Facts

Bruce with Trent I. and his '1 of 10', 10th Anniversary Mandolin|

Yellowstone F Mandolin

Mary,

No doubt about one thing.  You guys are making the best new mandos going.  I hang out with some top level players who have played mine and they all agree with that. Some of them are under contract elsewhere and may not be free to say it in public, but it is true.

I also agree with both the business decision and the loyalty issue too, and believe it is in everyone's best interest for the best deals to be available from your local dealer.  I have been a customer of John's for many years.  He knows I am savvy and have a good idea of market value, but I always tell him if he can just get things at a fair price as compared to the national chains I'd rather buy from him. After all, the Internet chairs ain't nearly as comfortable as that one he lets me sleep in at the store, and it is no charge at that.

Looking forward to seeing my old mando, but take your time.  I've got a great Yellowstone here to keep me company. Keep me posted.

All the best,

 Dr. B

Yellowstone A Mandolin|

Hi Tony,

My Yellowstone arrived safely yesterday.

I knew this instrument was going to be nice but it has exceeded my expectations. The finish is much deeper and richer than I expected. I'm a real sucker for these kinds of wood tones. It brought to mind something I once overheard at the wooden boat festival in Port Townsend. I was looking down into this racy looking sailboat, about 30 feet of highly polished mahogeny, when this guy walks up and mutters to himself "jeez, this looks like a jewelry box".

The tone is very clean and clear. I had a hard time putting it down last night. I kept walking around in my house from room to room to listen to it under different acoustical conditions. And now I'm late for work because, again, I can't put it down.

Thank you and everyone else at Weber for making this beautiful mandolin.

L.H.

Caith Threefires on Flat Mandolin Family Instruments:

"We are pleased to be among the first in the country to receive one of these beautiful guitars from the fine folks at Weber in Montana...."
From Starr's Guitars, Cedaredge, CO

"That guitar of yours (Darrin Vincent's) really did pop on stage.  Even in the brief evaluation in the backstage chaos at the Opry -- I could tell it was a sweet instrument".
- Brian Wilson - Fox News

"Had a good workshop at Elderly Instruments where I was blown away by a hand made Weber carved top guitar with F holes!  Will this be the future??  Sounded different but terrific.."
- Roy Bookbinder -

"It's been a busy week, but I have had time to get some early impressions...on the ergonomic side, the intonation and action are perfect, and the playing position of the right hand is very, very comfortable.  This morning, my friend Nick came over (you know him better as my partner in crime from the NAMM show) to see it.  I just sat a few feet away as he played, and this is where the true beauty of this instrument became obvious.  I was struck by the evenness of tone...very, very balanced.  Loud, but not at all "boomy"... just right.   There is an incredible projection from the entire top of the guitar, not just sound being amplified by holes.  Even more impressive is the evenness of chords and notes played all the way up the neck.  The guitar sounds as great at the 15th fret as it does at the 1st.  And I don't want to end without due appreciation for the workmanship.  Even the beauty of my koa Yellowstone mandolin couldn't prepare me for this.  From the wood (a beautiful flame to the maple, some very individual figuring on the spruce)...to the inlay, to the lines drawn by the binding...this guitar leaves me wanting absolutely nothing else in terms of looks. Bruce has done an amazing job here; it will be a pleasure to get to know this guitar over the coming years.  Bythe way, Nick did some recording with the mandolin this week and just mighthave caught a touch of  M.A.S.  He played this one next to his old ******and said that it sounded full of "tire inflation foam" in comparison.  Made me laugh.  I do know that seeing this Big Sky guitar has made me wonder what it's little brother--a Big Sky mandolin (1 3/16" neck, radiused fingerboard, budinlay, Translucent Walnut finish, filled gold tailpiece) would look like sitting on the stand next to it.  We'll see."
-Drew M.-  owner of the first Big Sky Carved Top guitar.

"The new Weber guitar is the most unique guitar I have ever played.  If you area mandolin player the voice of this guitar will grab you right away and you will fall in love with the clarity and percussive nature of each note.  If you are used to playing a quality dreadnaught sized flat top then sit and play for a few minutes.  You will be led down a different road than you normally take.  You will  fall in love too.  This is truly a new and different guitar, try one out."
-Ken Bailey- Bailey's Music, Plant City, FL

"I just wanted to pass along some praise for your new arch top guitars. I hadthe opportunity to play a Big Sky model guitar at H. B. Woodsongs Music inBoulder Colorado. The guitar I played was the complete package--beautifulwoods, rich walnut finish, clean workmanship, and tone to die for. I loved the sound of this guitar--big trebles and midrange power like any any good arch top would have, but with added warmth in the bass that was a pleasant surprise. You guys have really hit the mark. Congratulations. Now, I have to begin saving my pennies...."
Sincerely,  - Steven V. -

