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Flatiron 3MB Army-Navy Style Mandolin, Hard Case, and Small Dog Case Cover
Estimated price for orientation: 825 $
Category: Mandolins
Class:
Description Brand: Flatiron Number of Strings: 8 Body Style: Army-Navy Dexterity: Right Handed Model: 3MB Skill Level: Intermediate Body Material: Maple Items Included: Strap, Case cover, Case, Picks Top Material: Spruce
Flatiron 3MB Mandolin with hard shell case and Small Dog case cover
This mandolin was built in Montana in1996. The 3MB was Flatiron's top-of-the-line Army-Navy style mandolin. In what way is it superior to the much more common 1N? The neck has a truss rod. The fretboard is ebony, rather than rosewood. The bridge and nut are ebony. The tuners are very good quality, rather than the cheapest available. The sides and back are solid (not laminated) Birdseye maple. The body is beautifully bound and has a nice inlaid rosette, compared to no binding or rosette in the 1N.This mandolin is essentially mint. The catalog for that year shows a cheap shell-shaped tailpiece, whereas this has a Gibson-style tailpiece. I don't know if that is original. When I got this, the frets and the edges of the nut were a tiny bit sharp. I rounded over the edge of the nut and the frets so they'd be perfect and polished the frets and oiled all the ebony before putting on new D'Addario flat wound strings. This mandolin was only played a few dozen times since it was bought new by the previous owner and always kept properly humidified and in both its plush, well-padded hardshell case and an expensive Small Dog case cover. It comes with a very nice strap and the original Flatiron pick.It's generally thought that the Flatiron pancake mandolins from the early eighties had the best sound. I've had three others, and I use my '81 1N when I travel. The '81 sounds better than the other two I've had. But I can honestly say that this 3MB sounds FAR better than my 1N. So why am I selling it? My 1N is worth a small fraction of this and is covered with finish checks and scratches, so I don't mind playing it on the beach. This is just too nice to use in rough environments. Also, while it is by far the best pancake mandolin I've owned, my superb Collings A style that cost $4000 also sounds noticeably better, which means this one isn't going to get taken on trips or played at home, so really I shouldn't have purchased it.I should mention that the frets are excellent but have no relief--they are dead flat--perfect. You could add some relief with a turn of the truss rod nut if you wanted. The action is excellent. About 4/64" at the 12th fret on the G string--the best possible. It's always a bit of a gamble buying mandolins from people who don't really play. I've been playing for years, studied with a lot of the best players in the world, studied repairs with a couple of the best luthiers, and repaired dozens of mandolins. I can honestly tell you that this one is an A+ in tone for an Army-Navy style mandolin and an A+ in condition. NOTE: I will be away from home and unable to ship March 11-19
Description
| Brand: | Flatiron | Number of Strings: | 8 |
| Body Style: | Army-Navy | Dexterity: | Right Handed |
| Model: | 3MB | Skill Level: | Intermediate |
| Body Material: | Maple | Items Included: | Strap, Case cover, Case, Picks |
| Top Material: | Spruce |
Flatiron 3MB Mandolin with hard shell case and Small Dog case cover
This mandolin was built in Montana in1996. The 3MB was Flatiron's top-of-the-line Army-Navy style mandolin. In what way is it superior to the much more common 1N? The neck has a truss rod. The fretboard is ebony, rather than rosewood. The bridge and nut are ebony. The tuners are very good quality, rather than the cheapest available. The sides and back are solid (not laminated) Birdseye maple. The body is beautifully bound and has a nice inlaid rosette, compared to no binding or rosette in the 1N.This mandolin is essentially mint. The catalog for that year shows a cheap shell-shaped tailpiece, whereas this has a Gibson-style tailpiece. I don't know if that is original. When I got this, the frets and the edges of the nut were a tiny bit sharp. I rounded over the edge of the nut and the frets so they'd be perfect and polished the frets and oiled all the ebony before putting on new D'Addario flat wound strings. This mandolin was only played a few dozen times since it was bought new by the previous owner and always kept properly humidified and in both its plush, well-padded hardshell case and an expensive Small Dog case cover. It comes with a very nice strap and the original Flatiron pick.It's generally thought that the Flatiron pancake mandolins from the early eighties had the best sound. I've had three others, and I use my '81 1N when I travel. The '81 sounds better than the other two I've had. But I can honestly say that this 3MB sounds FAR better than my 1N. So why am I selling it? My 1N is worth a small fraction of this and is covered with finish checks and scratches, so I don't mind playing it on the beach. This is just too nice to use in rough environments. Also, while it is by far the best pancake mandolin I've owned, my superb Collings A style that cost $4000 also sounds noticeably better, which means this one isn't going to get taken on trips or played at home, so really I shouldn't have purchased it.I should mention that the frets are excellent but have no relief--they are dead flat--perfect. You could add some relief with a turn of the truss rod nut if you wanted. The action is excellent. About 4/64" at the 12th fret on the G string--the best possible. It's always a bit of a gamble buying mandolins from people who don't really play. I've been playing for years, studied with a lot of the best players in the world, studied repairs with a couple of the best luthiers, and repaired dozens of mandolins. I can honestly tell you that this one is an A+ in tone for an Army-Navy style mandolin and an A+ in condition. NOTE: I will be away from home and unable to ship March 11-19
This mandolin was built in Montana in1996. The 3MB was Flatiron's top-of-the-line Army-Navy style mandolin. In what way is it superior to the much more common 1N? The neck has a truss rod. The fretboard is ebony, rather than rosewood. The bridge and nut are ebony. The tuners are very good quality, rather than the cheapest available. The sides and back are solid (not laminated) Birdseye maple. The body is beautifully bound and has a nice inlaid rosette, compared to no binding or rosette in the 1N.This mandolin is essentially mint. The catalog for that year shows a cheap shell-shaped tailpiece, whereas this has a Gibson-style tailpiece. I don't know if that is original. When I got this, the frets and the edges of the nut were a tiny bit sharp. I rounded over the edge of the nut and the frets so they'd be perfect and polished the frets and oiled all the ebony before putting on new D'Addario flat wound strings. This mandolin was only played a few dozen times since it was bought new by the previous owner and always kept properly humidified and in both its plush, well-padded hardshell case and an expensive Small Dog case cover. It comes with a very nice strap and the original Flatiron pick.