Whats News - TAMCO - Mandolin Mandolas and Hand made Acoustic guitars:TheAcousticMusicCompanyforMandolins

News~

What’s New(s)?

Six guitars and nine mandolins this time!

Guitar news.
David Webber’s guitars have arrived at last. His combination of using machines for the tedious and repetitious work that doesn’t benefit from the attention of the luthier, and years of experience put into top tuning bracing and neck fitting, among other things, that the experienced eye and hand can do best produces some incredible value guitars. James Goodall’s Traditional Dreadnought and Standard are both back in stock, the Trad OM sold recently so we now have seven Goodall’s on the wall. A Collings OM1 is also in, Brook stock is diminishing, but there’s a great value used rosewood Taw with fishman.

Mandolin news.
Only one new mandolin in but it is the amazing Collings MF, all the great sound of the MF5 at £2500 less! For those who like their mandolins a little larger we have two octave mandolin/mandolas from Garrison. With 20” scale lengths they can be tuned either way. With all solid woods and a hardshel case they are incredible value. Garrison mandolins expected soon.

The Gibson F4 that came in last time has gone but we’ve got no less than six vintage/used mandolins arrived. We have an as new example of my fave electro at £130 off our (very competitive) new price, and a player’s Gibson A50. There’s an octave mandolin from Oakwood, we’ve never had so many octave mandolins in stock, six different models at the time of writing. Also two very interesting oldies, a Weyman/Wurlitzer mando lute and a La Foley dinky think that has plenty of voice. Talking of voice come and see (and hear) our Rigel reso, there’s always something very exciting going on here and in the mando world in general. I think this might be the only such beastie in the UK. I expect someone will tell me if I am wrong.

The two Phoenix’s are due at the end of the month, five Webers in August and I’m hoping to be getting another of my favourite Gibson A3 whitefaces shortly, I’m also angling for a snakehead. Watch this space for neither, one or both on the next download.

Happy pickin’

Trevor~~~2582~10194~~

Layout Table~~~~2582~10181~~

15-05-06~
Date in: 15-05-06

~~~2582~10120~~

Weber Sweat Pea travel mandolin~

Mandolin

£250

~~~2582~10119~~

Weber Hyalite~

Mandolin

£995

~~~2582~10118~~

Weber Y2K6~

Mandolin

£650

~~~2582~10117~~

Weber Bitteroot~

Mandolin

£1650

~~~2582~10143~~

Weber Yellowstone~

Mandolin

£2395

~~~2582~10116~~

Gibson F4 1915~

Vintage Mandolin

£3195

~~~2582~10115~~

Bourgeois OMS~

Vintage Guitar

£1995

~~~2582~10114~~

Martin OOO 16~

Vintage Guitar

£695

~~~2582~10113~~

Martin OM-C-16e~

Vintage Guitar

£1299

~~~2582~10112~~

News~

DESIGN A RIGEL!!!

Having been inspired by past glories I have asked the two Peters at Rigel to make me the most spectacular design (finish that is not body shape/design) they can think of! Having had this idea then my mind went blank. There is a comet model waiting to be finished, it has spectacular maple on the back so no opaque finishes that side.

Your ideas are sought, no guarantee that they will be used, we might go with one of our own designs. If we do use your idea I'm afraid there is no reward other than seeing your idea on a mando (and of course the opportunity to buy it). If you feel that you want some other financial reward please keep your ideas to yourself.

Mandolin News

Mandolins wise our Weber stock is building up nicely now, the Yellowstone is back, we have a very nice standard Bitteroot to replace the custom maple backed one that sold recently. A maple and cedar Bitteroot is due in August. The Hyalite gives us a US of A carved top and back mando for just under a grand! TheY2K6 is and amazingly loud and bassy folk/celtic mandolin and the Sweat Pea leaves no excuse for not taking a mandolin wherever you go. Fern, custom Bitteroot and Beartooth due in August.

The great mandolin woods experiment is on again. I have often wondered why nearly all bluegrass type mandolins have maple backs. The answer seems to be tradition plus the fact both players and makers are reluctant to invest the time and money in something that they are not sure of the outcome. I've asked Bill Bussman (Old Wave) to make the same A4 with the same spruce top with back and sides of maple, rosewood, mahogany and walnut. I did this a couple of years ago but the maple and walnut came in first and sold (very quickly) before the rosewood and mahogany arrived (both now sold). This time I have asked Bill to deliver them all together, so there's something to be looking forward to in those dark, damp and cold days in early 2007.

Guitar News

Not a lot for guitarists this time, just three used boxes. The Bourgeois OMS wont be around long, the custom slope D that was on the last download sold before the download was live. There's two Martins in for those who appreciate a famous name. An OM and OOO from David Weber that I mentioned on the last What's New(s)? should be here shortly.

