Members masterbuilt Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 I decided to make a video comparison between the Ohana tiple and a Mitchell mandolin. I mistakenly said that the mandolin had a laminated maple back and sides. According to the company's website, the back and sides are laminated mahogany. The top is solid spruce. [video=youtube;RQeGeA1fkbM] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bax Burgess Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Great job. Tiple in my future. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamesp Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 IMO, that you'd love that sunburst completely disqualifies from having an opinion worth considering. Also, good mandolins don't sound like cheap autoharps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jim Sallis Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Any word yet on when the Ohana tiples will become available? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnorkelMonkey Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Also, good mandolins don't sound like cheap autoharps. I agree. This is a horrible comparison. A good mandolin has more rich tones and would sky over that tiple in volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamesp Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Note for anyone wanting to sound remotely credible: Tiple does NOT rhyme with nipple. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted September 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Note for anyone wanting to sound remotely credible: Tiple does NOT rhyme with nipple. Considering that the "tiple" is inspired by the Martin instrument, which they called "tipple" as opposed to "tee-play", like the Latin instrument, and the Martin being ten strings not twelve, like some, not eight, five, or three. Blame it on Martin, not Ohana. I'll stand by Martin's pronunciation since this is their "Americanized" version of whatever it was that inspired them. As for the good mandolin, yes, it's true, but a $340 tiple should not be compared to a Gibson "F", Weber, Trinity College, or even mid-range Kentucky. I think we can agree on that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Note for anyone wanting to sound remotely credible: Tiple does NOT rhyme with nipple. Yes, in Latin America, it is pronounced "tee-play"...here in the US of A, it's been pronounce "tipple" since C F Martin introduced their version. Martin tiple The tiple was redesigned in 1919 by the American guitar company C.F. Martin & Co. for the William J. Smith Co. in New York. This tiple -- generally pronounced "tipple" -- has ten steel strings in four courses, tuned similarly to a D-tuned ukulele: AadDdf#F#f#BB. Many similar instruments were developed by other companies around the same time. Tiple strings and tuning: A ukulele-style tuning can be used (this is the original) or the tiple can be tuned like a guitar.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiple#Martin_tiple Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted September 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 I agree. This is a horrible comparison. A good mandolin has more rich tones and would sky over that tiple in volume. See my comment to James. I do agree, but that is why I did not pick a really fine mandolin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted September 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Thanks, masterbuilt...great presentation. Pretty nice sounding mandolin for such a modest price, too! Thanks, Terry. My main objective in showing the comparison was to encourage people to check out the tiple as a possible bluegrass and Celtic instrument. Since it is solid mahogany, it does put out some pretty nice volume. In this demo, it was much louder than the Mitchell, but that is no surprise considering that the Mitchell is a $120 "student" mando with laminated back and sides. The top is a bit thicker than I'd want for performances. You can feel the mando vibrating well, but, there were some corners cut in the making-- like the hardware, but, again, it's $120 and performed reasonably well considering the price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted September 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Any word yet on when the Ohana tiples will become available? Looks like availability is supposed to be October. The initial run is 20 units, so watch Elderly Instruments and UkeLadyMusic.com or Mim's Ukes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Terry Allan Hall Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Looks like availability is supposed to be October. The initial run is 20 units, so watch Elderly Instruments and UkeLadyMusic.com or Mim's Ukes. T. A. S. running wild... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamesp Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 A $120 mandolin with "flawless" finish, "beautifully dressed" frets, and a "perfect" nut. All this from a guy who apparently can't tell maple from mahogany. Let the viewer beware. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnorkelMonkey Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 What we all consider to be a "good" mandolin isn't likely to be found for less $1000 Although I got a crazy deal my Kentucky 800 series was under $300 used. There's some great mandolin's that can be had for under a grand you just have to look. I would take any of those mid-range Kentucky's at the drop of a hat and those can be a steal of a deal on the used market. It wasn't meant as so much as a rag by me but the video is a little slanted at the end as it imo implies that the tiple is the better of the two based on sound quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnorkelMonkey Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 Looks like availability is supposed to be October. The initial run is 20 units, so watch Elderly Instruments and UkeLadyMusic.com or Mim's Ukes. That aside you guys have got to stop posting tiple threads my gas is going through the roof! But first I want an unison tuned octave 12 string bad. [video=youtube;ymaotsSMCpY] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted September 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 A $120 mandolin with "flawless" finish, "beautifully dressed" frets, and a "perfect" nut. All this from a guy who apparently can't tell maple from mahogany. Let the viewer beware. The finish doesn't have a single blemish and the binding on the instrument is flawless, too, for that matter. The frets truly are nicely polished with no sharp edges and the action is low. The intonation is good all the way up the neck and I'd expect that on many imports these days. I'll stand by those comments. As for the maple or mahogany, the Musician's Friend listing says "Sapele" and Mitchell says "Mahogany", but, I found another online source that said laminated maple. I don't care either way, since the finish is thick and not semi-transparent and there is such a thing as straight-grained maple that is not so easily distinguished from straight mahogany when it is finished in heavy gloss. As for credibility, you can have your opinion, I can have mine. The comparison, like I said is a $340 tiple and an inexpensive mandolin I bought specifically for the comparison. I suppose I could borrow a mando from one of my friends, but, why? Most viewers of this video would likely buy a student mando rather than dropping five bills for a keeper if they want a mandolin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnorkelMonkey Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 As for credibility, you can have your opinion, I can have mine. The comparison, like I said is a $340 tiple and an inexpensive mandolin I bought specifically for the comparison. I suppose I could borrow a mando from one of my friends, but, why? Most viewers of this video would likely buy a student mando rather than dropping five bills for a keeper if they want a mandolin. I guess I'm at a loss of understanding what you are trying to achieve in with the video? It comes off more like you are saying to the viewer "you can have this real nice tiple or you can have a mandolin, what would you rather have?". It's no wonder a $340 instrument might sound better than say a $120 instrument that are both completely different instruments on top of that. The title even suggests it: Ohana Tiple v. Mandolin It's sort of confusing? Maybe you could explain it to me better? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted September 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 I guess I'm at a loss of understanding what you are trying to achieve in with the video? It comes off more like you are saying to the viewer "you can have this real nice tiple or you can have a mandolin, what would you rather have?". It's no wonder a $340 instrument might sound better than say a $120 instrument that are both completely different instruments on top of that. The title even suggests it: Ohana Tiple v. Mandolin It's sort of confusing? Maybe you could explain it to me better? That's a fair question. The original intent was to address the point that some people have called the tiple a hybrid ukulele/mandolin and I wanted to show how they are similar, yet different. Really, your video of the octave mandolin is a better comparison to the tiple. Octave mandolins, however, cost a lot more and I did not want to make that investment for the purpose of this video. A mandolin player would tell the difference in an instant. A ukulele player with no bluegrass jamming experience would benefit from the video. The tiple does appeal to those who might dabble in bluegrass without learning new chord fingerings, as would a banjo-uke. That is one reason I chose to use "D" tuning rather than ADAD or standard tuning. The two instruments played in the same tuning were a valid comparison. You have to remember that Ukulele Player Magazine caters to ukulele enthusiasts, not mandolin players, per se. The tiple will appeal to some, but not all of our readers. This video was made for them more than anyone else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnorkelMonkey Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 You have to remember that Ukulele Player Magazine caters to ukulele enthusiasts, not mandolin players, per se. The tiple will appeal to some, but not all of our readers. This video was made for them more than anyone else. It comes off more like you're intending to sell them on purchasing one of these new Ohana Tiples when they come out. How did you come to get a hold of one? (btw I play uke ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members masterbuilt Posted September 12, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 I suppose I understand. I would have started out the video stating "The reason for this video is I want to address some of the differences between these two instruments" etc... It comes off more like you're intending to sell them on purchasing one of these new Ohana Tiples when they come out. How did you come to get a hold of one? (btw I play uke ) Fair enough. Yeah, I did not think about that, actually, but, I could have taken it that direction. To answer your question about the tiple, I work with a lot of manufacturers and I am often given ukuleles to review and take to shows. Some I get to keep. Some we give away for promotional purposes. I often provide input on the instruments and what our readers prefer based on the feedback and questions we receive. Many of the ukuleles we review retail under $300, but, we have reviewed luthier builds, and factory-made ukes that retail as high as $1500 in price. We have also reviewed vintage ukes. I have also worked as liaison between performing artists and the manufacturers helping them get exposure by supplying performers with instruments. The Ohana tiple was given to me by Ohana--- no strings attached. By the way, I did mention in the video that Gibson "F" models and the like are as much as $8000 and thought I was pretty clear about that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 I love the sound of that tiple. The mandolin sounds like every other mandolin I've heard - all strings and no projection. I've had guys play super expensive ones for me and I don't hear it. For the haters - give the guy a break - he's gone out of his way to create something interesting. Create and post your own video if his analysis is too flawed for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jamesp Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 That he's gone out of his way to post Tiple spam* compels me to call him on his sales pitch for a MINO that sounds like ass. * http://acapella.harmony-central.com/search.php?searchid=174043 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SnorkelMonkey Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 The mandolin sounds like every other mandolin I've heard - all strings and no projection. I've had guys play super expensive ones for me and I don't hear it. My Kentucky F5 is pretty much all projection. If I'm sitting in unplugged with dreads and other acoustic instruments I need to ease up a bit or I'm skying over everyone. Very full sound btw, I get complements on it all the time. It was not super expensive either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poppytater Posted September 12, 2011 Members Share Posted September 12, 2011 [video=youtube;p3MiD_U4CHQ] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted September 13, 2011 Members Share Posted September 13, 2011 That tiple sounds great. Me want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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