the cases in my studio keep getting smaller, although the prices keep getting higher on my new acquisitions.......mmmm, makes you wonder...

i got to play the NAMM show oval hole varnish MF5 at TME a few weeks back and a nice varnished MT2 oval.......(i still think about that one)

so, on my recent foray to Pittsburgh I was privy to not only the varnished sister to the NAMM show sweetie (Jesse Cobb and Kym Warner have some You Tube vids of this exact mando), but also their cousin in lacquer. now steve had warned me that Charlie Rappaport had said the lacquer one was his favorite and I have to say I always value Charlie's word, (he's picked out mandos for me before), but i was skeptical.

the varnished mandolin was very sweet, but Charlie was right. the lacquer one went home with me. i played the blonde Mt2 oval with the adi top, both MF5 ovals and i brought along my Brentrup 3 pointer for comparison. I am progressing though because generally i call steve from somewhere in the middle of Pennsylvania and buy the darn thing over the phone. this time i got as far as the corner and went back for it.

http://www.acousticmusicworks.com/MF5-O-1066.html

the blonde MT2 oval is a really nice adi topped mandolin, btw. if you cannot spring the extra dough for the F model, this one is going to be a real monster after some playing. and for those who really like F hole model A's this mando is a wicked beast
http://www.acousticmusicworks.com/MT21645.html

if i didn't already have a very nice mt2 i would have bought that one too.

Oh, my. Mary, you are incorrigible, but you did right. That is one beautiful oval MF5.

it helps that my other half is an enabler......or does it hurt?.......not sure.

but i did leave some stuff at AMW too......

Whatever it is keep it going MaryMary!! Extremely nice mandos. You didn't elaborate on how they compared to the Brent? phil

I'd love to hear how you would compair your Brentrup 3 point vs the MFO Collings since I've lusted after both of them. What are their strengths and weaknesses?

well, the Brentrup is more old timey sounding. it has an adi top and a bosnian maple back and sides (a softer maple)it sounds very much like an old Gibson. not as loud as the Collings, but the more you play it the sweeter it gets. i believe it is about six years old and has traveled a bit as i bought her used (she'd had two or three owners prior to that- and i literally was chasing this mando around the country trying to buy it for two years after Hans sold it) it is the prototype of this model and there i believe are three more. they are quite pricey but for old time and celtic, even classical, there is nothing like it.

the Collings is engelmann and very new, but has a big boomy voice with lots of horse power. the two complement each other well, which is why i brought the Brentrup along. two different mandolins. one vintage toned, the other more modern yet it lends itself well to old timey stuff.

i sometimes take a lesson with david surette so it will be interesting to see what he thinks. he is in love with the Brentrup, which by the way has a flat fretboard.

and to think i was lusting over a Gilchrist a week or so ago.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: marymary,

Thanks - I have a perfectly fine Brentrup 21V which I call my "folk" mandolin. I use it for ballads and quieter stuff. And I'm on the waiting list for a Kimble F-5 this year. So it's not really like I need it or anything. But if we were the kind of people who only took care of our "needs" as opposed to our "wants" this board would only have about 5 posts.

personally, mandolins are essential to my life. if not i would be on paxil or some other anti-anxiety medication trying to deal with my mother (who just turned 85) and my son (now 23)....it's a small price to pay for sanity, believe me. 20 minutes of playing is good for at least 8 hours of sanity. too bad i can't deduct them as a health care expense.

I can relate. I have a 75 yesr old mother in law who - because of a stroke - tends to forget things like the day of the week. And I have a special needs 8.5 year old that isn't speaking yet. The speech therapy community can afford a couple of Gilchrists on what my wife and I have geven them the last few years.

So yes - mandolins are an essential ingredient of my mental health.

mm, i'm a little surprised to hear that the brentrup sounds more like an old gibson. did i read that right? the brentrup you 're taking about isn't an oval hole, is it? i was wondering how the new MF-5O compares (soundwise) to a gibson F-2. i know you had an F-2 at one time... i did also, but the flat fretboard and short neck drove me nuts. sold it. i've never seen a collings oval hole mando in a store, which is probably a good thing. i love the finish on yours. congrats.

the brentrup is a 3 point oval hole:

http://www.brentrup.com/galler...ent/22_Oft_large.php

i have an old f2 also. the collings has a more modern snappy tone and less "thunk".

in fact all three are different tonally, so there will be peace and harmony at casa mm amongst the mandolins.

i love the amber.

marymary.. shame on you!!! that MF-5O is like OMG!!!! to coin a phase from the youth of today... I would be afraid to play for fear of what I would have to sell to afford it!!