Happy pickin'

Trevor.

~~~2582~10121~~

Layout Table~~~~2582~10183~~

03-05-06~
Date in: 03-05-06

~~~2582~10039~~

Rigel Jethro~

Mandolin

£3895

~~~2582~10038~~

Capek F4 mandola - SOLD~

Mandolin

£1995

~~~2582~10037~~

Furch MA 23 f hole~

Mandolin

£695

~~~2582~10036~~

Washburn M-3SWSB~

Vintage Mandolin

£295

~~~2582~10035~~

Ozark F5~

Vintage Mandolin

£265

~~~2582~10034~~

Rod Button~

Vintage Mandolin

£365

~~~2582~10033~~

Rigel R200 mandola/mandolin~

Vintage Mandolin

£2995

~~~2582~10032~~

Brook Tamar Walnut/Spruce~

Guitar

£1695

~~~2582~10031~~

Brook Taw Mahogany/Spruce~

Guitar

£1695

~~~2582~10106~~

Goodall Grand Concert Sitka/Rosewood~

Guitar

£2795

~~~2582~10030~~

Goodall Traditional OOO Sitka/Rosewood~

Guitar

£2995

~~~2582~10029~~

Goodall Aloha Grand Concert (OM) sitka/koa~

Guitar

£2250

~~~2582~10042~~

Goodall Traditional OM Rosewood/Bearclaw Sitka~

Guitar

£2995

~~~2582~10044~~

Collings OOO2h~

Guitar

£2895

~~~2582~10041~~

Bourgeois custom slope D USED~

Guitar Vintage

£2595

~~~2582~10040~~

Martin D18 Golden Era~

Guitar Vintage

£1995

~~~2582~10043~~

News~

Guitar News.

We are back up to six Goodalls after a bit of a run on them in the new year (Trad D and rosewood standard also due in a few weeks). For three of them we have had similar models before and they are up to James' usual impeccable standard of craftsmanship and tone but this is our first Goodall OOO and what an amazing guitar it is, everybody who's played it in the few days its been here has been cokerdy hoop about the tone and playability.

There's two new Brooks in (including a Tamar in Walnut, my favourite wood) and two gone, so for the time being we seem to be maintaining the stock level that it took us four years to build up... still most are at last years prices.

We sold our custom Collings OOO a few weeks ago so now have a standard spec model, same amazing tone for a few less £££s. (We've also got a used one in for a grand less). So, who wins in the OOO stakes? Goodall or Collings? 'I couldn't possibly comment', but seriously folks they are both amazingliny wonderful guitars, its down to personal preference.

I've got a couple of guitars from David Weber of Vancouver due in about a month, a OOO and an OM, I've played his instruments in various well known shops in the US and always been impressed. Due to the struggling Canadian dollar prices will be between £1500 and $2000!! Watch this space…

For those looking for some used value there's a Martin and one of the most amazing guitars we've ever had from Dana Bourgeois. Tamco and Dana have used it in our advertising and to coin my favourite cliché it sounds as good as it looks.

Mandolin news.

Its here, after entertaining the folks at customs for a week or so (I hope not literally), and its wonderful, the Rigel Jethro. I've been wanting to get one of these in since I first played one over two years ago. The wait was well worth it, it has Rigel's legendary playability and a complexity of sound that I'm still exploring, see the website entry for my first thoughts.

The Capek mandola that I've been getting very excited about came in and sold within a few days! I even had a call enquiring about it from California while the customer was making his mind up. Yet another UK customer had been planning to come in see it.. I wanted it too… So the next one will be here in June, I'm tempted to order two.. I've put it on the website anyways.

Talking of things going before I can get them on the website I managed to get hold of another of my favourite Gibsons, the A3 whiteface, it sounded as wonderful as all the others we've had, but it too sold before I could get it listed. I am eagerly anticipating the arrival of a teens F4, should be on the next download if it stays here long enough. Phone if you want to catch it first.

By the time this update is live we should have six Webers arrived. Another of the ever popular Yellowstone, Bitteroot in spruce and mahogany, Hyalite oval hole, a Y2K-4 and a couple of the Sweat Pea travel mandolins. Also due early August, Fern, Bitteroot in Cedar and Maple and an oval hole Traditional Beartooth.

Collings MT and MT2 are currently (briefly I hope that's why I haven't marked them sold) out of stock. I've also ordered an MF for those who are looking for the superlative sound and workmanship of the MF5 for a few (quite a few) £s less.

In the vintage/used department, the Rigel R200 10 string mandola/mandolin is back! Its had a change of colour but is still in as new condition and sounds even better than when I last saw it. There's also a nice folk mando by Rod Button and an F5 from Ozark.

