New! Tone-Gard: The best thousand dollar improvement you can make to your mandolin for only $74! We don't usually feature an accessory so prominently, but these things really work. By keeping the back of your instrument off of your body, the Tone-Gard allows the back to vibrate and contribute to the instrument's resonance. You'll get more lows, more highs and more volume - all good things to have in a mandolin. And as a bonus, the Tone-Gard helps protect against the odd button scratch and keeps you from sticking to the mandolin when the pickin' gets hot and sweaty. Try this test at home (but close the curtains so your neighbors don't think you're a total loony): Face a wall about two or three feet away so you can hear the sound of your own instrument and chop a couple of chords with your mandolin held against your body, then chop them again while holding the instrument an inch or so away. You'll be amazed at the difference. Used by David Grisman, Ricky Skaggs, Mike Marshall, Roland White, and many other great players. Black powdercoated lightweight steel "sunrise" frame with rubber and leather at contact points. Not recommended for soft varnish finishes. Fits most mandolins. Usually fits in the case while on the instrument. Models for Rigel and customs available. BuffaloBros. price: $74. PHOTO
Please note: All instruments that have stock numbers followed by an asterisk (*) are in stock at our San Diego store. Please call Nick @ (619) 280-9035 for further information.
New! Collings MF5: What can we say? These F style mandolins from Bill Collings are among the best being made today ... period. With its Red maple back and rim and Adirondack spruce top, the Collings F has the tone of the Gods and volume that will keep a whole herd of banjo players complaining that they can’t hear themselves. Obsessive workmanship and a gorgeous tobacco sunburst finish make this mando look and feel as good as it sounds. With hard case. List: $8000 BuffaloBros. price: $7200 Stock#NMB26387 photo
New! Collings MF Gloss Top: Yet another wonder from Bill Collings. This less expensive version of the MF-5 has a carved spruce top, carved maple back and rim, unbound ebony fingerboard (radiused) and a satin tobacco sunburst finish. The top is bound with custom ivoroid binding and it is built with the meticulous care that we have come to expect from the folks at Collings. Rich “woody” tone! With hard case. LIST: $4650. BuffaloBros. price: $4185. Stock# NMB24879. photo
New! Collings MT: Fine, fine Collings tone and quality without compromise are the hallmarks of all Collings guitars and mandolins. Even in this, the least expensive series of the Collings mandos, the carved Spruce top is exceptionally choice and the carved Maple back & sides are very highly figured. This beautiful example is upgraded with a gloss finished and ivoroid bound top. With hard case. List $2450 BuffaloBros. price: $2205 Stock#NMB28092
New! Collings MT: The Collings A model with boat loads of tone. Carved Adirondack Spruce top mated to highly flamed Maple back & sides. Strong, rich, full tones with plenty of bark. With hard case. LIST: $2450 BuffaloBros. price: $2205 Stock#NMB28438 photo
Just In! New! Collings MT: Gloss top with ivoroid binding and a 1 3/16" nut width. With hard case List $2600 BuffaloBros. price $2340 Stock# NMB28626 photo
Used Eastman 604: (exc) For fans of the early 20th Century mandolins, the Eastman 604 will bring you that incredibly sweet tone with modern, player friendly features such as the adjustable truss rod, adjustable bridge, and quality tuning machines. The carved Spruce top has the oval sound hole that is preferred by old-timey and Celtic players alike. The back & sides are carved Maple that powers the notes at great distances. With hard case. $650 Stock#UMB17697 photo
New! Eastman 615 Sunburst: These all solid wood, carved top mandolins from Eastman are amazing! Built with a tight grained Spruce top and highly figured Maple back and rim, this well made F-style mando sounds, plays, and looks like instruments that are twice its price. It is made in Beijing, China by the Eastman String Co. who have been building Violin family instruments since 1992. Their workshops are organized in the European tradition using mostly hand tools and highly skilled craftsmen. Whether you are an amateur player looking for a reasonably priced instrument or a professional looking for something to take on the road, this fine F-style mandolin from Eastman is an excellent choice. With hard case. LIST: $1550. Our price: $1240. Stock# NMB27087*.photo
