Northfield Mandolins

Started by Danny, March 03, 2012, 02:11:15 PM

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   A friend just ordered one from Elderly. They are about 3k and made in Asia. Getting some high recommendations. I wondered if anyone has one or had played one.  Apparently Elderly has the exclusive dealership.

http://northfieldinstruments.com/media-gallery/testimonials/60-stan-werbin-elderly-instruments

Danny I played one of the first one's that Elderly received almost two years ago and they are amazing. They were alot cheaper then too. I bought a Varnished Eastman instead. It was half the price. I talked to one of the guys behind the idea of building them at the store when I played them and he said he had a Pile of Michigan Maple stacked up in his garage waiting to ship over seas for instruments. They have had a hard time keeping them in stock since their introduction.
Thanks, Dave
Morgan OMM
Bart Reiter Tubaphone openback banjo
Scherl & Roth German Fiddle
Ramsey Fairbanks Electric Banjo
Eastman 503 Archtop

Hey Dan,

Yeah, the word on these is they have priced themselves out of their "Great Deal" reputation. They are nice, but you can get as good, or better for less now that they sent their prices through the roof. Summit, Black, would be a couple. I also would have looked at the used Weber, Gibson, or Collings market first. You can get a much better player for the same money. Maybe a ding, or two, but the mojo is already started for ya'!  :guitar  :humour:

There's quite a bit of info to be read on them over at the Mandolin Cafe.

Quote from: CZERO9RW on March 05, 2012, 05:04:41 PM
Hey Dan,

Yeah, the word on these is they have priced themselves out of their "Great Deal" reputation. They are nice, but you can get as good, or better for less now that they sent their prices through the roof. Summit, Black, would be a couple. I also would have looked at the used Weber, Gibson, or Collings market first. You can get a much better player for the same money. Maybe a ding, or two, but the mojo is already started for ya'!  :guitar  :humour:

There's quite a bit of info to be read on them over at the Mandolin Cafe.
I'm not getting one for me, I'm semi-retired and starting to sell off my guitars. This is one my freind found and talked with a local shop in Austin (Fiddlers Green) who highly recommended these. Word is they were started by an ex-employee of Elderly and they are superb.
   He has two mando's already, one is a nice Weber. Gibson mandos seem to run hot and cold like the guitars now.One player commented about a Gibson recently that it was a "log with strings on it". I hope they get their act together soon.

Actually, the latest word on Gibson's is the latest, post-flood instruments from the new/old shop are their best in years. From the few I've played that is a true statement. Prior to that, I would have to agree on them being hit or miss.

Northfields' get rave reviews, it's the doubling in MSRP in less than a year that turns me away.

Quote from: CZERO9RW on March 06, 2012, 01:30:54 PM
Actually, the latest word on Gibson's is the latest, post-flood instruments from the new/old shop are their best in years. From the few I've played that is a true statement. Prior to that, I would have to agree on them being hit or miss.

Northfields' get rave reviews, it's the doubling in MSRP in less than a year that turns me away.
But if they are on back order and just about every time you look the price is up another 300 or so, wouldn't that tend to allude to the fact that they just may be on to something? I think it does.
     If they have a dud though, even one, it could put a grinding halt to the surge. Mandolin Cafe and others will get the word out pretty quick.
     If I heard of a dud and had a 300 dollar deposit, I may just say keep it, I don't want to roll dice with 3K.

They're on back order because the shop they come from is also building for a handful of other brands. That's the way it works for Pac Rim instruments. Especially the higher priced models.

My point is, while they are nice, they aren't as nice as others at lower prices. I don't buy based on demand alone. Their popularity has a lot to with their affiliation to Elderly. Elderly is a great store and I wouldn't think they'd endorse a bad product, but any endorsement doesn't justify pricing something beyond it's true value.  

What you will also read on mandolin cafe is my point, they are nice, and were a great deal at $1500, or even $2000. $3K puts them out of that range. There are better out there for less money, but hey, we buy what we want. Bottom line.

Eastman, and Kentucky builds are just as nice and half, or 1/3rd the price.

Quote from: CZERO9RW on March 06, 2012, 05:36:09 PM
They're on back order because the shop they come from is also building for a handful of other brands. That's the way it works for Pac Rim instruments. Especially the higher priced models.

My point is, while they are nice, they aren't as nice as others at lower prices. I don't buy based on demand alone. Their popularity has a lot to with their affiliation to Elderly. Elderly is a great store and I wouldn't think they'd endorse a bad product, but any endorsement doesn't justify pricing something beyond it's true value. 

What you will also read on mandolin cafe is my point, they are nice, and were a great deal at $1500, or even $2000. $3K puts them out of that range. There are better out there for less money, but hey, we buy what we want. Bottom line.

Eastman, and Kentucky builds are just as nice and half, or 1/3rd the price.
I'm not buying one, a friend is. I just wanted to hear some input (like yours) about them. I am intrigued with how much they went up in such a short period and still are going up and getting more orders. Makes you think.

I hear ya'.

In my experience your friend won't be disappointed. They are a nice instrument. There are HUGE debates over the quality of instruments being made in Asia and the Orient. In my experience, some of the shops over there do not deserve the "Made In China" stereotype that many things imported over here live up to. There are some very talented people who definitely know their craft. It's unfortunate they are only making pennies a day for their time. That's another topic for another forum.

These Northfields definitely are coming out of one of these high quality shops.

I think the fascination over their pricing was not that they keep getting more and more expensive, as you and I both know, most popular brands prices do go up as demand dictates, but it was how much they increased in such a short time. Many of the folks in the mando community were kinda calling them out on that.

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