Happy Pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~10028~~

Layout Table~~~~2582~10185~~

12-4-06~
Date in: 12-04-06

~~~2582~9987~~

Eastman MDA 615 mandola~

Mandolin

£950

~~~2582~9986~~

Eastman MDA 815 mandola~

Mandolin

£1150

~~~2582~9985~~

Gibson A5G 1994~

Vintage Mandolin

£995

~~~2582~9984~~

Vanden 1980~

Vintage Mandolin

£1795

~~~2582~9983~~

Fylde Octavious bouzouki with Fishman pickup.~

Vintage Mandolin

£675

~~~2582~9982~~

Bourgeois OM sitka/mahogany~

Guitar

£2095

~~~2582~9981~~

Larrivee OM-60~

Guitar Vintage

£1395

~~~2582~9979~~

John Bailey OM~

Guitar Vintage

£1350

~~~2582~9978~~

Bourgeois Country Boy Deluxe USED~

Guitar Vintage

£2095

~~~2582~9989~~

Collings OOO2h USED~

Guitar Vintage

£1895

~~~2582~9988~~

News~

Mandolin News.

Very exciting times for the mando world, or at least the TAMCO mando world and for me…

Unfortunately the Rigel Jethro I got very excited about in the last download is on its way but not arrived yet. But the next download will be very soon so if the shippers are on form it should be here by then.

I was very negligent a while back in not re-ordering Phoenix mandolins (actually the BM and accountant said I was dangerously overstocked!) but I now have a neo-classical and neo-bluegrass on order for June delivery. I can't wait, great mandolins made by Rolf Gerhardt, one of nicest human beings on this planet.

Also due in time for the next download is a Capek F4 mandola (Rosta Capek is also a contender for the above title). Regular visitors to the site and these pages will know what I think of Rosta Capek's luthery skills and of my love of mandolas. Talking of which, the Eastman mandolas have arrived and I am very impressed. I play as much mandola as mandolin and there is something exciting about an F style mandola, as with the appeal of the mandola generally, that is hard to explain.

Good news for lefty mandolin players; strangely over the past four or five years we've had very few requests for lefty mandolins. We have always been able to convert A styles to left handed but F style is another matter, gotta be built that way. Anyways we've had so many requests for leftys this year I have ordered Eastman 515, 615 and 815 leftys, should be here in a few weeks. Most other f styles can be built lefty, some charge a bit extra, some don't. Pop me an email for details.

I've knocked a few £s of all the Eastman mandolins and am trying to keep all 5, 6 and 8 series in stock, so we can give you a great deal and deliver by next day if you order in the morning!!! There's a very nice used Vanden in and a Montana Gibson A5G at a great price. Also a used Fylde Octavious zouk with Fishman.

Guitar News.

A few months ago I was pleading for folks to send us their used guitars as we only had a couple in stock. We've now got three Bourgeois and others by Martin, Larrivve, Lowden, Collings (exceptional) and a few others. Spring is a good time to come and try a used guitar at TAMCO.

There's also a great value OM in sitka and mahogany from Dana Bourgeois. The Vintage Dreadnought is back in stock and the Vintage OM due shortly. In the next few days we are expecting to get Goodall back up to six in stock after only having had two for the last few months. This includes a couple of models we haven't had before, all will be on the imminent next download. There's also two more Goodalls due in May.

Brook's Tamar in Walnut and Taw in Mahogany should also be here for the next download.

Happy pickin'~~~2582~9977~~

Layout Table~~~~2582~10187~~

22-3-06~
Date in: 22-03-06

