78-7145, 78-7146, 78-7147 Fender (new) Acousta-Sonic Ultralite Guitar Amplifier, #M1502093 (head), M1502098 (head), M1502092 (head) and M1497010 (cabinet), M1497013 (cabinet), M1502092 (cabinet).
The finest sounding acoustic-electric guitar amplifier (250 watts of RMS power, stereo reproduction, with a bunch of built-in digital room ambiance effects, twin channels – one for voice – it does everything any of us who plays amplified wants an amplifier to do and it does it with a 9 pound head and a 13 pound bottom. The head rides in a gigbag. One-hand carry ability and superb (unbelievable) sound quality in stereo. Yikes. The Fender List Price for the combination of head and bottom is $1571 and the Fender MAP and our Discount Price is $1100.
78-7404 Fender (new) Bassman Model 150 Bass Amp, 120V, #ICATA-08005366.
The Fender List is $614.27 and our Discount Price is $429.99.
78-7402 Fender (new) Champion 600 Amp, 120V, #CAXNH07G19333.
From the massive (bass amp) to the tiny. Small? Aye, but we like it too. The Fender List is $269.99.
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78-7406 Calton (new) Deluxe (D-Class) Classical/00 Guitar Case, #17820, black and teal.
$677 or, at our cash discount price, $657.
78-7410 Calton (new) Deluxe (D-Class) Classical/00 Guitar Case, #17818, in Van Deusen Blue and Silver.
$677 or, at our cash discount price, $657.
78-7409 Calton (new) Deluxe (DOMS) OM/000 Guitar case, #17822, in Black and Red.
$696 or, at our cash discount price, $675.
78-7405 Calton (new) Deluxe Mandolin (Style A or Style F) case, #17821, in Black and Teal.
$510 or, at our cash discount price, $495.
78-7064 Fishman (new) Loudbox 100 amplifier, #13811.
The Fishman List is $810 and our Discount Price is $599.99.
78-7065 Fishman (new) Loudbox Performer LBX-300, #13757.
The Fishman List is $1070 and our Discount Price is $799.95.
CD ALBUM: Marla Lewis, I Love to Talk to Plants (2007)
Marla Lewis, singer-songwriter for the young and young-minded, is a national treasure. She has the uncanny ability to hear, capture and reproduce in rhyme, meter and melody the dreams, drama, goals, glories, fears and fantasies of an entire generation of children, 6 to 16, but she does so in a manner so musical and memorable that these songs will inspire and inveigle the other age groups (17 to 77). She derives her subject matter straight from the id – you know, that deep unconscious river of thoughts that control our drives and motivations. Her songs range from dreams (“Once I dreamed I lost my nose. . . I found my best friend and I froze ‘cause my nose was on his face!”), to adoption: a baby hippo chooses a giant tortoise as his mom (yes, that’s based on a true post-tsunami story), to talking with plants (“To roses and hydrangeas – the plants I meet are anything but strangers.”). Not surprisingly, many of Marla’s songs are about empowerment, such as “Mighty Jackie, the Strikeout Queen” which tells the tale of Virne Beatrice “Jackie” Mitchell of Chattanooga who at 17 became a baseball player and in 1931 struck out both Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, performed in the style of the Andrew Sisters, who popularized Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy of Company B during World War II. Musically and as a story-teller, Marla nails it: whether her songs take the form of a Cuban Salsa (“Whenever Celia Sings”), backed by trumpet, trombone, maracas and congas, or a rap-inspired piece about a shy girl who confronts a bully and amazes herself by this spontaneous act of courage, each song may cause a young listener to say “Hey, I feel like that (kid/turtle/baseball player) too!” Each piece is inspired and professional; they together tell a tale of acquired self-assurance. Marla’s last album, We All Laugh in the Same Language impressed Pete Seeger so much that he sent Marla a postcard telling her that he was forwarding the song to Sing Out!. Owning a copy of this album may be the best, long-lasting treat you can give your kids, grandkids, nieces and nephews. $15 the copy.
15-5866 Fender (used, c.1975) Fender Princeton Reverb, #A33349, silver face, in very good condition, with original but worn foot pedal.
By the early 1970's, the Fender Princeton Reverb had became one of the most favored studio recording amps due to it being the smallest Fender amp with both tremolo and reverb. It could create big tube tone in a small space. This model, which is essentially the same amp as the Princeton that came before but with reverb added, originally had a black background to the control knobs when it debuted in August of 1964, but it evolved in an amp with a silver front plate and blue lettering by 1968. This example shows minor scratches and grooves, but is in otherwise very good condition. It weighs approximately 31 lbs and features one 10" speaker (8 ohms usually an Oxford 10J4 or a CTS – this one’s unlabeled), capable of handling 12 to15 Watts. We just had our amp repairman John Lebrio do extensive updating and tweeking – including one cap, four resistors, one rectifier tube, two matched 6V6GT tubes, 3 12AX7s, one 12AT7 and a lamp socket assembly. He cleaned the pots and sockets, just like an orthopedic surgeon, and checked the bias on the new tubes. It is now ready for professional use. Most musicians agree that there is little difference in sound between a late black face and a silver face. Because it provisions you an exceedingly large tube sound from a small package the original Princeton Reverb amplifier is craved and lusted for by players, and this little silver face number would be quite at home, with its legs crossed on the leather ottoman, in your living room. $1,289 or, at our cash discount price, $1,250.
