Looking to replace Octave Mandolin

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: michaelr
Date: 30 May 19 - 11:13 PM

refresh

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: michaelr
Date: 27 May 19 - 12:44 PM

Laurel, I'm so sorry to hear of your repeat misfortune. I think you'd do well checking out Mandolin Cafe's Classified section. Lots of instruments for sale there.

Best wishes,
Michael

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: open mike
Date: 26 May 19 - 01:05 PM

Well, guest, the homeowners insurance was enough to replace my main house, (or rather allow me to move to another) but I had two houses, and one insurance company is only covering half the cost of replacing the second structure. The destruction was so total and the losses so great, there is no chance to replace all that was destroyed.   The fire did immense damage....unbelieveable....over 150,000 acres were totally demolished as well as over 19,000 homes, making many thousands of people homeless. The official death toll numbers 88 humans, but there have been many more deaths indirectly due to the fire. The animal deaths, both domestic and wild, has no way of being counted. The vehicles which were burned have yet to be counted, though many were abandoned when the owners had to run for their lives due to being stuck in traffic jams, or having tires or cars catch on fire and cease to run.

The place where my structures stood is still not cleaned up after 6 months. The rubble and toxic ash still sit on the site. there are so many places needing to be cleaned up that FEMA is saying it may take years. The impact of this disaster is unfathomable, and the recovery, both physical, and emotional will take many years.

I lost my home 10 years ago from another fire in the same location. That fire was due to natural causes...lightning. I had no insurance that time, but had built a new home made from lumber milled from fire-killed trees. We were just beginning to recover from the previous fire, establishing gardens, etc. The issue is not that simple!

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: GUEST
Date: 19 May 19 - 12:41 PM

Insurance? Do they not pay?

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: Gozz
Date: 19 May 19 - 11:43 AM

The Pickard OM is on ebay, but probably only available in the UK. Sorry.

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: gillymor
Date: 19 May 19 - 11:33 AM

CBOM is an acronym used by zoukheads for Cittern,Bouzouki,Octave Mandolin.

I don't know what your price range is but judging from my Phil Crump (situated near S.F.) Redwood/Rosewood zouk I can strongly recommend his instruments (he makes OM's, mandos and guitars as well) though he kind of well-exceeded the lead time on mine and they can be a bit pricey. He's a good guy to work with.

I'd also put in a good word for Davy Stuart in NZ. His instruments are more affordable (surprising bargains considering the sound and build quality). In addition to the Octave Mandolin mentioned above I recently had him make me a mandolin with a longer scale and a wider fretboard that has kind of usurped my OM (you can hear a somewhat similar one in the hands of Andy Irvine on some vids from the Planxty reunion in 2005 on youtube, in addition to his usual Sobells) with it's deep body and lush (for a mandolin) sound. I think it cost me around $1400 shipped from NZ and an OM without the custom features would probably cost around the same if the rate of exchange is still favorable to us and if he hasn't jumped up his prices. And he's also a wonderful guy who actually got the instrument to me in less than the 6 months he promised.

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: GUEST,Captain Swing
Date: 18 May 19 - 07:40 PM

I have a Thomas Buchannan Octave Mandolin which is as you describe, an octave below mandolin with 4 courses of strings. It is a superb instrument, great tone and balance and very playable. It benefits from a fixed bridge which gives it the power akin to a guitar. I also have a Hathway, albeit a 25 yr old one but it is not a patch on the Buchannan.

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: open mike
Date: 18 May 19 - 07:35 PM

The instrument by Ivor Pickard currently available on ebay -- what type of instrument is it and what tuning dopes it use? Is this on e-bay in the U.S. ? I do not see it....

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: open mike
Date: 18 May 19 - 07:21 PM

What's a Sea Bomb?! (CBOM) does it stand for Crump Bouzouki? (octave mandolin?)

looks very interesting...

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: gillymor
Date: 18 May 19 - 04:15 PM

Here's an article that might shed some light on the characteristics of the various CBOM's.
My Crump bouzouki has a 25 1/2" scale and I mostly play it in GDAD and my Stuart OM is usually in GDAE though I use both tunings on either instrument. For me GDAD seems to work better for accompaniment and GDAE for melody and counterpoint.
I'm very sorry to hear about your house.

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: open mike
Date: 18 May 19 - 03:46 PM

Paul Hathaway prices listed 750-835 -- would this be pounds?
what is the exchange rate for dollars?
Prices OM 1 -3
OM-1 Octave Mandola Plain 750-00
OM-2 Octave Mandola Banded        835-00
OM-3 Octave Mandola Scroll Head 795.00

o.k. i found this 785 pounds = about $1000

and apparently Buchannan is a luthier http://folkmandolin.co.uk/product-category/instruments/

what is the tuning for a bouzouki? this one looks considerable longer than an octave G-D-A-E one https://www.fyldeguitars.com/satbouzouki.html

Actually the instrument i got form Kendall Morse was not an Appalonio, although the instruments made by him look great!

