F Hole Vs. Oval Hole Mandolin Comparison: Ellis Comparison
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Yes, nice comparison. Just love that warm, throaty tone of the oval. Not that I don't like the brighter tone of the f-style, but for me, that richness of the oval can't be beat.
I was surprised at how different they sounded, the oval has a much richer sound to it.
Great comparison. I hear the American bluegrass snappy twang on f and Celtic drone and sustain on the oval. Great luthier
Love the Ellis oval hole sound. Much fuller and resonates better.
Main difference I hear is that the oval hole sounds warmer and softer, rounder sound coming from the oval.
F hole really does have a more choppy, but slightly louder sound.
Wonderful comparison.
merci ☆☆☆☆
excellent !
Love the warmth of the oval! Nice job.
Nice comparison! Didn't realize there was so much of a difference in sound. Kinda like the oval hole...
Exactly what you said about what you like best about each. I've wanted an oval hole mandolin, and this just reinforces that. I play Irish music more than anything, and that sound is always so nice.
Thanks for putting this one together. While the differences in sound are very clear, and an oval hole is my preference, f hole mandos are still so sweet. I guess for me, if it comes from the other side of the Atlantic, oval hole...but stuff that shaped parts of the U.S. -- f hole :)
Thanks for the video! I own an inexpensive Eastman oval because I just dig that oval hole sound! Oval all the way.
Thank you for this video! I agree, I find the oval hole to have a sweeter, slightly softer sound that I think works very well for fiddle tunes and folk.
Thanks for the information on your video. The side by side comparison of the two types of mandolin is a blessing! Your videos save musicians money as we look to add to our supply of instruments.
Great video, thanks for sharing. I really like the sound of that oval hole mandolin. Makes me think of Norman Blake. My hero.
I always loved the woody sound of your Ellis F-hole but now that I've heard your Ellis Oval-hole, I seemed to prefer that sound. I play some solo chord-melody pieces and some Celtic Fiddle tunes and I think the oval hole would work well for that. I just think it has a mellow sound. However, both are fine instruments either one would work for anything.
I prefer the sound of the oval, but I'm just totally in love with the f hole version - beautiful instrument
The oval hole definitely has a richer, deeper sound.
Would be nice to see a spectrum analyzer on these. Shows fundamental and various overtones/harmonics and relative amplitude of each. Using wide band mic at same distance. Btw that f hole is breathtakingly beautiful. They both sound great.
*Sound Comparison time stamps:*
*Oval hole*
3:08 (scale)
3:32 (pick/strum)
4:16 (muted)
4:37 (noodling)
*F hole*
3:20 (scale)
3:54 (pick/strum)
4:27 (muted)
5:23 (noodling)
This is great! Thanks.
The oval is warm and louder but hasn’t got the character and minimalism of the f hole, which would be to my taste.
Interesting video
Nice comparison thank you!
Thanks! Both sound good, but I definitely like the oval one the most.
Beautiful finishing., Melodious Sound
thank you for this. exactly what i was looking for.
Nice demo. Excellent mandolins, sound and ascetics, I sort of like the oval sound, to my surprise. Thanks so much.
Thanks very much for the comparison, both are excellent instruments. obviously, but love the warmth of the oval hole. Very appealing.
Wow! Quite a difference! Great video - thanks for making it! I'd be proud to own either one and, if I could only own one, would choose the f-hole. I think it would be heard above the din of a loud session better than the oval hole. Love the mellow sound of the oval hole mando for duets and trios.
That was very informative, just what I was after! 🙏🫡That warmth from the oval hole would be lost in a loud session, but sounds so sweet on its own. The f hole sounded thinner with more aggressive top end to my ear.
I prefer the aesthetics of the f hole and the sound of the oval. Thanks for the video. ... Edited to add this: The difference is subtle, but clear. The oval sounds a little more mellow while the f-hole has a mild bite to it. Which one sounds better is a matter of personal taste and (in my case) what mood I'm in at the moment. Thanks again.
