Good deal on mandos (no financial interest)

Trad Strings
1

There’s been some discussion on mandolin cafe about Music123’s current deals on Fullerton mandolins. Consensus is that they are great for cheapies. Make good beaters, second mandos - or even main axes for those who don’t need the refinement of high-enders.

I’ve ordered one of these:

All solid woods(spruce/maple) carved scroll, not flat like pressed-top mandos.

Really not a bad approximation of a Gibbo F9. Mine has just arrived in UK and should be here by Monday!

They are selling B stock at reduction and A stock at closeoout reduction.

http://www.music123.com/Search/Default.aspx?N=64&Ntt=fullerton+gloucester

2

That is a very good price. Which one did you get the A or B stock?

I got an MK just a couple weeks ago, so I am not in the market. Mine cost twice as much, but it is fancier with abolone inlay and other features like that.

3

I always liked the understated look of the F9, matte finish with no burst, (mock) tortoise binding and no fretboard inlay.

Looks like a good deal. I’m looking to sell some mandolins rather than buy them, but i’d say at <US$300 it’s almost a no-brainer if you’re looking to get a maple & spruce F style on a budget.

4

Went for A. At a lower price than the B stock!

I’m not too fussed about cosmetic flourishes (although I must say that logo lacks style!), and I don’t look at the fretboard dots, so that’s not an issue. Also, the more matt finish is my preference over thick, deadening, gloss laquer

I really wanted an f holer to work on my bluegrass technique. I was going to go for another Eastman to go with my brilliant Eastman oval hole A, but at this price and with the praise they’ve been getting from experienced players I had to go for the Gloucester. :slight_smile:

5

just do like Grisman and put some black tape over it… then everyone’ll think you have an F9… :laughing:

6

It arrived.

Wow, it’s great. Detail isn’t up to Gibson or Weber standard, but this is a great mando at an unbelievable price.

For those of you in the UK, obviously I can’t guarantee the same experience for everyone, but including shipping from the US, this thing cost me about £130!! It sailed through customs with no extra charges!

It is solid spruce/maple, has good tone and volume (when it opens up I reckon it will rival my Eastman 504 which cost 3 times as much. Chop is better than on the 504, obviously due to the f holes as opposed to the Eastman’s oval hole).

The only criticism I have is that the f holes aren’t finished as neatly as they could be, but I can sort that.

In tune right up the neck, no buzzes or rattles. I am really impressed.

It is hard to get a plywood F style mando for this price in the UK, let alone a solid wood one with a nice fairly thin finish and full body binding.

The fretboard is not bound, so refrets will be easier.

And with my Intelli tuner clipped on, you can’t even see the iffy logo!

I am well pleased. I think this one will be well worth investing in a bone nut, a cast tailpiece and maybe a bridge upgrade (although the stock one is fine).

:party:

7

I just gave my son my 2000 Weber Beartooth for his 21st birthday present. Of course, it’s still in the house, so I have access (if I can get him to put it down). I’ve sort of devoted myself to flute for the near term. Still, these do look nice for the price…
Be strong, self!! :boggle:

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It’s already opened up a bit since coming out of the box. It is a bloody good mandolin. I’m chuffed.

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What does “B Stock” mean? Is that a lower grade of wood?

10

I think it’s like second quality. Minor cosmetic blemishes etc…

11

I ordered one of the Fullerton Gloucester “A Stock” mandos from Music123 last week for $179 with shipping! For a mandolin people have said sounds so good, and also an F style, I just had to see what it’s all about.

I got a Fullerton Pennington model via Fedex today, that was supposed to be the Gloucester I ordered last week (oh well), and even though it’s an $89 closeout special (and free shipping too!), and laminated, it sure sounded nice, and the workmanship was really well done too. If anyone wants a cheap one that looks and sounds very good (don’t know about durability, but looks like it should be fine), I doubt you can find a better deal. Now I’m really looking forward to seeing and hearing the Gloucester in comparison!

The Pennington really needed a truss rod adjustment, but that’s the only bad thing I could find on it-other than the strings at the nut could have been lower for easier play. The bridge was pretty well fitted to the top, and it had good volume too. Amazing that they can put anything out there at that price, let alone how nice it is. It’s like having a nice beater, but something that you don’t want to get hurt at the same time! It probably would be great for festivals and sessions though too.