Used Eastman 615 Classic (exc) Very nicely maintained example of the best buy in a Florentine style mandolin available Today. Hand carved Spruce top and carved Maple back & sides. The Eastman mandolins, play great, sound wonderful and don't cost the proverbial body appendages that others might. A very exceptional value in a well made instrument. With hard case $1000 stock#UMB25082 photo
Used Eastman 804: (exc) Traditional A styling with an oval soundhole. Carved Spruce top and carved, figured Maple back & sides, and an extended fingerboard. With Eastman hard case $850 Stock#UMB24318 photo
New! Eastman 814 (F style Oval Hole) Way cool oval hole F style mandolin. Eastman has got this one right. Based on the old Gibson F-4, this well made import from China is built with a carved Tibetan spruce top and figured Chinese Maple back and rim. It has a radiused Ebony fingerboard that is inlaid with blocks of Mother of Pearl. This one is finished in a Cremona sunburst finish. While this isn't your Grandfather's F-4, it is a seriously good sounding and playing mandolin for a fraction of the price. With hard case. LIST: $1950. Our price: $1560. Stock# NMB21339. photo
Used Eastman MD815 (Exc) At the forefront of the gorgeous features of this mandolin has to be the incredibly highly flamed Maple back & sides.The hand carved Spruce top has very tight and even grain all in a gorgeous Cremona finish. One of the most beautiful Florentine style mandolins we have ever offered. With hard case. BuffaloBros. price $1200 Stock# UMB28154 photo
Used Eastman MD815 (Exc) With hard case BuffaloBros. price $1200 Stock# UMB28306 photo
2006 Eastman MD914 (Exc-) This gorgeous oval hole, Florentine blonde from Eastman was originally made for the 2006 Namm show and is built from AAA flamed maple and tight grained spruce. Hand carved by skilled craftsmen in Eastman’s shop in Beijing, this particular example has a radiused ebony fingerboard that is inlaid with very handsome “V” cut block inlays of mother of pearl and abalone. The body is bound with flame maple and black purfling and the headstock is overlaid with rosewood on both front and back. In excellent condition except for minor pick wear on the top, this is a very pretty mandolin with a warm traditional tone. With hard case BuffaloBros. price $1850 Stock# NMB21338
Used Eastman MD915: (exc) The Eastman Company produces fine mandolins. None finer than this top of the line Carved Spruce and Rosewood Florentine style. the 915. Exquisite workmanship, excellent playability and superior tone. If your desire is an excellent mandolin with shelling out a year's salary, this then is your instrument! With hard case. BuffaloBros. price $1850 Stock#UMB27332
New! Gibson F-5G Custom: These are custom F-5G’s with carefully carved Adirondack spruce tops and Maple backs and rims. They have bound Ebony fingerboards, a tasteful flower pot inlay in the headstock and a lovely custom “flame-burst” finish. Classic Gibson tone bar construction and Adirondack tops give these fine mandolins lots of volume and the bark of a junkyard dog. Since we are not an authorized Gibson dealer, we don’t know if Gibson will honor their warranty but at these prices, does it really matter? With hard case. LIST: $9250.BuffaloBros. price: price: $3999. Stock#NMB19375 photo
Just SOLD! 1918 Gibson F-4: (Exc-) For players seeking that warm, plunky tone of the old time string band mandolin players, the F-4 is the ultimate. This 90 year old beauty is in excellent condition except for 1 repaired top crack and a replacement pickguard. If you're looking for a great player with great tone, this is the one. With original hard shell case. BuffloBros. price $5500 Stock# UMB28196 photo