Guys the answer here is just own one of each
Thanks for making this
They both sound great but i prefer the f hole sound, will be getting one soon to learn on and add to my instrument repertoire
Great comparison video. All things being equal, same woods, same builder, same strings, I really prefer the oval hole model for its sweeter tone and low end. I already own a Kentucky KM-630 "F" style with "f" holes and it cuts through very clearly, especially in the upper registers, but I am now looking for a tenor mandola with an "A" style body and an oval sound hole to use for Celtic folk music. This video helps confirm that decision.
I’m new to Mandolin but I find the round hole has a warmer bassier sound too it which I prefer. I’m not a bluegrass guy so maybe that’s the bias, more of a player of everything
Nice comparison. Very clear tonal differences. I bought an oval hole Breedlove mandolin when I was playing mostly folk, etc. But recently started jamming bluegrass. Now I wish I had an f-hole.
Those sweet low end mando mellow tones are lost when put in with bluegrass bass and guitar. Though still prefer that sound when playing solo.
Guess I need both. 😊
I appreciate the comparison. IMHO - I want the oval tone for Irish tunes & sessions. I have a Kentucky with Thomastik strings - which makes it a bit quiet amidst fiddles and pipes; the f-style, even with the ghs silk & steel 250s, is considerably more punchy. Nice to have at least one of each! Would like to hear you compare a Breedlove v. Eastman. Thank you.
Love the oval hole style- but- I can see why you might want an f-hole and oval for different styles of music and tone colors. And, no stomp boxes needed. 😅😅
I don't know about how well either would fit into the mix, but I much prefer the oval hole if I was just going to be playing it for myself. I like the deeper richer tone.
Although I own a nice Flatiron A-5 that I have played for many years, I would love to own an Ellis oval hole. What a nice sound they put out.
I wish oval hole mando instuments were more regularly available, they sound so much more pleasant to my ear.
Love the softer, richer tone of the A-style Ellis. That’s why I bought an A style Collings.
Hi Baron, another great video! not sure how hard the editing would be but it would be great to see/hear the cuts during the tune. Say the first A part played on the oval, second A played on the f hole, then back and forth on the B part. Just another comment... I always have to add my 2 cents... I appreciate all your work. Thanks. PS They both sound great to me!
The oval hole really sounds great!
Crap! I'm picking up an f-style tomorrow. (Can't beat the price though). But I was TOTALLY smitten by the oval. I'm surprised. I thought traditionally, the F was supposed to be warmer sounding. But in THIS video, I definitely liked the oval better.
Both are fantastic mandos. Tom Ellis is a great luthier. I would love to own either of the two. I like the slightly "tubby" sound of the oval hole. Great for sitting in a small room, such as a living room jam. Both are yummy sounding. Those Ellis must be 4 figures each, huh?
unpopular opinion, but i love the more tinny, folksy sound of the f-style. The richer oval is too akin to a guitar for me, giving less specialization to the tone.
Totally agree! If I wanted an instrument which sounded like a guitar, I would get a guitar! There was something which attracted me to the sound of a mandolin to begin with!
@@JJ_TheGreat hey thanks for replying to this right as I was thinking of taking the plunge and purchasing one! A sign if any, and at least about which style in case I had forgotten! :)
Is that a Rickenbacker bakelite tenor guitar in the backgrund? WOW!!!!
Thank you! I prefer the sound of the oval hole one.
Thanks for the comparison. I prefer the richer tone of the oval hole mandolin.
Oval hole has a richer sound, but the other one is awesome too. A brighter sound.
G'day, what's the tuning you've got there? DADA? I think I'll go with the f holes - I want something that sounds more different to my guitar, which I'll play with it too :) Really helpful, thanks.
Nice❤❤❤❤❤
I like both but I really like the deep, rich tone of the oval hole
looking to get a new mando soon and gotta say im starting to think an oval hole may be the one. love the rich sound. now which one???
The oval hole puts emphasis on the bass notes which seem more open. The f-hole mandolin seems more even through its compass.
