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December 1, 2009

 

Two Eastmans Find a New Home

 

In the wake of the generosity of Weber Fine Acoustic Instruments' (www.soundtoearth.com) and The Mandolin Store's (www.themandolinstore.com) generosity a few weeks ago, Bellefonte Area High School continues to add to its Music Department thanks to a hugely supportive mandolin community.

 

This time, the generosity comes from Dr. Fred Savitz, a Professor of Education at Newmann University.

 

Dr. Savitz heard via The Mandolin Cafe (www.themandolincafe.com) about how BAHS was working with Weber and The Mandolin Store to fix up an Alvarez A style from the early 1990s, and the story was so inspiring to him that he donated an eastman 815 mandolin and an Eastman 815 mandola.

 

According to Dr. Savitz, the instruments were simply sitting in their cases not being played, so Dr. Savitz determined that it is better to have the instruments in the hands of some high school students than it is to have the instruments not being played.

 

BAHS now has four mandolin family instruments, which is enough to justify the creation of a mandolin orchestra of some kind, even if it involves a bunch of beginners. People interested in the BAHS mandolin orchestra can catch a performance at the 2010 Variety Show.

 

The donation of Eastman mandolin family instruments is very generous, as anyone with a workign knowledge of the mandolin market will attest.

 

A few years ago mandolin players started talking with optimism about high quality mandolins being made in China with highly figured tonewoods that also sounded great. The best thing about them was that, while they were more expensive than other mandolins being made in China, they were much less expensive than high quality mandolins being made in America and other parts of the world.

 

That was the beginnig of the Eastman fad, and it was also the beginning of the "mid-level" mandolin, since Eastmans were of higher quality than mandolins that cost a few hundred dollars, and often more modest quality than mandolins that cost many thousands of dollars.

 

Th Eastman fad has never completely cooled in the mandolin market, which is evident when doing a simple Google search of the instruments. Some players and luthiers even claim that Eastman mandolins represent the best value in the mandolin market, which is saying a lot about  amarket that ranges from $50 to $250,000.

 

BAHS is proud to belong to the Eastman family, and cannot express enough gratitude to Dr. Savitz for his very generous donation. The mandolin family instruments will benefit students for years to come, and will thus contribute to the complete education of the students at BAHS.

 

 

November 17, 2009

 

Pennsylvania High School Satisfies MAS

 

It is called Mandolin Acquisition Syndrome (MAS) and it is in full force at Bellefonte Area High School.

 

Ever since Bill Monroe popularized the mandolin as a featured instrument in American music, mandolinists and mandolin enthusiasts have struggled mightily with the search for the Holy Grail of mandolins.

 

Monroe spawned this search by inventing an entire style of music around his Gibson F5 mandolin built by legendary luthier Loyd Loar, which has caused generations of fans to recreate or build upon Monroes distinctive, enchanting, "woody" mandolin sound.

 

It is nearly impossible to begin playing the mandolin on a vintage Loyd Loar, because they cost upwards of $250,000 for a fine example, and downwards of $150,000 for a mediocre example, so most aspiring mandolinists start on a "beater," or an inexpensive model that can be taken on camping trips, be left out at night, and generally take the abuse that a budding instrumentalist can give to a delicate instrument.

 

Well, Bellefonte Area High School recently acquired a "beater," and now it is more than that.

 

A handful of instruments were recently donated to BAHS by Rockview State Prison, where inmates were able to play the instruments and also repair them if they needed to be fixed.

 

For some reason or another, one of the instruments Rockview decided to donate to the school is a 1991 Washburn A style mandolin, which is technically a beater, but is hand-carved with all solid woods, so it has some potential.

 

The inmates were kind enough to repair a crack in the neck of the mandolin, but a few of the parts were dysfunctional, and there are simply some aspects of a mandolin that only a qualified luthier has the patience and experience to repair.

 

For example, the bridge of the Washburn (transfers vibrations from the strings to the top of the instrument), was not slotted correctly so that the strings could not precisely vibrate, the nut (guides the strings to the tuners and facilitates tone) was repaired with what looked like a piece of tissue paper, and the tailpiece (holds the strings on the farest side of the body) was just plain broken.

 

It was a true "beater."

 

The good news is anyone who plays a mandolin knows we have some of the world's best luthiers right here in America, and their mastery of building fine instruments is typically only matched by their big hearts.

 

That is why it should come as no surprise to anyone who plays the mandolin that two giants of the industry came to the rescue of Bellefonte Area High School's "beater:" Weber Fine Acoustic Instruments in Logan, Montana, and The Mandolin Store in Wickenburg, Arizona.

 

Weber Fine Acoustic Instruments very generously offered to provide their own Brekke Traditional bridge (the one with the thumbwheels for you mando-enthusiasts), a new cow bone nut, and a new two-piece tailpiece, ... and a setup.

 

Mandolinists everywhere know the value of a setup, nonetheless the value of a setup by master luthiers like the luthiers at Weber, so the offer to provide the parts and do the setup at no charge is financially worth more than the Washburn itself, and aesthetically on the level of magic fairy dust being sprinkled on the Washburn.

 

Of course, Weber then shipped it back to BAHS on Weber's dime.

 

Aside from the instrument-saving services Weber provided, it must be written that a mandolin is very hard to ship, and could very likely be irreparably broken or damaged if not packed the proper way.

 

Unfortunately, the Washburn did not come with a case, so shipping it properly would be a challenge.

 

It would be a challenge, that is, until Dennis Vance of The Mandolin Store offered to send BAHS an A style mandolin case brand new amd fitted with plaush lining.

 

As is Mr. Vance's style, the case came within' days all the way from Arizona to Pennsylvania, and was as beautiful as some of the fine mandolins he constantly has in stock in his wonderful store.

 

A few days later the mandolin was off to Weber to be made new again.

 

The Renaissance program at Bellefonte Area High School is proud to announce a partnership with Weber Fine Acoustic Instruments and The Mandolin Store, and hopes to satisfy MAS and encourage the continuance of acoustic music here at BAHS. We have many wonderfully talented students here at the high school, and a nice, working mandolin will be a tremendous resource as a creative outlet for anyone who picks it up.

 

Thank you Weber and Dennis!