.