~~~2582~9923~~

Gianinni folk mandolin~

Mandolin

£225

~~~2582~9922~~

Moon 10 string Octave mandolin~

Mandolin

£795

~~~2582~9921~~

Rigel Q95~

Mandolin

£1695

~~~2582~9920~~

Fylde touchstone mandolin~

Vintage Mandolin

£450

~~~2582~9919~~

Washburn M-ISDL/BK~

Vintage Mandolin

£295

~~~2582~9918~~

Yamaha CJX 12 SA~

Vintage Guitar

£650

~~~2582~9917~~

Brook Tavy Mahogany/Spruce~

Guitar

£1695

~~~2582~9916~~

Ryan Mission~

Guitar

£3895

~~~2582~9915~~

Ryan Nightingale~

Guitar

£4995

~~~2582~9936~~

News~

I am often asked if I still get exited when new instruments arrive, the answer is yes, yes, yes and YES. Guitars and mandolins; the Ryan's have arrived and I have a Rigel Jethro on order that I have been dreaming about since a played one of the first Jethros a few years back.

INTERVIEW. There's an interview with me and lots of other great Mandolin resources at: http://www.mandolin.org.uk/interviews/moyle.php

Guitar news.

Its been a long wait, the two Ryan guitars are here. I'm at a loss to describe the sound, if you've been thinking of paying us a visit now is the time to come. Kevin emailed me just as he was finishing them to say he had discovered two small spots on the back of the Mission, he sent me photos which I've put on the website, but we can't find them… But his knocks £500 off the price, for an imperfection that neither me nor John can even see that's a very good deal.

And, just like busses, Jumbo guitars seem to not come very often but two at a time. Brooks Tavy has the big and warm sound of a Jumbo but without the often associated boominess, its well focused and projects well. We now have 10 Brooks in stock, I've been working at building up this level of stock for some time now. With such a long lead-time (9-10 months) it is hard for folk to pick the right model unless they can try one, so now it the time to come in an have a Brook day, before we're back down to three or four. We can still cut the lead time by using one of our slots for your custom order. Prices are up £100 this year but nine of our ten in stock are still at last year's prices. Yamaha's CJX has a dual source system so that big sound can be finely tuned without having to rely on a drunken sound man (no complaints please I don't mean you).

Mandolin news.

I mentioned a while back that there were some exciting things in the pipeline for mandolinists and some are here and one due very soon. Those who know me or read this and the website will know that I am a great fan of Rosta Capek's mandolins, also that my favourite ever sounding mandolins is the Rigel G5. How can this be?? At times I feel a little confused myself but have come to the conclusion that they are just different and I like both equally, my regular mando is a Capek A4 basic which I love to bits, I also have a Capek 10 string mando due soon (10 strings are my other fetish, more ten string news below). We've just had in Rigel's new Gypsy Q and its fantastic, when that adirondack opens up its going to be a killer. A couple of years ago I played one of the first Rigel Jethro models in LA. Its been on my mind ever since and there will soon to be one in the shop, unfortunately us poor music shop owners can't afford to own such wonderful instruments so its going to stay there until either someone scoops it up or my premium bonds come up. Watch out for next months newsletter for a full report.

For those few of us who believe that you can get two (or three) mandolin family instruments in one the custom Moon 10 string octave mandolin has arrived, octave, mandola and mandolin all in one, a very versatile and portable package. I love mine, at Jimmy's great prices I can afford to keep one. If anyone who plays and plays around with the five course tuned in fifths beasties has any more ideas for my stalled 10 string/cittern chords and tips page they would be most welcome.

An finally there's two nice used mandos from Fylde and Washburn.

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9914~~

Layout Table~~~~2582~10189~~

14-2-06~
Date in: 14-02-06

~~~2582~9878~~

Lebeda F4 master model 1996~

Vintage Mandolin

£2195

~~~2582~9877~~

Bourgeois Custom Soloist European Spruce/Madagascar Rosewood~

Guitar

£2995

~~~2582~9876~~

Collings D2h~

Guitar

£2595

~~~2582~9875~~

Bourgeois Slope D Rosewood/Adirondack~

Guitar

£2495

~~~2582~9874~~

Taylor 314ce~

Vintage Guitar

£950

~~~2582~9873~~

Bourgeois JOM sitka/mahogany with Fishman active Matrix undersaddle pickup~

Vintage Guitar

£1650

~~~2582~9872~~

Bourgeois Vintage D sunburst~

Vintage Guitar

£2195

~~~2582~9871~~

Martin OM35 with Fishman Rare Earth Blender pick up~

Vintage Guitar

£1495

~~~2582~9907~~

News~

Feast time for guitarists..

The amazing Bourgeois Soloist is back. And its a great deal, after we had the last one Dana found that he had miss-priced it when we had the spec changed from the US standard spec of Brazilian rosewood to Madagascar rosewood. As we'd already ordered the next one he kept the price the same on this one. It should have worked out at £3350, but there is going to be a price increase from Dana soon so the next one will be over £3500!! I haven't changed the description on the website because its from the same batch of Madagascar as the last one and it sounds just as wonderful, the pictures are of the latest one.

Dana's slope d in Adirondack and rosewood is an amazing pickers guitar with incredible bass but with that bit extra in the mid and top ranges. The Collings D2h is also an amazing pickers guitar, Collings are always amazing but this one has a particularly strong bass, filling rattling stuff, but with great balance and projection too, bliss. (too many amazings, please use thesaurus.)

There's also four used guitars in. Its not very often that we get used Bourgeois, these two are very fine examples and won't be around long. There's also used bargains from Martin and Taylor.

We should have the two Ryan's in by the end of the month. watch this space..or call/email with your contact details and we will let you know when they arrive. We have a few folks waiting already.

Not quite so much for mandolinists this time..

We now have every Furch model in stock and they are amazing, A models from £399, f models from £499. The MF21 oval hole is (in my humble opinion) the best value f style bluegrass mandolin we've ever had, its got real bark and bite, the woodiness of the bass has to be heard to be believed. We still (as I write) have all models of Eastman in stock also as well as seven Kelly's and the Pavlu A models so there is an unbelievable choice in the £400 to £800 range.

Also recently in, a gorgeous 1996 Lebeda master model and its got one of those oval holes so it ticks my box.

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9870~~

Layout Table~~~~2582~10191~~

23-1-06~
Date in: 23-01-06

~~~2582~9750~~

Baranik CX engleman/rosewood~

Guitar

£3795

~~~2582~9749~~

Baranik JX sitka/beeswing mahogany~

Guitar

£3795

~~~2582~9743~~

Eastman MD504 A style oval hole~

Mandolin

£375

~~~2582~9748~~

Pavlu A5 standard~

Mandolin

£750

~~~2582~9747~~

Pavlu A4 standard~

Mandolin

£750

~~~2582~9746~~

Clifford Essex~

Vintage Mandolin

£495

~~~2582~9745~~

Fylde Long scale arch top bouzouki~

Vintage Mandolin

£750

~~~2582~9744~~

News~

A great start to the year for mandolinists and guitarists! Also I've added a few new features to the website; delivery costs, accessories and some info on why hand is and always will be better than even the finest machine made. Please let me know if any of the new pages don't make sense (or any others, I'm always happy to hear of mistakes or anything that I've missed in my regular updates).

