Post by Mike Floorstand on May 25, 2013 0:33:13 GMT
I've had Ceol Binn Taistealaí all to myself for 3 weeks and been keeping very quiet about it so far, but that is about to change! Here's a quick review, with some videos and recordings to follow.
Background: I already own a Ceol Binn mandolin, which I commissioned from Dave last year. Mine has a cedar top and cuban mahogany back and sides so I was looking forward to being able to "compare and contrast" the two instruments for three weeks! CBT has a slightly deeper body, which I didn't notice while playing but appearance-wise I think I prefer the thinner version. CBT felt like it had a slightly thicker neck too, and also a wider tailpiece - again on both counts I prefer my own instrument's dimensions. The tuners are both gold hardware and ebony buttons but of different manufacture, but both good quality and I didn't notice any difference in use. Other than that, my CBII and CBT are more or less the same - same body shape, scale length, nut width and string spacing. The nut width and scale length in particular are fairly unique attributes of the Ceol Binn model, being a little wider and longer respectively than other mandolins on the market, and likely to appeal to guitarists like myself who often find the standard mandolin dimensions too cramped for comfort.
Appearance: pale spruce top which as we know will darken nicely with age and exposure to light. There are one or two areas of figuring - I think known as "bearclaw" - which some people may like, though I suspect over time on a mandolin it may start to blend in with pick marks and become less of a "feature". Back and sides (plus the soundhole rosette) is Bubinga, I haven't had the good fortune of examining this wood up close before now but it has a very attractive "3D" quality to it when you tilt and turn it at different angles to the light. This makes it very difficult to photograph - dark stripes appear on one side or the other depending on where the light hits it, which can make the two sides look less "bookmatched" than they actually are. In the flesh though, it is a real pleasure to behold! The neck is mahogany and the front and back headstock overlays and tuner buttons are both ebony, matching the fingerboard and bridge, and the tuner hardware, frets and tailpiece are all gold, so there is an aesthetic unity to the head, neck and body of the instrument. The overall appearance then is quite simple, but with well-chosen details (like the black/pear/black purflings on the soundhole and ebony-bound fingerboard, back and sides).
Sound: unfortunately the instrument suffered from a few buzzes during its 3 weeks here, this is the downside of being first on the roadtrip as any new instrument inevitably has a period of "settling in" under the tension of strings. I had a go at shimming the saddle myself and also, as Dave doesn't live too far from me, took the instrument for a more expert diagnosis - Dave raised the nut a little. I suspect the buzzes may not yet be completely cured, but we know they can be fixed fairly easily if they resurface. I certainly didn't get the feeling that there is anything fundamentally at fault with the sound - just the opposite in fact. The mandolin has a good amount of sustain and I found it surprisingly "warm" for a new spruce-topped instrument. Maybe psychological but I thought there was something "guitar-like" about the tone, whatever the case I enjoyed playing it and it's very exciting to think there should be even better sounds to come!
Conclusion: The buzzing problems were somewhat frustrating as I lack the skill to diagnose and fix these myself, but overall I'm very impressed. The Ceol Binn model deserves success and I think CBT in particular has a very promising future ahead.
I'll be handing CBT over to Keith tomorrow, and I have a few recordings and videos which I'll get posted on this thread as soon as I can...
Background: I already own a Ceol Binn mandolin, which I commissioned from Dave last year. Mine has a cedar top and cuban mahogany back and sides so I was looking forward to being able to "compare and contrast" the two instruments for three weeks! CBT has a slightly deeper body, which I didn't notice while playing but appearance-wise I think I prefer the thinner version. CBT felt like it had a slightly thicker neck too, and also a wider tailpiece - again on both counts I prefer my own instrument's dimensions. The tuners are both gold hardware and ebony buttons but of different manufacture, but both good quality and I didn't notice any difference in use. Other than that, my CBII and CBT are more or less the same - same body shape, scale length, nut width and string spacing. The nut width and scale length in particular are fairly unique attributes of the Ceol Binn model, being a little wider and longer respectively than other mandolins on the market, and likely to appeal to guitarists like myself who often find the standard mandolin dimensions too cramped for comfort.
Appearance: pale spruce top which as we know will darken nicely with age and exposure to light. There are one or two areas of figuring - I think known as "bearclaw" - which some people may like, though I suspect over time on a mandolin it may start to blend in with pick marks and become less of a "feature". Back and sides (plus the soundhole rosette) is Bubinga, I haven't had the good fortune of examining this wood up close before now but it has a very attractive "3D" quality to it when you tilt and turn it at different angles to the light. This makes it very difficult to photograph - dark stripes appear on one side or the other depending on where the light hits it, which can make the two sides look less "bookmatched" than they actually are. In the flesh though, it is a real pleasure to behold! The neck is mahogany and the front and back headstock overlays and tuner buttons are both ebony, matching the fingerboard and bridge, and the tuner hardware, frets and tailpiece are all gold, so there is an aesthetic unity to the head, neck and body of the instrument. The overall appearance then is quite simple, but with well-chosen details (like the black/pear/black purflings on the soundhole and ebony-bound fingerboard, back and sides).
Sound: unfortunately the instrument suffered from a few buzzes during its 3 weeks here, this is the downside of being first on the roadtrip as any new instrument inevitably has a period of "settling in" under the tension of strings. I had a go at shimming the saddle myself and also, as Dave doesn't live too far from me, took the instrument for a more expert diagnosis - Dave raised the nut a little. I suspect the buzzes may not yet be completely cured, but we know they can be fixed fairly easily if they resurface. I certainly didn't get the feeling that there is anything fundamentally at fault with the sound - just the opposite in fact. The mandolin has a good amount of sustain and I found it surprisingly "warm" for a new spruce-topped instrument. Maybe psychological but I thought there was something "guitar-like" about the tone, whatever the case I enjoyed playing it and it's very exciting to think there should be even better sounds to come!
Conclusion: The buzzing problems were somewhat frustrating as I lack the skill to diagnose and fix these myself, but overall I'm very impressed. The Ceol Binn model deserves success and I think CBT in particular has a very promising future ahead.
I'll be handing CBT over to Keith tomorrow, and I have a few recordings and videos which I'll get posted on this thread as soon as I can...
!
Thanks for patiently putting up with the irritating buzzes and rattles that hopefully will be sorted soon - especially with Keith on the case using the "phone a friend" facility 
The tailpiece transition of the strings makes an "interesting" string path over the saddle which I think isn't helpful for buzzing noises and in my attempts to make my own tailpiece I'll be looking for a design with as straight a string path as possible. I didn't notice the different sized tailpiece until we were at The EAGS - David Dyke has obviously got a new supplier in Germany for these rather than the earlier Chinese made ones.
