My Les Paul for Your Octave Mandolin

[Narayan]

Hi There!

I've recently fallen in love with the Octave mandolin and have a trinity college octave. I've got a feeling that a much better grade octave mandolin is out there with more solid tones and richness of sound. So I don't use my Gibson Les Paul Standard anymore and wondered if anyone is looking for a Les Paul who would like to trade a well loved and well made octave mando. Anyone?

Thanks,
Narayan

[brewerpaul]

Don't ditch your Paul too quickly. I have a Trinity College too and I've found that it compares very nicely with other "better" ones that I've tried.

[Narayan]

That's good to hear.

I played an Alvarez A800 f-style mandolin when I first got started. I paid $500.00 for it I think. Then a couple years later I had a custom built mandolin made by Andrew Mowry and when I played that instrument compared to my A800 it just totally blew the a800 out of the water. My wife can't really tell tonal and sound quality differences when I ask her about instruments, but when I played those two back to back, her first response was "wow" and then the second response was "your going to sell that a800 right" not because she wanted me to get money from it, but because she knew that it would just sit around since it sounded so poorly compared to my handmade one.

I guess I figured if I like my trinity college so much, I'd probably have the same reaction to an octave mando of a much higher price. I'm glad to hear that the TC can hold its own. I really do like it, my fingers haven't been this sore from playing an instrument so much in a long time.

[hyldemoer]

There's a lot to be said for any musical instrument being set up by a luthier who knows what they're doing.
Even if its been well set up in the past, stuff might move around as the seasons change.

[Tim2723]

I also think it's important to realize that there is a world of difference between an arch-top F style mandolin and a flat-top instrument. For reasons almost too numerous to list you will consistently notice a huge difference going from a $500 F mando to something in the $2000-4000 range. On the other hand, flat top instruments are all very basic lutes that quickly reach their point of diminishing returns. After a certain point it takes a very large increase in price to see even a small increase in tone and quality with flat top OMs. The Trinity College instruments fall at about the break point. I'd hang on to the TC if I were you.

[Gordon]

And, anyway, man... a Les Paul!!

[Narayan]

Well...I took the TC out to the session here tonight and loved it. You're right. It does sound great. Luckily a Joe Foley Bazouki showed up so I got to listen to the comparison of tone and volume. I hung right in there with the bazouki.

yeah...that's what my says that I should keep the les paul. It's actually a pretty cool guitar with a sunburst in a color that was discontinued. I already sold one les paul a few years ago, and still wish I had it.

I think I'm just going to play the hell out of this Trinity College.

[brewerpaul]

That's what I'm talkin' 'bout...
The more you play the TC, the more you'll like it.
And you'll still have the Paul...
Closest I have is a copy I built from a kit:


I used automotive paint on the back, sides, and head to match the Fusion Orange of my wife's Grand Am:


For about $160, it isn't bad, but it's not a Les Paul!

[Tim2723]

Of course, you realize we just screwed some guy out of getting a Les Paul.

[Narayan]

Well...that's possible...but there's always the chance someone might have an octave mando I couldn' pass up for trade...say a nice two point arch top oval hole???

[Wombat]

That Les Paul isn't a 1958 or 1959 Standard is it? If you want to swap it for my Weber octave mandolin you've got a deal.

Mind you, when I sell the Les Paul I'm going straight out to buy another Weber. It has a rich, complex, throaty tone I just love. To my hands and ears, its a much better instrument than my TC bouzouki. I also have a Graham McDonald solid body electric bouzouki which is rather like a cross between a Weber and a Telecaster.

As luck would have it, I'll soon be looking to sell my 1972 Les Paul Special black beauty. Make no mistake, it's a fine guitar. But I bought a Les Paul to get a sound like those late 50s Standards and the BB doesn't. I bought an early 80s Burny Super Grade Les Paul copy of the late 50s Standard and it's the real deal—the sustain goes on forever. It's surprising that more people don't know about the brilliance of the best 70s and 80s Japanese copies of vintage Gibsons and Fenders. 1981-1983 Japanese Fender Strats (copies of vintage instruments although genuine Fenders) blow Custom Shop recreations away and even mid 80s Squiers are better than American made Fenders since the 60s if what you want is that vintage sound.

Enjoy the TC and the Les Paul.

[Ro3b]

1981-1983 Japanese Fender Strats (copies of vintage instruments although genuine Fenders) blow Custom Shop recreations away and even mid 80s Squiers are better than American made Fenders since the 60s if what you want is that vintage sound.

Just to pull the discussion further off topic: have you seen the new Squier "Classic Vibe" series guitars? They're really, really nice, as good as any American Fenders being made now. I've had a CV telecaster for a few months and it's just a fantastic guitar.

[Wombat]

1981-1983 Japanese Fender Strats (copies of vintage instruments although genuine Fenders) blow Custom Shop recreations away and even mid 80s Squiers are better than American made Fenders since the 60s if what you want is that vintage sound.

Just to pull the discussion further off topic: have you seen the new Squier "Classic Vibe" series guitars? They're really, really nice, as good as any American Fenders being made now. I've had a CV telecaster for a few months and it's just a fantastic guitar.

Thanks for the heads up. I also forgot to mention that modern Fenders made for the Japanese market only are often great, especially if they have American or Kinman pickups.

The serious point behind my joking and off topic remarks was really this: if you have a Les Paul worth, say, 3K, you can sell it, buy a nice Weber OM, and replace the Les Paul with a Burny that is likely to be better than the one you sold.

Now I'll shut up before I drive up eBay prices even further.