The Baranik guitars are in and they are all I hoped they would be, they look great and sound great, Mike is a real innovator and gaining a fantastic reputation in the US of A . Kevin Ryan tells me he's more or less on schedule for delivery, Nightingale and Mission expected sometime in February now. We're a bit low on stock of used guitars at the moment so if you are thinking of a part exchange call John.

We have Dana Bourgeois' JOM and soloist due back in stock any day, though I'm afraid that the prices will be up a bit from the prices currently on the website because of the worsening exchange rate. Dana is also having a price rise on Feb 1st so now is a good time to buy or order a Bourgeois.

For mandolinists we now have Hynek Pavlu's A styles in stock. A sole luthier mandolin for £750!! They have great workmanship and tone. So between £500 and a grand there is now a choice of Furch, Eastman, Michael Kelly and Pavlu, all great mandolins. There's new stock of Furch arriving at the end of Jan and we have now completed the line-up of Eastman 5, 6 and 8 ranges with the arrival of the 504. There's a used Fylde bouzouki in at £200 less than a new one and a beautiful Clifford Essex that I know little about, if you can enlighten me on this email or give me call.

Happy Pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9742~~

22-12-05~
Date in: 22-12-05

~~~2582~9703~~

Eastman MD 505 F style F hole~

Mandolin

£375

~~~2582~9702~~

Goodall Aloha Standard sitka/mahogany~

Guitar

£2150

~~~2582~9722~~

Huss and Dalton DM~

Guitar

£1995

~~~2582~9701~~

Huss and Dalton OM~

Guitar

£2195

~~~2582~9700~~

Ralph Bown Koa~

Vintage Guitar

£2800

~~~2582~9699~~

Brook Lyn with Fishman Matrix II pickup~

Guitar

£1695

~~~2582~9698~~

Fylde Octavious signature model rosewood~

Vintage Mandolin

£475

~~~2582~9697~~

News~

Season's greetings pickers. For guitarists we have three Americans and two Brits in this time. James Goodall's amazing value Aloha standard is a kind of dreadnought plus. The body shape is James' take on the traditional dread with a few more curves, the sound has the strong bass you would expect but with added complexity and the Goodall sound with a beautiful top end. The dread and OM from Jeff and Mark (Huss and Dalton) are also beauties, their reputations are growing fast stateside, awards are coming in, we are delighted to be only UK outlet. There's a gorgeous all Koa OM from Ralph Bown and Brook's tidy Lyn with a Fishman.

Sorry mandolinists, only a used Fylde in this time but hey! I am now fairly confident that I have the biggest stock of mandolins in the world (if you know different you know what to do; no not that, contact me and let me know) so its getting difficult to add new goodies, but look out for news in the new year, I am working on a couple of things.

STOP PRESS ++++ Our first Eastman five series A style has just arrived, its up to their usual standards, well made, good sound and an amazing price, we should have the oval hole model (504) soon, probably well before the next download gets done, so call or email if you are interested.

Happy season's pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9690~~

21-11-05~
Date in: 21-11-05

~~~2582~9662~~

Brook Tavy Rosewood/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9661~~

Brook Teign Rosewood/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9660~~

Brook Torridge Walnut/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9659~~

Bourgeois Soloist - SOLD~

Guitar

£2995

~~~2582~9658~~

Goodall Aloha Grand Concert sitka/mahogany - USED~

Vintage Guitar

£1500

~~~2582~9657~~

Breedlove RD-W Spruce/mahogany - USED~

Vintage Guitar

£1200

~~~2582~9656~~

TAMCO A4 oval hole bluegrass mandolin~

Mandolin

£125

~~~2582~9655~~

Moon 10 string mandola/mandolin - USED~

Vintage Mandolin

£550

~~~2582~9654~~

Lebeda F5 premium - USED~

Vintage Mandolin

£1750

~~~2582~9653~~

Furch MF21 f hole~

Vintage Mandolin

£499

~~~2582~9665~~

Furch MF22 f hole~

Vintage Mandolin

£649

~~~2582~9664~~

Furch MF23 f hole~

Vintage Mandolin

£795

~~~2582~9663~~

News~

Guitars

I've done something I wouldn't normally do.. put a sold guitar onto the website. Dana's soloist is so fantastic I couldn't wait to tell everybody about it. This one sold before I could get it listed but there's another on order for Jan/Feb delivery. We've had a few customer orders in Madagascar rosewood recently and they have all been truly amazing. Dana said his current stocks have better tonal qualities than Brazilian, I can feel a cliché coming on.. is Madagascar the new Brazilian?