c.1950’s Gibson A-50 (Exc-) This is the A style for Bluegrass players! Cool vintage Gibson sound and vibe. 10” wide body with maple back and rim and a spruce top. Two small repaired top cracks by the treble side F hole and a missing pickguard and tailpiece cover, otherwise in excellent original condition. With soft case. BuffaloBros. price $1250 Stock# UMB27711
1912 Gibson A: (exc-) Clean and original version of the Gibson "pumpkin top" A stle so popular with mandolin players since first being introduced to the musical public by Orville Gibson in the late 19th Century. Even grained Sruce top an red stained Birch back & sides, producing that wonderfully rich and warm tone so revered by Celtophiles, old time country players and folkies alike. With original hard case. $1500 Stock#UMB28494 photo
1920 Gibson A: (Exc-) Nice clean crack free Gibson A model. Spruce top, Maple back & sides in the Sheraton brown finish. Appears original except for missing tailpiece cover. With hard case. BuffaloBros. price $1500 Stock# UMB27712 photo
Just in!! 1913 Gibson F-2 black: (vg++) We originally sold this black faced beauty back in 2005 when prices were less than a new Honda. The player has recently decided that the Collings MF5 is his heart's desire, so the F2 is in its way towards us. Full details when it is received. With original hard case $3500 Stock#UMB19216 photo
1917 Gibson H-2 cherry sunburst: (exc-) At he first note, you know this is among the best sounding mandolas you've ever heard. A 1917 model, with the last of the delicately inlaid 'Handel" tuning machines which Gibson discontinued in late 1916 and into early 1917. This instrument has a great history, having been owned by a succession of vaudevillian performers, a couple of mandolin orchestras before taking up its latest residence in the hands of one of the two mandolin players in the local Klezmer band, Robboy's Jewish Orchestra. Throughout its life so far, it has been a professional instrument, treated with respect by a series of loving and caring musicians. With original hard case. $3250 Stock#UMB26578
1934 Gibson MB-1 Mandolin Banjo: (EXC-) This is the ultimate jug band instrument (loud and obnoxious) ! Set up with a new skin head and ready to play with good action and great tone this old Gibson mando-banjo has a 10-1/2” Maple rim and Maple resonator. It is in excellent condition with a repaired crack in the neck heel. With original hard case. $1000. Stock# UBB20148. PHOTO
New! Kentucky KM-150S: A real bargain in the mando-world. A solid carved Spruce top, and all the playability and quality you know from Kentucky at a humbler-than-thou BuffaloBros. price $225 Stock#NMB27957*
New! Kentucky KM-505: For players who have 'seen it all' in the mandolin market, may we present the newest star on the block. The Kentucky folks have gone to great lengths to provide players with a superb instrument at an incredible price. Carved, Asian Spruce top backed with carved Maple back & sides. Terrific sound, easy playing, and the best value for the money in an excellent mandolin. With Featherweight case List $660 BuffaloBros. price $525 Stock# NMB28268 photo
New! Kentucky KM-505: With Featherweight case List $660 BuffaloBros. price $525 Stock# NMB28269*
New! Kentucky KM-505: With Featherweight case List $660 BuffaloBros. price $525 Stock# NMB28270
New! Kentucky KM-505: With Featherweight case List $660 BuffaloBros. price $525 Stock# NMB28271
New! Kentucky KM-505: With Featherweight case List $660 BuffaloBros. price $525 Stock# NMB28623 photo
New! Kentucky KM-805: What an incredible new Florentine style mandolin from the Kentucky folks! One could almost overlook how great it plays, or even how it looks, and concentrate on the fantastic sound. Excellent, powerful chop, sweet highs and great tonality. Or, you could ignore all of the above and just marvel at how Kentucky can turn out such a wonderful mandolin at such an unbelievably great price! With hard case BuffaloBros. price: $899 Stock#NMB27962* photo
New! Kentucky KM-805: This Artist series f-model mandolin is hand carved and graduated from the finest mountain spruce and northern maple for the best tonal characteristics. The KM-805 has a radiused rosewood fingerboard for comfortable easy play and the traditional “torch-style” peghead inlay for those who like a more simple vintage look. With BuffaloBros. price: $899 Stock#NMB28581
MORE TO COME!