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin--more info
From: open mike
Date: 18 May 19 - 03:12 PM

Hello all...thanks for replies..... I am a woman in the U.S. and my name is Laurel. In California on November 8, a huge fire destroyed over 150,000 acres including my home as well as 19,000 other homes. Over 85 people died. The destruction was so vast it is hard to imagine and there are still thousands of people homeless and struggling in the after math of this. Many are not even able to return to the places their homes used to be due to toxic ash and debris still in place after over 6 months. (let alone to re-build a house to protect and give shelter to themselves and their families.) (Thankfully, my partner and I have found a home, about 100 miles away from where ours burned.)I am so glad to hear of the instruments that have been mentioned in this thread...I will follow up and see the possiblites. I am not sure of the terminology , but the instrument I desire is tuned an octave below the mandolin, with 8 strings, strung in pairs (what do you call that? courses?) I have been able to replace my guitar, nyckelharpa and mandolin, but so far not the other mandolin family instrument. As luck would have it, I was able to locate a mandolin
very similar to my original instrument, a vintage instrument made by the Weymann company in Pennsylvania 100 years ago...a mandolute. That company did make a precious few octave mandolins in that same style....I do not expect to ever find one of those, but in my dreams i might!!!   by the way, I am not sure what is meant by Thomas Buchannan....i think more words are needed to understand this....

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: GUEST,maeve
Date: 18 May 19 - 02:49 PM

To answer a couple of questions posted by folks: openmike is on the west coast, USA. Her octave mandolin was from Mudcat's Kendall Morse- a beauty made by Nick/Nikos Apollonio in Rockport, Maine.

I've let her know there are some helpful replies to her post. Please keep in mind things are still tough for the many fire survivors in that part of the country (and this is the second full fire loss she has survived), so it may take a few days for her to get back to MC to respond.

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: GUEST,Captain Swing
Date: 17 May 19 - 07:48 PM

Thomas Buchannan - no more needs saying!

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: gillymor
Date: 17 May 19 - 12:45 PM

I have a Davy Stuart OM for sale- 22 1/2" scale, mahogany back and sides, Italian spruce top, loud and low action. $1000, which includes shipping to lower 48 states.

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: alex s
Date: 17 May 19 - 12:45 PM

https://www.fyldeguitars.com/satbouzouki.html

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: alex s
Date: 17 May 19 - 12:43 PM

Hi Mike. I have a short scale Fylde bouzouki for sale. Carved top - tasty.
PM me if interested.

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: Gozz
Date: 17 May 19 - 12:01 PM

Hi Mike,

As a player of one myself and with some knowledge of the UK luthiers I am guessing you mean that Colin Kendall made the one you sadly lost. So that also gives me some idea about the price range and quality you are looking for. Mine is a David Oddy, but as he is no longer with us I am not sure whether his son Nick, is making these to order. I get the impression that he is concentrating on David's design of a Mandocello.

I previously had a Thomas Buchanan one with a fixed bridge, but there were issues with the angle of attack from the inner row of pins to the saddle, causing strings to often break there.

A friend has a Fylde Touchstone model which is very nice indeed, but perhaps brighter in overall sound than my Oddy, but we have different styles of play and different voices which we use them to accompany, so each to their own.

I have owned a Hathway Bouzouki and that was nice, so worth considering. Mine wasn't made to my spec - he just invited me to visit and let me try what he currently had.

There is a new Ivor Pickard currently available on ebay, secondhand. I had a try of a Pickard instrument some years ago and liked the quality of the build.

Best of luck.

Gozz

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: Jesse Bassfeller
Date: 17 May 19 - 08:52 AM

I've recently been very impressed with the octave mandolins from Eastman. Street price for new is around $800 and the sound and playability are quite satisfying even though it's an entry level import. Really worth a look.

Subject: RE: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: Gordon Jackson
Date: 17 May 19 - 03:50 AM

Hi Mike,

Are you in the UK, USA or elsewhere? Over here (UK) we usually refer to tenor mandolas and octave mandolas; in the US they're mandolas and octave mandolins, so it can get a bit confusing!

Paul Hathway's octave mandolas are superb and incredibly reasonably priced, but they don't often come up secondhand, for obvious reasons.

Good luck,
Gordon

Subject: Looking to replace Octave Mandolin
From: open mike
Date: 17 May 19 - 02:33 AM

For a brief while I was the happy owner of an Octave Mandolin that I got from Kendall. Unfortunatly it was lost in the fire that took my house. I am looking for another. If anyone happens to have an extra one lying around......or knows of one that is for sale I would be interested in getting it.   (not a mandola, but an instrument that is tuned a full octave below the mandolin....so that the chords are all the same fingering....)