At the time of writing we have ten Brook guitars in stock, some in some out since the last download. I've been trying to build up this level of stock for a couple of years, we have future orders coming in about every three months so it will probably stay at about this level.. or not. Come and try one of these great guitars, you won't find such a selection anywhere else, also new arrivals will be £100 more in the new year. If you want a custom order we can substitute one of our orders bringing down the ten month delivery time considerably.

There's also a couple of great value used American's for guitarists. We don't get many used Goodalls and they don't stay around long so move quickly if you fancy this one.

Mandolins

For mandolinists we have all three models of Furch f style, f hole back in stock and they are fantastic. I have even managed to bring the price down a little, if you've bought one recently let me know and I will refund the difference. There's been a lot of publicity about Eastman mandolins recently and I am often asked if the Furch's are their equal. The answer is very simple, yes. Take a look at the customer's comment on the Furch page. As to which is the better, that's a harder question to answer, I would say its down to personal preference.

For mando players on a budget the Tamco A4 is a great bargain. Talking of which there are great deals to be had on a very fine used Lebeda F5 and my little creation the Moon 10 string mandola/mandolin.

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9652~~

17-10-05~
Date in:17-10-05

~~~2582~9618~~

Bourgeois Country Boy Custom Adirondack/Honduras Rosewood USED~

Vintage Guitar

£1695

~~~2582~9617~~

Fylde Alexander~

Vintage Guitar

£995

~~~2582~9616~~

Lakewood M-1~

Guitar

£795

~~~2582~9615~~

Lakewood D-1~

Guitar

£795

~~~2582~9614~~

Lakewood M-14~

Guitar

£1099

~~~2582~9613~~

Lakewood M-32cp~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9612~~

Breedlove Rogue~

Vintage Mandolin

£2395

~~~2582~9621~~

Michael Kelly Legacy Solid~

Vintage Mandolin

£325

~~~2582~9620~~

Vanden 1998 F5 with pickup~

Vintage Mandolin

£3695

~~~2582~9619~~

News~

The Lakewoods have arrived and John and myself are very impressed, they are immaculately made from all solid woods and have the tone of many a more expensive guitar. Talking of great value (which I usually do) we have an amazing used custom Bourgeois Country Boy with £££s of upgrades for less than the new price of a standard CB. We haven’t sold too many Fylde guitars so I’ve reduced an Alexander we’ve had a couple of years.

For mandolinists we have an amazing Mike Vanden F5 from 1998, they are around £5k with a pickup now and Mike’s waiting list is getting longer so this is a very rare opportunity. We’ve had in a Kelly legacy solid with solid cast tailpiece, the solid is now discontinued (we have one left) so this is a chance to get a great value all solid F5. I’ve reduced the last Breedlove, a very nice Rogue, as we won’t be stocking Breedloves anymore.

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9611~~

03-10-05~
Date in:03-10-05

~~~2582~9549~~

Brook Tamar Mahogany/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9548~~

Weber Yellowstone 'F' Style Bluegrass mandolin~

Mandolin

£2395

~~~2582~9547~~

Weber Custom Bitteroot Spruce/Maple~

Mandolin

£1795

~~~2582~9546~~

Godin A8 - USED~

Vintage Mandolin

£495

~~~2582~9545~~

Hathaway Mandocello~

Vintage Mandolin

£495

~~~2582~9544~~

Fylde Mandola~

Vintage Mandolin

£550

~~~2582~9543~~

News~

Only one guitar in this time, but it’s a Brook so we now have eight in stock. I’ve been trying for years to build up stock of Brook guitars so there’s a choice from what’s currently available, so if you’ve been wanting to try one get down here soon, they won’t last long. The November delivery will be the last at current prices, they will be going up £100 in the new year, still great value though.

Lots of exciting news for guitarists. Kevin Ryan has started our Nightingale and Mission, they should be here in January or February, watch this space. In the next month or so we should have two guitars by Mike Baranik. I met Mike and tried his amazing guitars in LA a couple of years ago. He’s not very well known outside the US of A but I’m gonna change that. I’ve never played a finer guitar, if they are still around when the Ryan’s arrive its going to be great fun trying them together.

Also on the way shortly is Dana Bourgeois’ Soloist, this new model has created a lot of excitement. Its made in Brazilian Rosewood in the US but due to the difficulties and delays in obtaining CITES certificates we are having ours in Madagascar rosewood. We had a couple of custom orders in Madagascar earlier this year which resulted in two very happy customers. If you talk quietly to most experienced luthiers they will admit that Brazilian is no better than other top grade rosewoods. We may not have the soloist long because an existing customer and Bourgeois fan has asked for first refusal, if he takes it I will order another.

On a not so happy note we at TAMCO were very saddened to learn of the death of Eric Roche. If there were more people on this planet like Eric it would be a better place, he will be missed by many.

We have two reviews due in Acoustic Magazine soon, Bourgeois Country Boy and a Capek F5 professional. The latter was reviewed by Simon Mayor. I finally met Simon (and Hilary) in the shop recently (see photo on shop/contact page), what an amazing mandolinist and nice guy.

On the mandolin front we have our first arrivals from Bruce Weber for some time, two amazing F5s, reputations aren’t earned easily and Bruce certainly deserves his, come and try them they are both wonderful. I’ve reduced a Fylde Touchstone mandola we’ve had a while and we’ve got a used Godin A8, my favourite electric mando, and a ‘cello by Paul Hathaway. I’ve been trying to get affordable ‘cellos in for ages, we had the amazing Moon a few weeks back and now this beauty. If you’ve ever been curious about the mandocello now’s the time to come and try one, there’s six to try out!!

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9535~~

13-09-05~
Date in:13-09-05