"Outrageous!"
"Great tone."
"Louder than #@*%!"
"Sounds great all the way up the neck."
"This thing sounds excellent!"
- Player's comments on a Weber guitar at Music Villa, Bozeman, MT -

"I played one of your arch tops - mahogany back & sides, deep body &satin finish at a local store in Plant City, Florida (Bailey's).  It was fabulous!  Just a magnificent instrument.  You don't by any chance have any of those laying around in unusual colors?  It did seem like a guitar to keep forever.  Thanks again."
- Harry H.

Absaroka Octave Mandolin Review by Russell Godfrey

On Feb. 13, 2001, I became the proud and grateful owner
of a Weber Absaroka Octave Mandolin, from "Sound To Earth".

The instrument is, quite simply, exceptional. I have owned and played a variety of octave mandolins: Trinity College, Flatiron, Russell-Celtic Cross, and one or two others that shall remain nameless, but nothing compares to the workmanship, tone, and playability of the Weber. This beauty has a less "nasal" voice than any other O.M. I have played, and possesses a dusky, smoky, whiskey-like warmth that was so lacking in the others. There is no tinny, treble sound on the high-end but rather a warm sweetness that rings like a fine crystal. The sustain is remarkable. Chords ring like a mission bell. The scale length is 22 inches, so getting around the fingerboard on fiddle-tunes etc. is not a problem, for anyone with half-decent finger dexterity.

This instrument is a musical chameleon, in that it adapts to almost any kind of music you'd choose to play on it, as its pleasing voice can accommodate any musical genre. Since Johnny Moynihan first introduced the bouzouki into Celtic music in the '60's, this type of instrument has come a long way, and gone through many changes, and is adaptable to so many styles of music. This is a carved top instrument so the tone is miles ahead of the cheaper flat-top models. It is not a one-dimensional sound and is as suitable to accompanying vocals as it is to cutting leads.

The other features that make this such a remarkable instrument are the quick string change tail-piece, and the incredible "Brekke" bridge. No more string change struggles, sliding the tail-piece cover off and sometimes holding the string loop in place with blood, sweat and tape and/or profanity! A simple angling of the loop, slide it under the cover, and twist - the string stays anchored firmly in place while you wind the string into pitch. The bridge is a story in itself. I actually lowered the action, with the supplied allen key, while I was playing! The design of this bridge is light-years ahead of any technology that exists on today's market. (Check out Weber's website.) There is a graceful, slight, "S" curve to the O.M. bridge with a solid, but not overbearing mass of wood that contributes, I'm certain, to the wonderful meaty tone and sweet sustain of the Absaroka. There is no metal, so the sound transfer is wood to wood. I'm so impressed with this innovation, I'm considering converting my other mandolins to Brekke bridges. As instruments of this quality and playability make their way onto the market and into the spotlight, I predict many guitarists will add O.M's to their inventory and convert, more than occasionally, to their use.

Mandolinists will find it easy (after some slight adjustment) to move "up" in size, and guitarists, to move "over." There is a treasure of sound potential here to augment a players versatility and repertoire by the addition of one of these fine instruments. Well done Weber! This is a life-time instrument suitable to almost any style of music you could dream up. Just ask "Mandolirium!"

See Russ's Bio Here

Subject: Lefty Bitterroot Mandocello

Hey, Tony,

The m-cello is spectacular. Everyone who sees it and hears it is agog. 

I'm quite new to mando instruments -- never let it be said that I approach new musical challenges with fiscal timidity! -- so I'm sorting out what I can and should do with it. It's something of a tabula rasa challenge for me. Since I don't play any of the few styles of music most commonly associated with mandocellos (transcriptions of classical cello works; Celtic music; bluegrassy stuff), I don't really have anything to rely on as a template. I'm in a band that plays a lot of folk- and country-rock, and I'm working it into our acoustic sets. It's also finding a place in our semi-gypsy-jazz workouts. The good news is that so far it sounds brilliant on everything we've tried it on. 

It has changed my perception of what's possible in making music. It is a fabulous complement to acoustic guitar, and I'm nonplussed as to why mandocello-with-guitar isn't the predominant acoustic-duo configuration in this world. 

At some point I'll send some things to put in the "players" section of the web site.
This thing has really toughened up my pinkie.

Please send my regards and sincere appreciation to all the craftsmen who had a hand in the building of my mandocello.  

Best, 
P.O.