48-4561 Fender (new) Acoustasonic Ultralite head (M1466711) and twin 8” Eminence speaker Stereo Enclosure Cabinet (M1470057).
The Acoustasonic Ultralight amplifier offers pristine reproduction of acoustic-electric instruments and a host of high-tech features in a beautiful, compact package. This powerful stereo amp (two x 125 watts; 4 ohms per side) features two independent instrument and mic channels with built-in DSP effects (reverb, delay, chorus, Vibratone and combinations), and the String Dynamics™ feature, which prevents high frequency distortion when you play hard. It travels extremely light in its included gig bag, and, paired with the Acoustasonic Ultralight Stereo Enclosure, gives you the ultimate in portable amplification! Other features include feedback-reducing notch filter, phantom-power capability (XLR mic input), professional XLR line output with level control and ground lift, stereo headphone output, tuner output with mute, two-button footswitch for remote selection of instrument FX and mic FX, voltage selector switch for worldwide use (with approved power cord), and Honey Blonde-finished solid maple side panels and trim strips. The Acoustasonic Ultralight Stereo Enclosure is the companion of the Acoustasonic Ultralight Head, offering two 8” Eminence® low-frequency drivers with lightweight Neodymium magnets and two 1” high-fidelity dome tweeters. The patented magnet docking system allows secure attachment of the head to the enclosure. Together, the combination delivers pristine reproduction of acoustic-electric instruments in a beautiful, compact and easily portable package. The Fender List Price is $1541. Your cost: $1100 at our discount price, or, at our cash discount price, $1067.
A new CD album: Marjorie Thompson, Right by Me (2007). Each new album from Marjorie Thompson presents melodic, memorable facets of the life, times
and psyche of this modern singer-songwriter who derives her music from the folk and fingerpicking tradition. Sometimes sensual, sometimes political, always relevant and universal in her polished, acoustic presentation, in her fourth CD she again surrounds herself with notable musicians. Featured sidepersons include Buddy Cage on pedal steel – yes, that Buddy Cage who played in New Riders of the Purple Sage, with Dylan on Blood on the Tracks, with Ian & Sylvia on Great Speckled Bird. She provisions us the best mandolinist in the Northeastern Quadrant: Barry Mitterhoff, formerly of Skyline with Tony Trischka, Silk City and, most recently, the touring partner of Jorma Kaukonen. I began to think, listening to this album, that we have finally found the next Phil Ochs -- Marjorie’s song “America the New” recalls Ochs’ sardonic, trenchant contemporary criticism with the stops-you-cold line: “When Social was the word, instead of Homeland, that described Security.” And then in “Ernie and Grace” she uses the phrase “There but for Fortune.” Shivers up the spine, anybody? Her first song, familiarly titled “Don’t Look Back” is an auspicious opening piece about three novel ways to kill your lover. Now that’s original! “Come to the River” utilizes a six-string guitar-banjo, with its powerful walking bass, in the Delta blues idiom. “Light of Day,” punctuated by Mike Levine’s tasteful, lyrical Dobro lines, examines a theme that returns so often in Marjorie’s songs – that of self-actualization as, perhaps, defined by theorist Kurt Goldstein who postulated that the drive to realize all of one’s potentialities is in fact the “Master Motive” – the only real motive a person has. Marjorie takes the poetic view when she writes: “Sitting in the barroom, perched up on a chair, I must be invisible, and the barman he can't hear.” Whether writing of a chance encounter in a darkened parking lot or happily interpreting Paul McCartney’s timeless fantasy about sexagenarian life, (with the grandkids, Vera, Chuck and Dave), Marjorie Thompson generously gives us thoughtful themes and mellifluous music. Her musicianship is resplendent with six-string sparkle. You can order this from Mandolin Brothers at $15.95 plus shipping.
A new CD Album: Toby Walker * Just Rolled In (2007) * Live Concert Recording. Toby Walker is the Keeper of the Flame, Sovereign of those who beguile
us with the acoustic blues. When Toby takes the stage time stops -- the audience is thrust back to the 1930s when the pinnacle of success for an itinerant blues player was to be able to record his or her songs on 78-RPM records, which is to say they used the guitar as a portable piano and sang songs that reflected the uncertainties of their lives. Toby interprets those definitive versions of America’s most sincere, close-to-the-edge performances but he does so in a way that is simultaneously, witty, original, captivating and musically proficient to a level seldom achieved. Whether the piece is by Blind Boy Fuller or by Blind Willie Johnson, Walker’s work is no double-blind experiment. It is, instead, the art of a consummate entertainer and a startlingly versatile guitarist/singer-songwriter who can whip off a complex, three-part, ragtime-inspired instrumental that humbles even the experienced picker. Toby stuns us with his skill and showmanship, and he makes it all look easy! Orderable from Mandolin Brothers at $15.95 the copy.
15-6638 Fishman (new) Loudbox 100 Amplifier, #13512.
The Manufacturer’s List Price is $859.95 and we can say “please call or email us for our discount and cash discount pricing.”
15-6562 Fender (new) Blues Junior amplifier, 120 Volt, black cabinet, B337126.