~~~2582~9494~~

Fylde Octavious Mandolin~

Vintage Mandolin

£395

~~~2582~9501~~

Ibanez~

Vintage Mandolin

£275

~~~2582~9500~~

Moon Mandolin~

Vintage Mandolin

£350

~~~2582~9499~~

Gibson A-40~

Vintage Mandolin

£695

~~~2582~9498~~

Capek A5 Basic~

Mandolin

£1295

~~~2582~9497~~

Capek F5 Sam~

Mandolin

£2495

~~~2582~9496~~

Brook Creedy~

Vintage Guitar

£1195

~~~2582~9495~~

Breedlove Quartz OF~

Mandolin

£695

~~~2582~9507~~

Breedlove Oregon Sunburst~

Mandolin

£995

~~~2582~9506~~

Breedlove Rogue~

Mandolin

£2495

~~~2582~9505~~

Summit A100 translucent cherry~

Mandolin

£995

~~~2582~9504~~

Summit A100~

Mandolin

£995

~~~2582~9503~~

Summit Artist~

Mandolin

£2995

~~~2582~9502~~

News~

Not a lot for Guitarists this time and what there is is not a lot size-wize but Brooks Creedy is a gorgeous little parlour guitar and its not a lot of money for this nice used one!! We have four Lakewood guitars due sometime in October, they are well known for their high value/quality ratio (I bet the marketing guys couldn’t have come up with that one) they will be in the £750 to £1250 price range. This is always a difficult price band to find good guitars but now with Moon, Larrivee and Lakewood there is plenty of choice of excellent and great value instruments.

Good and bad news for fans of Brook guitars. The bad news is that they are going up to £1695, the good news is that we have seven is stock and another six due at £1595. I’ve also added body styles/sizes and scale lengths to the website to help in choosing the right one.

Mandolinists, take a look at the new photos on the Shop/Contact page. Have you ever seen so many? If you have please tell me where. For mandolin players on a budget we have four used mandos from £275 to £695, a classic period Ibanez, a used Moon (my favourite folk mando), an Octavious and a Gibson A40, there was a lot of changes in spec and build quality at Gibson around this time (as there still is) but this one is especially fine sounding. Also for great value take a look at Breedlove and Summit mandolins, they are quite substantially reduced, only because I am over-stocked, I’ve got about twice the stock of Mando Bros and a fraction of the sales so something has to go. I have also reduced the Rigel’s in stock to reflect current exchange rates.

For those with a little more to spend we have Mr Capek’s F5 Sam and A5 Basic back in stock. At the risk of repeating myself (I usually do so why make an exception this time) in my humble opinion Rosta is the best there is, Ricky Skaggs agrees so I’m in good company. Since I took home an A4 basic a few months ago it has opened up wonderfully, it was amazing to start with but you should hear the bass now (let me know if you want to, I’ll bring it into the shop). Due in the next month or so three Furch F5s and from Weber a Bitteroot F5 with Maple upgrade and Yellowstone F5 with tone bars, this should be a real bluegrass cannon.

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9484~~

26-08-05~
Date in: 26-08-05

~~~2582~9474~~

Vega Cylinder Back~

Mandolin

£995

~~~2582~9493~~

Moon Mandocello~

Mandolin

£1150

~~~2582~9492~~

Lebeda J4 Premium~

Mandolin

£1295

~~~2582~9491~~

Pavlu F5 Deluxe~

Mandolin

£1495

~~~2582~9490~~

Brook Tamar Rosewood/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9489~~

Brook Taw Walnut/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9488~~

Brook Taw Ovankol/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9487~~

Brook Teign Mahogany/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9486~~

Brook Torridge Rosewood/Spruce~

Guitar

£1595

~~~2582~9485~~

News~

Five for the guitarists among you and four for the mandolinists this time. Five gorgeous Brook guitars came in all at once and we still had two in stock, so the seven to choose from! We've never had so many at once and probably won't for very long, now's the time to come in an choose which suits you best. They are all fantastic and great value bit if we all liked the same thing there would only be one guitar on the market and wouldn't that be sad??

For mandolin folk the 20s Vega is a beauty, if you like something a little unusual, very collectable and with fantastic woody bass and clear trebles this is a steal. You all probably get tired of me ranting about what great value Jimmi Moon's instrument's are but this time he has surpassed even his usual standards. A mandocello that sounds this good for £1150, perhaps life ain't so bad after all. Talking of great value mandolins (which I seem to do rather a lot, but providing such things is my mission in life) the Lebeda and Pavlu are both wonderful. Jiri's two pointer with McIntyre sings with or without the electrics and Hynek's F5 deluxe is the cheapest fully spec'd (radiussed fingerboard, fully bound etc.), hand made by one individual luthier, F5 we can offer you. And it has the sound of a many more £s beastie as it barks away, to exhaust the metaphor its certainly a hoss, but I'm getting worried about barking hosses so I'll leave it there.

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9475~~

25-07-05~
Date in: 25-07-05

