I've posted on this bluegrass forum a few times. (Same nickname). http://www.bluegrassworks.com/forum/index.phpmando-fiddle girl said:
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I've posted on this bluegrass forum a few times. (Same nickname). http://www.bluegrassworks.com/forum/index.phpmando-fiddle girl said:...what other forums are you on? i bet we've met at some bluegrass forum. I'm at most of them and I'm probably well-known as "Susi from Sweden"....
All I can say is...."dang!" (forgive me Lord for my jealous heart). I am familiar with Lloyd through the discussions on mandolincafe.comdmiller said:Clement --- Hey Bro, you may be envious of my mando, but I am envious of YOU, and your close proximity to Union Grove!!! Always wanted to go there, never have so far. I almost made it to Telluride one time (back in 1987), but didn't, and now am glad I did not.
It is a "closed corporation" from what I have heard, and I have heard it from those who have been there. By "closed corporation", I mean that all the good jams are not available to the general public. The good pickers are off in one room, and no one else is allowed in, without special permission.
In other words, --- you have to be a SOMEBODY, and "well known" to get into a decent jam.Oh well -- such is life.
My mando is a gift from above. Plain and simple. I do not deserve such a wonderful instrument, but it is mine, and here is the story about how I got it.
I went to visit a friend of mine (Lloyd LaPlant - Grand Rapids, Minnesota) on New Year's Eve, 2001. He is an excellent luthier (retired cabinet-maker), and now makes both mandolins and guitars. Grand Rapids is about 80 mlles from where I live, and having nothing better to do that New Years Eve, I called up Lloyd to see if he was going to be home, cause I hadn't seen him for a while.
He said -- "come on up", so I did. When I got there, he and one of his sons were in his living room, with 4 or 5 mandolins laying on the living room rug (all vintage Gibson's), and "dinking on all of them" to see which one sounded the best.
In his southern exposure window, were 5 mandolins (literally) hanging on a clothes line -- that he had made, and the finish that he had put on them was "hanging out to dry".
So I walk in, and comment on the mandos on the clothes line, and he said --- "aw -- those need a lot of work. Here, take a look at these." He pointed to the ones on his living room floor, so I did. Myself, Lloyd, and Don (his son), just sat there for the next two hours picking, switching instruments, making comments about the sound, etc.
I really gravitated to the one I now have, and said "Lloyd, I think I'll have to take this one home with me". He told me I couldn't afford it, and after hearing the price (reduced for me, because I was a friend), I had to agree, but then asked "Uhmmmmm??? Payments??"
Short of the long of it is -- I came back a month later, put down $1,000, and paid off the rest in another year. Lloyd makes mandos that sound better than this one, but he is (to this day), kicking himself for letting this one go, because it sounds (and looks), so sweet.
His son Don (the one who was there that day), told him once (in my hearing) "Dad, you didn't hang on to that one long enough to really appreciate it!!
No he didn't, and I for one am glad he did not!!!!
So there is the story of how I got my 1917 F-2 Gibson Mandolin.
posted by Clement:
All I can say is...."dang!" (forgive me Lord for my jealous heart). I am familiar with Lloyd through the discussions on mandolincafe.com
Amen to that! My fiddle is a "no-namer" from Illinois, hand-made by someone, but it still sounds good, loud, potent, etc., in the jam sessions.But, I am thankful to the Lord for the instrument that I have and enjoy playing it.
Michael Kelly does some very decent mandolins. How's the sound of it? I've never tried a MK, they're not availale in Europe from what I've heard.ClementofRome said:Great discussion folks. I play some mandolin (getting better every day) in a gospel/crossover BG band called Ploughshare. I have a Michael Kelly F-model Dragonfly that I love (I am envious of your F2, dmiller!!!). I have only been playing for 2 years and have come a long way. I have been a BG nut since I was a small child.
I got my MK around 2 years ago when they were internet sales only (I believe that they have gone to dealer networks now). It was the top of the line at the time....all solid wood maple back and sides and a solid carved spruce top. MK's are probably at the top of the heap for Korean production instruments. There seems to be fair quality control with them. The finish (which is polyurethane of some sort) is too heavy, but it does not damped the volume of the thing. After receiving it and playing it for a while, I sanded the poly off of the back of the neck and applied tung oil and I also scalloped the fret board extension (I tend to dig too deep when playing and the clicking was driving me nuts).mando-fiddle girl said:Michael Kelly does some very decent mandolins. How's the sound of it? I've never tried a MK, they're not availale in Europe from what I've heard.
Man, that made me feel good. That is some real wisdom. I appreciated it...and my MK mando did too!dmiller said:IMHO -- we have what we need -- for the moment, and when the moment changes, we get what we need then!
I'd like that very much. Maybe some day. Thanks for the offer. I just can't imagine a luthier that would not be salt (however, I am sure that there are some who are not). It is just a salt kind of work, I would believe.dmiller said:Lloyd, (and his wife Bev), are the salt of the earth. If you ever come this way, I will personally make sure you meet them, and I would give two to one odds, that you would have one of his instruments when you left.
Lloyd takes kindly to "real" folk!! And you sound like you are one of them!
Yes I do.posted by Clement:
My only real complaint is that I fear that I am going to need a fret job soon, and really don't know of putting any more money into this instrument is worth it. The frets seemed too soft to me. I cannot believe that I have worn them down in 2 years. Do you or dmiller have any experience with an instrument needing a fret job?
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