A great sounding small tube amplifier with the sound of the past in its tubes. The Fender List is $569.99 but the Fender MAP is $398.99.
15-6632 Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight amplifier, head and bottom, M1487276 with Cabinet M1488397.
Similar to the Acoustic Ultralite in that it weighs little, has a utilitarian gigbag for the head (preamp/power amp plus Speakon cable and footswitch), and 200 warm, winning watts of delightfully smooth jazz amplification. The Fender List is $1357. Please phone or email for our price.
15-6638 and 15-6639(sold) Fishman (new) Loudbox 100 acoustic guitar amplifier, #11272, and #13512, each being a little, light and exceedingly powerful with great versatility and utility value.
The List Price for each acoustic amplifier is $749.95 but your Fishman MAP is $859.95.
15-6632 Fender Jazzmaster Ultralight amplifier, head and bottom, M1487276 with Cabinet M1488397.
Similar to the Acoustic Ultralite in that it weighs little, has a utilitarian gigbag for the head (preamp/power amp plus Speakon cable and footswitch), and 200 warm, winning watts of delightfully smooth jazz amplification. This will be the “last one we can get at the old price.” The next one we get will be about $100 more. On this one only, the Fender List is $1286 but our price is $927 at our discount price, or at our cash discount price $899.
15-6564 Fender (new) Hot Rod Deluxe (120v) amplifier, B327710.
The Fender List is $857.12 and the Fender MAP is $599.98.
15-6563 Fender (new) Blues Jr. Amplifier, blackface, (120v), #B337138.
The Fender List is $569.99 and the Fender MAP is $398.88.
15-6532 Fender (new) Blues Jr. Amplifier, blackface, (120v), #B337126.
The Fender List is $569.99 and the Fender MAP is $398.88.
83-4108 Crate (used, 1990s) Model CA-30 small tube amplifier, #AHYDJ70334, brown cabinet, with reverb, in excellent condition.
This amplifier used to belong to noted world- renowned fingerstyle guitarist Adrian Legg. It probably made a fine small amplifier to carry while on tour and use in hotel rooms and beds and breakfasts. Controls include 2 Inputs, two Gains, a Low, a Mid, a Contour and a High rotary controls, a Chorus push-button, then a Reverb Return, then an Insert and then Line Out. Quite versatile, for something so diminutive, it is now ON SALE. This WAS $407 but is NOW ON SALE for $329 at our discount price, or at our cash discount price, $319.
15-6239 DeArmond Pickup,
gold-plated Rhythm Chief. New Old Stock -- pickup, rod and can assembly all in near mint condition. This is comprised of 3 pieces and each of the pieces is pretty close to “new” – never sold – nearly perfect. This pickup was never put on a guitar. This is the fancy type with the twin three-part lines of quilting (in gold plate) and six adjustable pole pieces. The magnets are in staggered formation, each capped with a round head screw slot. It comes with the matching gold-plated shaft to allow the player to attach the bottom pickup stabilizer to the strings between bridge and tailpiece. It has the triangular can with Volume and Tone controls being black plastic high-hats and the black plastic push button for Rhythm. It takes a standard Japanese mini cable (not included, but this is easily obtainable from like Radio Shack). This is $1,546 for any form of payment, or at our cash discount price $1500.
15-6234 DeArmond Archtop Guitar Pickup, with original box
Behold a very fine condition Nickel-Plated Rhythm Chief Assembly with the deep red center section.. It is silver nickel plated with the original box –still shows indications that it was in the past used. Although excellent in every way it was at one time used and then later buffed up to shiny. There is a slight scratch across the red center section and the back of the pickup (nobody ever sees it) has like an old, mostly removed, felt backing. Two felt circles remain. This has two clear rotary knobs for Volume and Tone and one brass push button for Rhythm. It has the long nickel-plated metal post that allows you to connect the bottom section to the strings between bridge and tailpiece. The connector on this one is a “radio connector” cord with a screw-on female end. The cable accompanies the pickup. $1,237 at Discount Price, with a Cash Discount Price of $1200.
15-6235 DeArmond Pickup – gold plated Rhythm Chief,
includes the pickup and the shorter gold-plated Guide Post to attach to the bass side of the bottom of the fingerboard, but does not include the triangular “can” that has the volume control and the “rhythm” switch. Both the guide post and the pickup are in their original plastic bags. This one that has the pigtail end of stripped wire, to be connected to a longer cable (not included) and then run inside the guitar to a bottom or side jack (not included). This pickup is brand new never taken out of the bag. It has the six roundhead, gold plated adjustable screw top magnets, the two rows of braiding, all in gold, it has its side bracket but it never had the triangular box that the other two have. $1,546 for any form of payment, or at our cash discount price $1500.
15-5952 AER (new) “Compact 60/2” amplifier, #029000996, with gigbag. List is $1349.
When they say compact they mean it – only 18 ¾ pounds, this German-made ultra-versatile dual channel cube is only 10 1/4” by 13” with a depth of 9 1/2”. It has inputs for mic and guitar with individual EQ controls, it provides a 30 volt source of phantom power in the microphone side, and 60 watts of output into one 8” 4 ohm speaker with dual cones. In addition you get four (4) digital effects, a three band tone control, headphone-out (very handy in a New York apartment), a high-end line input, DI-out, a footswitch you can call your own and realistic, natural sounding acoustic response. Our discount price is $1030 and our cash discount price is $999.
