The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #91879   Message #1750446
Posted By: mandotim
31-May-06 - 03:17 AM
Thread Name: Ondrej Holoubek mandolin - should I buy?
Subject: RE: Ondrej Holoubek mandolin - should I buy?
Holoubek is one of the very best Czech luthiers, and has a reputation for really excellent instruments. Fit and finish are very good, and the two I've played have been absolute tone monsters. Chris Thiele's mandolin is a US made Dudenbostel F5, priced at $30,000 plus. Even a Holoubek copy should be a fine instrument. You need to go and play the mandolin, to make sure it suits you. I would always consider factors in this order;
1. Tone . Does it suit the music you want to play? Choice of strings and picks can change this to some extent, but all mandolins have their own in-built 'voice'.
2. Volume. Is it loud enough to 'cut through' in the settings where you play? Always err on the side of 'loud'. It's easy to play softer, but hard to 'overdrive' a quiet acoustic instrument.
3. Action and playability. This can often be improved by a good setup, but it sounds as if this has been done.
4. Looks, fit and finish. Mandolins can be very beautiful, but when it comes down to it, a mandolin is a tool, not an ornament.

Hope this helps, and good luck!
Tim