Of course, these are listed as closeouts-so I don’t know how long they will have them, or how many either. Here’s the link again for the Fullerton mandolins at 123 if anyone’s interested:

http://www.music123.com/Search/Default.aspx?N=64&Ntt=fullerton+mandolins

The sale prices show after you put it in your cart, by the way.

Anyway, thanks buddhu for posting about them here-I wouldn’t have known otherwise. Should be nice to have a mandolin again (when I get mine-they said I’d have it by the end of the week now, as they will rush ship it-that was good of them I thought, even though it was their mistake).

I’ll post my thoughts about it after I get it and play it a little.

12

Ah ha, the Fullertons!

I think you’ll find the Gloucester a leap up from any laminate model. I’m currently playing mine as long and as hard as I can to open it up. :smiley:

I did a bit of tweaking and setting up, and I have to say that the Gloucester is now my main mandolin - it really is that good. My beloved Eastman, also a fine inexpensive mandolin, is now played more often by a session-mate than by me!

13

Music 123 is blowing out all their Fullerton stuff. Electric and acoustic guitars, basses, amps. Those $50 strat knockoffs look pretty sweet.

14

There’s a company in the UK called Wesley Guitars that deals on ebay. Their stuff is a bit like the Fullerton stuff - very cheap, but very good.

However, I have sworn off guitars. No way am I getting back into guitar acquisition syndrome…

15

Oh man, I SO want one of those. I don’t know why but I have a major F-mando jones. I have an A model Kentucky which truthfully plays excellently well so it’s been hard to justify the hundreds of bucks usually associated with an F. But for $170-something, I may just have to give in. I can always sell the A…

BTW-- how does this sound playing Irish Trad? That’s what I usually play, with some of lots of other music thrown in.

16

Well, Paul, with a 45 day money back guarantee, no shipping charge either way, and $179, it’s kind of a no brainer-you get to decide if it works for you! At least that’s what I figured.

It will probably have a different voice than your Kentucky, but if yours is an f hole mando, it shouldn’t be far off. But even if you have an oval hole, who knows, you might like this one better.

My replacement for the mistake music123 made has shipped, but I haven’t gotten it yet, so I can’t answer any specific questions-all I can say is all I’ve read about the Gloucester has been about the happy people who bought them. At this price-you get a lot of F style (my favorite too) for the money. Who knows how long they will be available on clearance-that’s what got me to order!

17

Hey, you guys are definitely bad for my bank account. I didn’t think I “needed” an inexpensive mandolin but the more I read your accounts of the Gloucester and the accounts over at the Mandolin Cafe warped me…as if I’m not already warped enough.

Barry, you’ll get your’s before mine comes in. Let me know how it turns out.

An expensive day today. Sent $$ for a Pat O’Riordan low F/Enatural set and now the mandolin. And I’m not even sure I like F style mandolins.

Anyone want to buy a really, really nice Vega Cylinder Back mandolin with Birdseye Maple back?

take care

jim

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Hi Jim,

It seems the only logical solution to me too after reading all those posts! If you don’t like it, it doesn’t cost anything to return it either, and you have 45 days to get it back!

I just got finished writing a nasty note to music123 for not handling my order well, and not fixing it on time, as they said they would. I still don’t have the replacement Gloucester-it was just shipped today when I was supposed to have it in my hands.

Can’t complain about the price, however, and I guess it’s worth putting up with some inefficiency to get it, as long as they deliver the goods in the end!

You might want to put that Vega up on the cafe-better than here for the exposure.

19

Woo hoo!! My wonderful wife is ordering one of these for my birthday! Now, the hard part will be knowing that it’s in the house, but that I can’t have it until 6/27…

updated: I got a concession from my wife to let me play the mando when it arrives for about 10 min:bring it up to pitch and tune it, check the neck, fret buzzing, major flaws etc. Otherwise, by the time I receive the mandolin on my birthday, the 45 return period would be over. An eminently sensible woman…

Any suggestions for a decent CHEAP case for this?

20

new, probably can’t get much cheaper than this, especially for a hard-shell case.