15-5703 Gibson (used, late 1950s) 16” wide brown Archtop Guitar Case, very good plus condition.
Fulfills the quest for the perfect case if you own something like a 1957 natural finish ES-175 that’s worth around $7,000 and it doesn’t have its original hard case. Might also work with a mid to late ‘50s Gibson J-45. This one is $1025 or at our cash discount price, $995.
15-5704 Gibson (used, late 1950s) 17” wide Thinline brown hard shell guitar case with the pink lining, very good plus condition.
Works perfectly with a Byrdland guitar, circa 1955 to say 1961. Boy, does it work. This case is closed. $1025 or at our cash discount price, $995.
15-5720 Fender (new) White Lightning HR-Deluxe, B307793, a short run, special white-cabinet version of the Blues Jr.
The Fender List Price is $1000 but the Fender MAP is $700.
15-5768 Small Dog (used) Case Cover for Rectangular Mandolin Case, Model RM-2, black with a black and blue Small Dog label.
This is a nicely padded, faux sheepskin interior bag with a double zipper, that has a storage compartment on the front nearly as wide as the bag itself. Although there are two D-clasps to accept a back strap it does not come with it, or at least we didn’t receive the case with it. Perhaps one could purchase an extra one from Small Dog directly. The way it works is that the zipper can close on either side of the mandolin case handle and that’s how you carry your padded and protected prize possession. This case fits a case that measures 28 ¾” X 13” X 5” but the manufacturer states that their specification is 30.5” by 13.5” by 4.25” so go figure. Hopefully it’ll fit your rectangular case, if the tides are normal and the moon is waning. $98 or at our cash discount price, $95.
Ameritage (new) Gold Series Mandolin A/F hard shell case, #AME82.
We are authorized to sell the famous and road-worthy Ameritage brand of case and they’ve sent us, for starters, the mandolin case that fits either an F-5 style or an A-style. It is an American-made product, built in cosmopolitan, downtown Elkhorn, Wisconsin. Their Gold Series is their top-of-the-line – what they call The Ultimate in Instrument Protection and when they say this they hold their hands at a 45 degree angle to signify italics. This case has a strong, breathable 6-ply hardwood veneer shell, inside which the Instrument is suspended in compression fit, shock absorption system. In addition it is equipped with the Ameritage® Humidity Control Systen that, when used according to the instructions, protects the instrument from both low and high humidity. How, one wonders, is this possible?
Well, their hard shell is constructed using a cross-ply manufacturing technique - the preferred choice of repair technicians – and then covered in a weather and abrasion resistant Dupont® Cordura Plus material. The finest quality brass drawbolt latches secure the case -- a case that protects your instrument from climatic effects which can cause swelling, splits, cracks, checking, movement in glue joints and distortion of woods, much the same as the conditions that plague human beings as we get older. Within every standard Ameritage case is an exclusive, patented Humidity Control System™ that allows one to create and maintain a stable environment within the case to combat excessive temperature and humidity variations. The secret lies in the case pocket, which contains which has small screened holes – two in the lid and one on the body side. Inside the pocket you will find a plastic canister of compressed diatomaceous earth – a material that retains moisture and slowly releases it through two holes in the cap to imbue your mandolin with bonhomie and hale fellowship. In a plastic bag in the case are found (in this case) 11 packets of silica gel (do not eat) that can take the place of the moisturizer can during periods when you sail around the world on your catamaran with your Lloyd Loar floating beside you. A small velour pouch is provided inside the pocket with a shoelace tie in which to hold the included digital hygrometer/thermometer or your collection of plastic curved toothpick/dental floss cleaners. The case is covered in a tightly woven fabric (that’s the plus in Cordura Plus) in a tweed pattern surrounded by a leatherette binding with 8 rounded metal impact buttons, heavy duty latches and clasps, and at least two L-shaped reinforcements. In other words, this case looks like it can stop a bullet, and, considering the kinds of people we hang out with, this could come in very handy. Only $285 and worth every penny of it.
TT-500 (formerly Intelli IMT-500) Clip-On Chromatic Tuner.
This concise imported box of accuracy (1 7/16” square) clips onto your peghead and luminously produces a bright green background to reveal a small black line and, at the center of the screen, the number “440.” The idea is to make the little black mark line up with the dot at the mid-position while the note you are seeking to tune to is depicted in a sans-serif letter. Small enough to store in your purse or shirt pocket, it works by picking up the vibrations carried through the neck into your headstock – which means you can use it in a noisy room. It can be calibrated in case you need to play with a horn or a piano. It can also be used as a short-term night light that turns itself off after a few seconds, so sojourn carefully. One of the coolest, cleanest designs in the guitar accessory business, it is both succinct and successful. Fact: we have customers who’ve bought 5, 6 and 7 of them to give as presents to friends. Only $29.95.
15-5187 Hard shell (used) black Tolex high quality TKL case for a Beardsell brand 17” wide guitar (possibly suitable for jumbo acoustic 17” body, or maybe L-5 size), having arched top and back.