For my 1st mandolin, I will want f-holes. An oval hole sounds too similar to a guitar - and if I wanted a guitar, I could buy one (Actually, I already have a guitar [was given it, so I didn’t have to buy it, btw]- and it didn’t really inspire me to play it. I find guitar to be “too ordinary”, and a sound which I have heard over and over. Then I heard mandolin - and I knew that was a sound I like - which is more likely to inspire me to play it…
So, for me, at least for my 1st mandolin, it is f-holes all the way for that unique difference in tone (and no, I am not a bluegrass fanatic. I really don’t know much about it… But I do like a lot of different types of music, including classic rock, alternative rock, folk, country, etc.))
would you recommend these over the eastman md304/305
Seems like the strap is run under the neck. Is this how A-styles are made now? If I get one it’d be nice not to have to run the strap around the head under the strings. This makes the strap too constricting.
Does the oval hole punch through a mix as well as the F-style?
Where do I get rubber grommet things.
Sir, what would be the prices of the Beautiful MANDOLINS you have showed in this video?
Where can i buy from India?
Well, I definitely am in the minority but I much prefer the throaty sound of the ff hole instrument.
Here it is ;)
Baron, there is this young lady, named Crystal Walker, a beginner on mandolin, who is missing the tip of her left hand 2nd finger, so she doesn't/ can't use it for fretting. I am of the opinion that if can get some sort of callous built onto the tip she could use it for noting frets. Do you or anyone have an opinion on this handicap ? Is it possible to have a prosthetic device made for her finger. I felt sorry for her and recommended she get some information from you or other pickers suffering from the same affliction. Thanks -- we all just hate to see a budding new comer being inconvenienced, do we not ?
No joke, guitarist Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath fame, cut the tips of two of his fretting fingers off while working in a rail yard. He has prosthetic s on his fingers and of course can play guitar just fine. So it can be done, apparently.
Wow. That was weird. The oval hole sounded fantastic, then the f hole sounded almost like a banjo, with all sorts of overtones but not really in a great way. And later on...I swear...the f hole sounded like a toy. I KNOW that's not possible, and I've used these same speakers for Martins and Gibsons and they're always spot on. This is weird.
This needs to be judged also in a band setting; there the f and its shorter sustain and drier sound might fit better.
I slightly prefer the oval hole for the richer overtone sound but both sound like a mandolin :)
What was that song?
What is the tune Baron plays near the end?
Shove that pig's foot a little further into the fire 👍
My working theory is that it's better to go with an oval hole on a lesser priced instrument. It's not like someone who would go for a $500 mandolin would need the drive of a high end F hole for major bluegrass performances. Then again, I've seen Red Rector play with Bill Monroe with his Gibson A4 Paddlehead.
That makes sense if all you do is perform bluegrass or as part of some other band.
Very nice. What's the tune at the end please?
"Shove the pig's foot a little further into the fire"
Shove the Pigs Foot a Little Closer to the Fire - I think he has a lesson on that tune! It's a good one
@@maurashea457 yes that is correct. A great choice to show the sound differences between the two mandos. Yes Baron does have a lesson for this tune.
Thanks everyone, very much appreciated! I'll go and have a look for the lesson! ☺
I had to get f hole but wanted round hole. So if I can get a round hole I’ll get a round back.
❤❤😊
Both so expensive that the sound better be perfect on each! For me, this hole-based comparison is more important in much less expensive mandolins, e.g. Kentucky 200 series or Eastman 500 series, where the oval hole CAN (possibly) inject some 'roids into the proceedings.
Nobody here discusses the nature of different bracing. The tone bars in f-style make for stiffer top and faster piercing response. On negative side one could say it sounds like a shallow cigar box and if you want to accept it you open your imagination of blue grass styling. But if you play it for yourself you feel it is toy-like sound. The oval hole is X braced allowing for more sustainous sound and kind of echoing bouncing sound. I would find the oval one more flexible and I wonder why there are not offered hole semi plugs , I mean plugs with tuned holes. Another idea is to have an extra port that can be plugged for different flavor. With both hole and a port open you will get less bassy sound and airy.