Mandolin News.
I’ve mentioned in previous updates that I had a new bluegrass mandolin project in the works (I’m also working on a new mandolin family/folk range). It was a bit of a gamble, I decided to order two mandolins from Mark Franz of Flinthills Mandolins on the strength of some photos!!! I had never heard of him or heard anything about his mandolins. I just had a hunch that if they looked that good they would probably sound good. It paid off handsomely. The A5 has that ‘extra’ quality that some f hole instruments have (bass and resonance as well as clarity and cut) tho’ usually those that cost a lot more. The A4 has bass to loosen fillings, but its sweet and loverly. I like them so much I have ordered three more, including an F5.
We’ve also got Jiri Lebeda’s superlative bluegrasser, the F5 premium plus back in and a used folkie from Thomas Buchanan.
We’ve got three mandoblasters due in the next week or two. Solid body single strung electric mandos in amazing finishers from Bruce Herron at Blue Star Mandolins. There’s a four string in blue and two five stringers (CGDAE) in blue and chrome. These fellas wont be playing much bluegrass or folk I expect.
| Buchanan folk mandolin spruce/maple | Vintage Mandolin | £439 |
| Flinthills A4 | Mandolin | £1295 |
| Flinthills A5 | Mandolin | £1295 |
| Lebeda F5 premium plus | Mandolin | £2195 |
| Tribal Planet GX | Mandolin Case | £39.95 |
Guitar News.
| Rod Button Dreadnought spruce/mahogany | Vintage Guitar | £895 |
| Peter Gosden Hawaiian lap steel | Vintage Guitar | £995 |
| Eastman 805-CE Sunburst | Guitar | £1195 |
| Eastman AR 810-CE-LN Uptown Professional Sunburst | Guitar | £1279 |
| Martin D28 S 1975 | Vintage Guitar | £1295 |
| Alan Arnold parlour spruce/chum-tachoa | Vintage Guitar | £1695 |
We’ve finally got four Eastman guitars all at once!! Still got several other models on order, but at least a few to try, 16” and 17”. Round hole and 600 series (from £795!) due sometime…
We’ve had four more used guitars in, a Martin and three from British luthiers, a dread from Rod Button, parlour by Alan Arnold and a delish Hawaiian lap steel from David Gosden.
Our next Bourgeois delivery is due in a couple of weeks including two newcomers, a short scale slope D and a D-260 twelve fret dreadnought. A customer who has several Bourgeois has already taken delivery of a ‘shorty’ and is cockerdy-hoop with it.
The three remaining guitars from David Webber, roundbody, jumbo and parlour have been delayed a little now due towards the end of August.
Happy pickin’
Trevor