This case, known as JF CASE #2, ISI-1698, bears the TKL label outside and a TKL logo case pocket. The interior measurements: Lower bout 17”, upper bout 13”, body length 21”, overall 44”. $129 or, at our cash discount price, $125.
15-5200 Hard shell (used) black tolex O-size TKL case having a flat top and flat bottom – JF CASE #4, with an ISI-1700.
Its lower bout is 13”, upper bout 9.5”, body length 19” overall length 39”. It has four latches – 3 on the front, one on the back – one of them locking. Size O guitar cases are hard to find. $129 or, at our cash discount price, $125.
43-0130 Fender (new) Acoustasonic Jr.** Acoustic amp, #M1331789.
According to its manufacturer, the Acoustasonic™ Junior amplifier delivers world-class Fender tone and world-standard Fender quality. Specs: 40 watts of power per channel @ 8? (80 Watts R.M.S. Total); classic Fender Reverb and chorus for a full-bodied tone; two 8” woofers and a piezo horn for clean, powerful response; two independent channels with individual tone controls, voiced for acoustic instruments and vocals; a footswitch jack for connecting the optional footswitch which offers remote switching of the chorus effect; exclusive “String Dynamics” control effective at suppressing high frequency “harshness” in the amplification of some acoustical instruments; 1/4-inch TRS and 3-Pin XLR female input connectors; on-board spring Reverb and analog chorus effects; effects loop jacks for connection to either stereo or monophonic external effects devices. List price is $619.99. Our discount price is $447 and our best or cash discount price is $434.
ALBUM REVIEW:
ALBUM REVIEW: Never Let Me Down, Marjorie Thompson, MoSugar Records (unnumbered). Marjorie Thompson, fingerstyle guitarist extraordinaire/singer/writer/and, um, associate dean of biological sciences at Brown University, has done it again. 2005 brings us Marjorie’s third and most ambitious recording so far – an album of first-class urban blues-idiom work, performed largely in thoughtful arrangements with Marjorie’s Dave Van Ronk/bass, mandolin, viola, pedal steel, lead guitar, organ, piano, a sprinkling of percussion, and a potent secret weapon, Amy Helm of Ollabelle on harmony vocals. Marjorie’s impressive playing style is a cross between Dave Van Ronk, Pat Sky, Jorma Kaukonen and John Hurt. One particularly haunting story-song, “The Party” is about a wake, set to an Irish-traditional sounding melody and structure, starting with “I went to your house tonight. . .” and ending with “I could feel and touch and taste and know that you were there somewhere.” The CD’s 12th piece, “Once Again and More,” starkly accompanied by just her Collings OM-cutaway acoustic guitar, and crafted, as so much of Marjorie’s work is, at the highest level of folk-acoustical literacy, addresses the durability of relationships by transporting the listener into a sweeping voyage whose melody and message resonate within a reverie of reflective introspection. This artist, who in her opener calls herself a "Poster child for the blues," never ceases to refresh with her prodigious finger-driven playing, sparkling performance, self-deprecating wit and inspired imagination. Information about Marjorie Thompson can be found at www.mosugarmusic.com. This album is available from Mandolin Brothers (as are Marjorie’s other 3 albums) at $15 the copy plus postage.
Press release: New Rick Turner/Seymour Duncan invention: the Mama Bear by D-TAR Eliminates Annoying Acoustic Guitar Pickup “Quack” and Gives Players Access to a Metaphorical $250,000 Guitar Collection
Santa Barbara, California – For years, acoustic guitars have relied on pickups for amplification. One problem: using pickups, even the best acoustic guitars deliver an over-simplification of true acoustic tone complexity when amplified. D-TAR has solved that problem with a revolutionary new product called Mama Bear™. Using proprietary technology called Acoustic Guitar Emulation (AGE™), Mama Bear takes the guitar signal into the digital realm through its 32-bit digital signal processor. Then it restores the natural body resonance and provides the player with a broad range of sonic enhancements that make the guitar’s tone its absolute best: whether amplified or recorded.
Using a very simple interface – no menus or scrolling – Mama Bear allows the player to use two 16-position knobs to determine their Input Source and Target Instrument. The Input Source is a “set and forget” digital filter selector that tells Mama Bear what kind of pickup it’s sensing; for example, piezo film, piezo ceramic, magnetic, solid body electric with piezo bridge, etc. It is designed to work with all acoustic guitars outfitted with magnetic pickups, under-saddle transducers, and even electric guitars with piezo bridge saddles.
Mama Bear’s AGE technology is activated with the Target Instrument knob. Here, the player tells Mama Bear what kind acoustic guitar they want to emulate. There are 16 “sonic signatures” that range from a parlor to orchestra models to dreadnoughts to jumbos. In choosing the guitars to represent in Mama Bear, D-TAR was fortunate to have the help of some very talented luthiers, guitar collectors, and recording engineers, including D-TAR co-founder Rick Turner who conceived of Mama Bear. According to Turner, “Our aim was to record a broad spectrum of world class vintage and newer instruments covering a range of body sizes and different wood combinations as well as including some specialty instruments such as a jazz box, a couple of resonator guitars, and even a gypsy jazz model. There’s over $250,000 worth of guitars inside Mama Bear!”
