Hi.
I’m going to buy a new mandolin. What do you think about Hugo Valcke’s instruments http://www.hugovalcke.be/intro.htm ? And what about Davy Stuart?
Thank you very much,
McC.
I don’t know anything about those, but head over to mandolincafe.com and ask the nice people there. It’s the Chiff and Fipple of the mandolin universe. Someone will know.
What kind of music do you intend to play on your mando?
I think Davy Stuart might still be out of commission due to the earthquake in Christchurch earlier this year. I emailed him about a bouzouki build a couple of months ago and haven’t heard back …and it looks like he hasn’t updated his website since mid-March.
I’ve heard nothing but good about Davy Stuart and his instruments. He used to be a long-time member of Cittern-L, and maybe still is, if that list is still going. At the time the US-NZ exchange made his axes the most affordable top quality luthier-made bouzoukis going, and many members bought from him. I know of no regrets.