We like Morgan Monroe mandolins for making a workmanlike instrument that looks good, sounds good and, doggonit, people like it. This is your basic new F-5 style mandolin that looks, by the intention of the maker, like an instrument that has been used and played for 40 years. Yes, there are actually dings and light signs of wear but of course the frets are unworn and for those who wish to leave their own DNA on the pickguard, the elevated tortoise shell fingerrest that's bound in creme-black-creme has a protective plastic shield over it to keep it from the howling winds. The fingerboard has a decided scoop at the bottom extension of approximately 1 1/4" below the last of the four partial frets. The bridge has the appearance of the 1920s style bridges of the well known manufacturer that initiated this sort of musical device, but the tailpiece, which is finished in brass is made in a proprietary design. It loads quickly, from the top, much like a Pez Dispenser (or do we have it backwards? Pez-ites - please let us know.) In all, this is a lovely combination of the old and the new, with the sound and appearance of the olden but the gooden ebony button tuners and factory warranty, ease of playability, of the newen.
This one derives from the Rocky Top Series having the Distressed Antique finish. Her top is solid spruce, her neck, back and sides they be solid flamed maple. Her fingerboard and bridge are each radiused and ebony, her tailpiece is named Ashton Bailey; the hardware is gold tone, the tuners they are Grover, the strings D’Addario and the case a deluxe hard shell. It comes with a Lifetime Limited Warranty from the manufacturer.