The player can experiment with the various emulations to get amazing versatility out of their pickup-equipped acoustic guitar. Or, they can choose the sonic signature that most closely matches their own instrument. The result: now the finest acoustic guitars can sound like, well… themselves. Only louder.
D-TAR is duncan | turner acoustic research, and marks the union of Seymour Duncan Pickups with noted luthier, acoustic amplification expert, and phenomenal back-up guitarist with Ian & Sylvia, Rick Turner. In addition to Mama Bear, D-TAR’s product slate includes a full line of pickups and off-board electronics for acoustic musicians. The entire range of D-TAR products can be viewed on their website: www.d-tar.com.
The good news is that you can order the Mama Bear from Mandolin Brothers, Ltd. in Staten Island, New York at 718 981 8585 or mandolin@mandoweb.com The price of a D-Tar “Mama Bear” is just $411 or, at our cash discount price, $399.
CALTON CASES
48-3112 Calton (new) DOM – OM or 000 size guitar case, #13499
in a black exterior, gold interior. $696 or, at our cash discount price, $675
48-3113 Calton SJUM Deluxe Super-Jumbo guitar case, made for J-200 or Super 400 size guitars, #13496,
17" wide, in a Black exterior and Gold interior. $779 or, at our cash discount price, $756
Special Note: please click on the Fairport Convention Website: http://www.fairportconvention.com/news72.htm
We have been big fans of the group for decades, and in the past had a great time with former band member Maartin Allcock, during his visit – what a treat to finally meet the rest of the Convention!
FENDER AMPLIFIERS
88-1407 Fender Vibro King Custom.
$2010 or, at our cash discount price, $1950
88-1396 Fender (new) Reissue 1964 VibroVerb
blackface, dual channel, Eminence speaker, extremely versatile. $2010 or, at our cash discount price, $1950
FENDER ACOUSTIC AMPLIFIERS
83-5241 Fender Acoustasonic Pro.
$1010 or, at our cash discount price, $980
43-0130 Fender Acoustasonic Junior.
$447 or, at our cash discount price, $434
OTHER FINE ACOUSTIC AMPLIFIERS
88-1534 Schertler Unico Amp.
$1129 or, at our cash discount price, $1095
83-5316, 83-1513(sold) SWR Strawberry Blonde amp.
$567 or, at our cash discount price, $550
88-2275 Fishman NEW Loudbox Pro Acoustic amplifier, #LBX2000037
2499.9 2062 or, at our cash discount price, $1999
88-1407 Fender (new) VibroKing Custom Electric Guitar Amp 3195 Black, 60 Watts, 2-10” Jensen speakers & built-in '63 Tube reverb.
List Price is $2999.99. Please phone or email for our pricing.
83-6873 Fender circa 1966 Bandmaster blackface amplifier, A-22438, piggy back head and cabinet with 2x12” speakers, black tolex speaker cabinet, vg condition, and the speakers are Altec Lansing.
$1335 or at our cash discount price $1295.
What’s new in ACOUSTIC-ELECTRIC PREAMPS:
Let’s take this time to mention four of our most often recommended preamps for Acoustic Guitar (or other fine fretted acoustic-electric instruments):
1. The Solstice Preamp by D-Tar (Rick Turner) sells here for $359
2. The Presonus Acouti-Q tube preamp/blender sells for $240.
3. The Fishman ProEQ – a four-band EQ with bass, treble, middle and brilliance, a phase switch to reduce feedback, and a volume slider, input, output, utilizing battery power only, sells here for $123.
4. and, of course, who can forget the new the UltraSound Preamp D-1 priced auspiciously at only $123.
BELT PACK PREAMP -- SOMETHING NEW, FOR ME AND YOU: L R. Baggs Mix-Pro Universal belt-clip preamp.
Designed for guitars and mandolins that produce a stereo output (that is, that have the Blender System). Inside the unit are pre-sets, which you can alter but you need to open in up to do so, that regulate the gain for each channel. This takes the signal off of the “tip channel” (that’s tip as in “the stereo tip” on the jack) and combines pickup and mic, or pickup and pickup or pickup and other combinations. The second channel or ring input has a low cut filter, more commonly used for mini-mics. Or even mini-mice. There is a “range” switch for the low cut, and there’s a switchable 9v/phantom power. An actual engineer told me this, I have no idea what it means, but, a “relative-phase” is also located on the inside. All of the above is inside, in case you were searching for it. On the outside, on the bottom where you plug in, you have your mix pot – a battery indicator light, and your blended signal phase invert – this allows you invert the phase of the blended signal. Not that you’d want to. On to top you have treble, bass, bass trim, and volume. There is on stereo input (in) and one mono output (out). The mix knob on the bottom blends the two incoming signals. This is located between two ¼” input jacks and is, in that way, protected so “you don’t mess up your mix.” The unit comes ready to attach to one’s belt, but includes an adapter to attach to a mic stand. It sounds, to me, like everybody needs one of these. The list is $229. Your cost is $185.
(NEW AT MANDOLIN BROS.) Ultra Sound PDI (Preamp and Direct Box).