Used Michael Kelly F-style Blonde (Exc) This natural blonde beauty was a 1999 NAMM Show prototype. The highly flamed maple back and sides are tastefully offset with ivory colored binding with bwbw fine line perfling on both top and back. The non-radiused rosewood fingerboard has the traditional extension and pearl dot inlays. There’s also a pearl dot inlaid in the scroll of the natural finished spruce top. Elegantly appointed with gold hardware and a cast Allen tailpiece. With hard case. BuffaloBros. price: $1000 Stock#UMB26143. photo
Used Michael Kelly “Elegante”: (Exc) This excellent quality F style mandolin is the top of the Michael Kelley line. Assembled from all solid woods, it is made with choice spruce and maple and the top is carefully hand carved and voiced to give it a rich, woody tone. The maple neck is joined to the body with a traditional dovetail joint and the radiused ebony fingerboard and the top and back are bound with natural maple binding. With hard shell case $800 Stock# UMB20869 photo
New! Michael Kelly Legacy-0: For the Celtic or Old Time player with a strong case of “scroll envy” and a limited budget, this F style oval hole mando from Michael Kelly is just the thing. A Maple back and rim, a tone bar braced carved Spruce top, an abalone rosette and block abalone inlays in a radiused Rosewood fingerboard make this great sounding mandolin an excellent value indeed. Case extra. LIST: $1065. BuffaloBros. price: $745. Stock# NMB17221. PHOTO
Used Weber Gallatin: Beautiful example of one of the most affordable Florentine styled mandolins made in the USA. This blonde (natural) finish instrument in your hands, is going to produce with utmost clarity, every not you can imagine. A carved Spruce top and Maple back & sides in a high gloss finish. That's what makes it great. With hard case $1500 Stock#UMB6233* photo
ca. 1920s Beltone (exc-) It's kooky, it's crazy, and just unusual enough to be a highly sought after collector's piece. This all Mahogany mandolin with its built in 'resonator' is one of the most unusual looking pieces we have ever seen, but very similar to the Paramount guitars that were built for Paramount by C.F. Martin in the 20s. It plays very nicely too! If you're looking to round out a collection, or just love things with that 20s & 30s flair, this could be perfect for you. With gig bag $950 Stock#UMB26611 photo
New! Breedlove Spirit KO This it the first Spirit KO body we have seen from the folks at Breedlove and it doesn’t disappoint. In addition to Breedloves’ standard maple and spruce body and radiused ebony fingerboard, the K body Spirit has black binding top and back and a built in Shertler designed pickup. This well made oval hole mando has a sweet warm tone and sounds great plugged or unplugged. With hard case List $2099 Our price $1599 Stock# NMB28465 photo
New! Breedlove Quartz OF: Hand built in Bend Oregon, the Breedlove Quartz OF represents a great value in an American made mandolin. This A style beauty has a figured maple back and rim and a carved spruce top. The neck measures 1 3/16” at the nut and the ebony fingerboard is gently radiused making the OF very comfortable to play. With f holes and tone bar bracing, this mando has a rich sound with plenty of projection. With hard case. List $1469 BuffaloBros. price $999 Stock# NMB27157 photo
Used Breedlove Quartz OF: (exc) The nicely priced Breedlove Quartz OF is even a nicer price here. This immaculately maintained mandolin sports an always stylish sunburst finish over Spruce top with Maple back & sides. The Quartz OF is a favorite of those who like the older Gibson oval hole A models, but don't like having to shell out extra bucks to make them playable due to the age of most of them. It's a pleasure to have something that's ready to play, with no problems that send you running into our repair shop before you can enjoy them. The Breedlove Quartz OF has an extremely pleasing tone top to bottom, with enough of that bark & bite to enable you to stand toe to toe with other instruments and be easily heard. With gig bag. $850 Stock#UMB8053 photo