~~~2582~9438~~

Guild D30~

Vintage Guitar

£795

~~~2582~9437~~

Takamine 40th Anniversary~

Vintage Guitar

£1,695

~~~2582~9436~~

Taylor 512~

Vintage Guitar

£1,295

~~~2582~9435~~

Gallagher Doc Watson~

Guitar

£1,795

~~~2582~9434~~

Rozawood RMC4~

Mandolin

£3095

~~~2582~9433~~

Rozawood RMC5~

Mandolin

£2550

~~~2582~9432~~

Eastman MD 514 F style oval hole~

Mandolin

£575

~~~2582~9431~~

Michael Kelly F style mandola~

Mandolin

£725

~~~2582~9430~~

Fylde Bouzouki~

Vintage Mandolin

£550

~~~2582~9429~~

Santa Cruz D~

Guitar

£1,995

~~~2582~9428~~

Santa Cruz OM~

Guitar

£2,395

~~~2582~9427~~

Santa Cruz H~

Guitar

£1,995

~~~2582~9426~~

News~

Sorry guitarists, only two used models in this time, both very nice guitars at great prices. Our stock of used guitars and mandolins has really started to move recently, often going before I can get them on the website. If you are looking for something in particular then phone to see what’s in. Two each from Bourgeois and Goodall at £1895, as previously announced (see below) have been delayed by the big trade show in the US.

Heaven time for mandolinists; our first ever used Capek, fantastic legendary Flatiron F5 artist, and a mandola and bouzouki from Moon and Fylde, but most exciting is the much anticipated arrival of the Eastman mandolins. It’s a year since I played the first proto-types and these production models are everything I was expecting and hoping for. Great hand-made mandolins at great prices, all with solid/cast tailpieces and fitted cases and all under a grand… some even under £500…. Wow! We should have the lower spec’d 500 series in a few months from around £350 !!!!!!!

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9425~~

06-06-05~
Date in: 06-06-05

~~~2582~9369~~

Martin D45~

Vintage Guitar

£3,650

~~~2582~9368~~

Martin D12 20 1969/70~

Vintage Guitar

£899

~~~2582~9367~~

Guild D25~

Vintage Guitar

£675

~~~2582~9366~~

Moon 0003~

Vintage Guitar

£950

~~~2582~9365~~

Fylde Oberon~

Vintage Guitar

£1095

~~~2582~9364~~

Harmony Baroque 'Batwing'~

Vintage Mandolin

£450

~~~2582~9362~~

Gibson A50 1949~

Vintage Mandolin

£699

~~~2582~9361~~

Davidson A5 1974~

Vinatge Mandolin

£850

~~~2582~9360~~

Capek A4 Basic - USED~

Mandolin

£1095

~~~2582~9363~~

Furch MA21 Oval Hole~

Mandolin

£449

~~~2582~9372~~

Furch MA21 F Hole~

Mandolin

£449

~~~2582~9371~~

Furch MA22 F Hole~

Mandolin

£599

~~~2582~9370~~

News~

Bonanza time for those looking for a good used instrument, five guitars and four mandolins in this download. Two Martins; regular viewers will know that I am not a Martin fan (or any other corporate/suit run mass producer) but I make an exception for this D45, it’s a real beauty in vision and sound. Great value to be had from used Guild, Moon and Fylde. As the word is spreading that we have such a good range of quality used guitars and mandolins they are beginning to move quickly and of course with a used instrument if its gone we can’t order you another….

Great news in the mandolin world, Ricky Skaggs has bought an octave mandolin and a mandocello from my fave maker Rosta Capek. Its nice to have my opinion seconded by such a great player. There is a rumour that Ricky will be visiting Rosta soon to order a mandolin. See photographic evidence on the Capek page of this very website.

Talking of Capek, I mentioned in the last What’s New(s)? that we had our first ever used Capek in. Its gone, I’ve taken it home. I’ve been waiting to get my hands on one for some time but when a second used one turned up (just likes busses, never see one then two come at a time..) I couldn’t resist. I’ve taken the one that had been converted back from a lefty, I can’t wait for it to open up, sounds fantastic already. The latest used one is as new and £200 off a new one. If Rosta starts to sell well in the states due to the Skaggs endorsement expect his prices to start rising, he deserves it.

There’s also very nice used mandolins from Gibson, Davidson and Harmony. It’s the finest condition batwing I’ve seen. We’ve also got back in stock three new A models from Furch, these are very fine and very reasonably priced mandolins.

Happy pickin'

Trevor~~~2582~9359~~