Runs on either one 9v battery or optional phantom power. It has both a line out and an XLR out, a guitar input, and a parallel input. It has an effects loop (send and return) would also accommodate a tuner. It has controls for the XLR or for the Line Out, plus a two-way toggle for “Shape” and for the Notch Filter (which runs from 100hz to 350hz so that you can tune out the screaming of your mother in law). It has a bass and a treble tone control. How would one use such an effective high-tech looking box. Well, if one had an acoustic guitar with a pickup in it of some sort, and one wanted improve frequency response and expand control – since you would otherwise have to go back to your amp and chances are your amp wouldn’t give you this degree of separation. In a review in the magazine Guitar World Acoustic Eric Kirkland writes: “Combining crystal-clear signal delivery with the same full-featured preamp found in UltraSound’s AG series amplifiers, the new Ultra PDI represents nothing less than the future of direct boxes.” Wow!
THE THREE MOST IMPORTANT ACCESSORIES (THAT WE SELL A LOT OF):
The three accessories that we sell in the biggest numbers that are also of the greatest importance to our customers are:
DAMPIT.
That simple little green, snake-like, sheathed sponge with the pen clip that connects to the string that connects to the plastic soundhole cover. So primitive, and yet so effective and essential. It may be only $15.95 but it can help save your instruments’ lives. Dryness is, of course, a guitar's worst enemy and the Dampit, in its unpretentious way, when properly loaded (just like ourselves, most afternoons) is the difference between the buzzy and the brilliant, the shriveled and the secure, the moistened fortification and the fissure. $15.95 for “Guitar Super” model for big guitars with big appetites, but we also have “Guitar,” “Mandolin/Uke,” plus “Violin” and “Cello” for use in a cello or archtop guitar
THE FENDER AX-12
Chromatic Automatic guitar or bass tuner (why did we not discover it sooner?). Leaves your hands freer, made in Korear. The most fun you can have with a 3" x 4 1/2" silver box with two jacks on the east and four nifty push buttons on the west. We love the large LED read-out that, in festive red and green, allows even the prematurely presbyopic instant information about what is melodious and what's discordant. From cacophonic to complete contentment for a modest price of only $33.95.
The SHUBB Original Capo
for Steel String Guitar, Model C1. We consider this small but essential metal and rubber device to be one of the finest industrial designs to ever hit the musical instrument business. Some other capos surround the neck with metal and, in our opinion, can potentially scrape the finish off the binding, or worse! Some capos require the strength of an Olympic arm-wrestler to set in place on the fretboard, others are made of fabric that becomes less stretchy with time and, if left on the instrument long enough may mar certain finishes, but the Shubb is the hub of our accessory cupboard. Easy to use, flatpicked or blues, strings ring like a bell, it's a pleasure to sell it. Our price: $16.95
NEW Schertler UNICO ACOUSTIC AMP: this amplifier is unique.
It’s made to reproduce, in high fidelity, the sound of ANY acoustic instrument, voice, or, um, something else. At 180 Watts RMS, enough power to perform legally sanctioned executions in some states, the tone is clear and velvety, and the low end is handled superbly – the bass is meltingly sweet, round and full. There are four different inputs as well as Aux/Out and Aux/Send. You also have the ability to connect/disconnect the ground (in case of mains-originated hum) as well as switch the main power voltage for 230vAC to 115vAC. You’ve got to play through this amplifier to believe how good it sounds, and we’ve hardly even scratched the surface on what this can do – see what you can accomplish with this for what may seem like a lot – but when you hear it you’ll say “I would have paid twice that.” $1129 or, at our cash discount price, $1095.
83-6873 Fender c. 1962 Bandmaster blackface A22438 vg.
A piggy back head with 2 x 12” speakers, housed in a black cabinet with Altec Lansing speakers inside. $1335 or, at our cash discount price, $1295
43-0508 and 43-0509 (sold) UltraSound (new) AG50/DS2 Acoustic Amp, #10513 and #10511.
While the List Price is $718 we sell each acoustic amplifier for fah less. Please call us for the fah less type of information.
43-0130 Fender (new) Acoustasonic Jr. acoustic amp, #M1331789, List price is $619.99.
Our discount price is $447 and our best price is MAP at $434.
SOMETHING NEW IN ACOUSTIC GUITAR AMPLIFICATION:
We have just been handed a New Spulletin! Rick Turner, the brilliant guitarist who played many wonderful notes with Ian & Sylvia in the ‘60s, and who has since gone on to become one of the great guitar-designer/builders of our land and co-creator of the Highlander pickup system has entered into a collaboration with Seymour Duncan Pickups and announced the TIMBERLINE acoustic pickup and the SOLSTICE mixing-blending box.
These are both new products of the Turner-Duncan Acoustic Research Company, or ” D-Tar” for short, and you can read and see more about these products at the www.d-tar.com website. You don’t need the dash, y’know, you could type in dtar.com and get to the same destination. But back to the product description - the Timberline is a piezo cable pickup coupled to a low-noise, high-input, high-impedance preamp, which takes two nine volt batteries (so you may be able to use your Timberline/P-Tar equipped musical instrument to start your car in an emergency). The endpin preamp is an adjustable-base trim-pot, producing a more natural and full sound than anything you’ve heard so far. The installation must be executed by a professional shop, which would include little old ours, since the bridge saddle slot typically needs to be widened to accommodate a circular cable. But this almost magical cable provides you 360 degrees of transducer contact and this eliminates the “quacky” sound that guitar owners so often complain about hearing when playing amplified. When this product is, in the distant future, out and on the market in a nicely designed consumer package it will list for $149. Right now, however, we have the pickup in its un-nicely, wrapped in blister pack, unpackaged form and we can provide and install it in your guitar. Please call us for our price for the pickup and the installation.