ca. 1920 Ditson A style: (exc-) In the early part of the 20th Century, Oliver Ditson and Company, a fairly large sheet music concern in Boston, Mass. decided to go into the musical instrument business. Not having the facilities, nor the manpower to start up a factory to produce instruments, they contracted with C.F. Martin, Regal, Bay State and other manufacturers to make instruments under the Ditson brand. This one is a sweet sounding flat back A style of Spruce and Rosewood with the Ditson label pasted over a Sammo Mfg. label. The sound is sweet and pure and should please any passing Celtophile or folksinger. Very nice indeed. With chipboard case $700 Stock#UMB26747 photo
1960s Harmony Monterey (VG+) For those who know of this ruggedly built 40 year old 'student' mandolin, they will be pleased to find it here in very nice condition, and every bit as playable as when it was new. The reddish 2 tone sunburst is still very evident as is the silk screened logo on the peghead. Step back in time and enjoy the best of the past. With chipboard case $200 Stock #UMB26476*
1931 National Triolian: (VG) We are certain that Mr. Frank Vento loved his National Triolian mandolin. He was so proud of it in fact, that he painted his name on the back of the headstock and part of the neck. Also on the case. This is the ultimate signature model. Hand painted! Even if you are not the famed Mr. Vento, you can enjoy the sound of this instrument. Even if you're more than a mile away! The National all-metal body mandolin can be heard for miles in all directions. Definitely not for those who like to practice late at night and live in a quiet apartment. New cone and tailpiece With chipboard case. REDUCED! $1200. Stock# UMB16397. photo
New! Rigel A+ Deluxe Custom: Built by Pete Langdell and friends in his shop in Cambridge, Vermont, the A+ is a successful departure from traditional mandolin construction. While made with Spruce and Maple like most modern mandolins, the A+ has radiused sides and a circular top that is set into the sides with a nearly invisible joint. The tops and backs are carefully tuned and the A+ has a very warm and woody tone with excellent projection. This custom version features a highly figured Maple back, block Mother of Pearl inlay in the radiused Ebony fingerboard, binding on the fingerboard and headstock and Ivoroid buttons on the gold Grover tuners. Like the standard A+ Deluxe, this custom version has an excellent built pickup and is ready to plug in to an amp or PA. With rectangular tweed hard case. LIST: $2850. Our price: $2150. Stock# NMB21764*. photo
Used Stelling S-1: (exc) RARE! UNUSUAL! COLLECTABLE! There were a very limited number of these fine sounding instruments made under the Stelling banner. It plays fabulously and has a wonderful tone too. This mandolin is so unusual that it is the first one we have ever been able to offer for sale. N-I-C-E!!!!! With hard case. $2450 Stock#UMB28277 photo
New! Stonebridge MA-23 SF A-style European master builder Frantisek Furch’s A-style mandolin features highly flamed maple back and sides and a hand carved spruce top with ivory colored binding top and back and multi-line purfling on top. The bound ebony fretboard has a 1-3/16 inch nut, abalone position marker dots and a scooped extension. The “snakehead” style ebony peghead has multi-line side purfling, MOP logo and tasteful abalone leaf inlays, and gold tuners. As with all Stonebridge, the tone is wonderfully open and responsive. With hard case. List $2095 Our price $1449 Stock#NMB24780 photo
Used Tacoma M2: (Exc) The M2 incorporates Tacoma’s innovative design, fine materials and solid workmanship. It has a solid sitka spruce top, solid rosewood back and sides and a radiused rosewood fingerboard. Made in America. BuffaloBros. price $500 Stock# UMB28300 photo
Please note: All instruments that have stock numbers followed by an asterisk (*) are in stock at our San Diego store. Please call Tom @ (619) 280-9035 for further information.
Looking for something special? We can't possibly list all we have so please ask!