The new Solstice Preamp mixes and blends a 2-channel, 4-input signal, which can come in through either 2 quarter-inch jacks or 2 XLR jacks. It utilizes exceedingly low-noise hybrid circuitry - and has an internal adjustable gain from 0 to 24 db - resulting in “studio quality on stage.” It features a phase-reverse switch, channel effects loop, mute switch, tuner output, stereo input jacks with a stereo cable and an AC-driven power supply. The List Price is $449. Please phone or email for Our Price.
Two exciting products from the guitarist who brought us the unforgettable lead work on “These Friends of Mine” and Seymour Duncan, the Wizard of Santa Barbara.
83-9478 Reunion Blues (used) c.2000 5 string Resonator Banjo bag, maroon, NSN, near mint.
$155 or, at our cash discount price, $150
83-5288 Danelectro original 1960s Centurian Amplifier, 221, vg.
**$361
THE FEATURED CD ALBUM AT MANDOLIN BROTHERS CONTINUES TO BE: Crossing Crystal Lake
by Howard Emerson, acoustic guitarist. Howard has for decades been known to many here in the New York music scene, having played second guitar with Billy Joel, Eric Anderson and other well known singer-songwriter-performers. During this time he developed his own multi-layered style of expressive, tuneful acoustic instrumentals, and for the first time on CD you can now hear 9 of these pieces, brilliantly performed, masterfully recorded. This album, along with a few others by performers who are "friends of Mandolin Brothers" (can be purchased at the world's smallest CD selection at our showroom or obtained from us by mail order. Call for price.
83-5316 SWR "Strawberry Blonde" amp, SBB00012609.
This model is significantly lighter in weight than its sister, the California Blonde, and is 60 watts compared to the CA-BLD's 100. It has only one input and one channel of controls, without an XLR mic input. Nevertheless it's a great sounding inexpensive amplifier for acoustic-electric guitars. The Manufacturer's Own Suggested (List) Price is $699. Call us for our own selling price but be advised that we prefer not to ship amplifiers and so this is "obtainable at our showroom only."
Manouche-Tone "Django Reinhardt" guitar strings.
Those California wild men at Guadaloupe Custom Strings have furnished us with some wires specially developed to enhance the characteristics of your Django style "Hot Club" guitar. "Manouche" is of course a reference to the European gypsy tribes which, in the 1930s, served as the breeding grounds for a generation of unique guitarists led by the immortal Django Reinhardt who exploded onto the jazz scene with a supercharged style of string jazz which is now more popular than ever. These strings are specially gauged and their composition is designed to enhance the sonic qualities of the Selmer style flattop acoustic guitar and ample length is provided for the extra long scale that many of these instruments possess. $12.50 per set
NEW BOOK: Acquired of the Angels, Second Edition (1998), subtitled: "The Lives and Works of Master Guitar Makers John D'Angelico and James L. D'Aquisto" by Paul William Schmidt.
Expanded and with more photographs, many in full color, this 185 page book is the definitive work on the lives of the two greatest archtop builders of this century. The jacket reads: ~[These two men] have long been considered the Stradivarius of guitar makers - crafting musically precise, richly resonant, and beautifully decorated instruments that a re considered works of art themselves. Long cherished by musicians, these guitars have just recently begun to be recognized by collectors as American cultural icons. The first part of this book explores the life of the relatively secretive John D'Angelico through reminiscences, photographs, and interviews with his apprentice and protege, James L. D'Aquisto. Later chapters provide biographical information and chart the artistic techniques of D'Aquisto. Photographs taken in their New York workshop reveal never before explained construction techniques for the arch-top guitar. This is a book that no guitar enthusiast can afford to miss and a timeless story of the lives and works of two of the twentieth century's most eloquent artists. ** $45.00
83-CASE Mandolin Brothers Logo Nylon Gigbag, from Levy's Case Company of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
We ordered these well-made black cases to be able to offer them with the new C F Martin DXM Series (perhaps the first and only new guitar we sell that doesn't come from its maker with a carrying case). We are, however, so impressed that we've decided to offer them as accessories to the public. Each well-padded, plush lined, heavy-duty zippered bag has a 10"x14" pocket on the side, perfect for holding sheet music, a Shubb capo, extra strings, a winder, a wire cutter, 75 loose flatpicks, a bottle of (used) Taylors wine, two (recently washed) wine glasses, and a (mint with original receipt) tuna fish hero with ricotta, sundried, lettuce, salt, pepper, and a splash of balsamic vinegar ("Please be careful, I cut that."). As well as having a handle on the bass side, each has two back straps so you can bring your guitar with while still being able to carry an upholstered armless chair and a small oak Mission Period table with an embroidered table cloth. Most importantly, each case pocket has, silk-screened thereupon, a faithfully depicted F-5 style mandolin (at the proper 45-degree angle), our stylized logo and the name of this well-known island on which we reside. Gigbags come in two sizes: Classical-Resophonic-Grand Concert and Dreadnought/16" Archtop. **$ 61
