News Stop Press Tour Dates Press Releases Events
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9 October 2006 New US_Outlet_for_Liddy_Mandolins 4 September 2006 On Line Payment Facility 29 May 2006 From Nic for Posting 15 November 2005 Birth Notice 8 November 2005 Harrietville Headliner to play a Liddy 7 November 2005 Return from Travels 5 October 2005 Nashville Bound 9 September 2005 Rob Shannon's Guitar Mellows Out 26 August 2005 A Quick Fire Post 16 July 2005 IBMA Convention and Festival 16 July 2005 Wood Shipment 18 June 2005 We recently received this photo........... 24 April 2005 Its Neck Shapin' Time 2 April 2005 Varnish Finish 2 April 2005 Festival Reports 10 March 2005 US Dealer for Liddy Guitars & Mandolins 24 February 2005 Success for Jimi ___________________________________________ 9 October 2006 New US Outlet for Liddy Mandolins
Liddy mandolins are now available from: Smoky Mountain Guitars 335 Wears Valley Road, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee 37863, Phone (865) 429-1156 ___________________________________________ 4 September 2006 We are now set up to receive online payments via PayPal. The payments can be made in a secure environment using your credit card or PayPal account. We will work out the total price, which will include shipping, for your selected item and send you an invoice by email. We hope this will help those overseas buyers interested in the Kangaroo leather mandolin straps. ___________________________________________
29 May 2006 "I happened to enter the Australian Music Maker's tent at the 2006 National Folk Festival in Canberra where I chanced upon John Liddy displaying his fine mandolins. I went up to him and asked him if I could sample his mandolins on display. The one that caught my eye was his version of an A5 Gibson style mandolin. Before I picked up any instruments I plucked the open strings of an F5, a bit too you played notes such as the high A and B. I happen to have an Absaroka made by Weber which did not have this open top end. I have really enjoyed playing my Weber mandolin which I have had for nearly five years but this instrument was something else. How did he manage to get that loud open sound at the top end with a nicely balanced A string which sounded clear and mellifluous. I will leave you to discuss that aspect with him. Here on a mandolin instrument stand stood this proud tobacco A5 asking to be played. It had only recently been put together and looked mighty fine in its appearance. I was not sure of the colour at first but the tone and volume was amazing particularly at the top end of town. As it was a new instrument the G and D strings sounded a bit new and brash but John assured me that the tone of these strings would change as I played the mandolin in. The type of spruce used (Adirondack) was harder than Sitka Spruce and takes time to break in the full tone. I went away on a bush walk and took stock of the situation. Here was an Australian made instrument with outstanding looks which could be used to play any number of genres, such as blues, celtic or breton music, or jazz. Personally I am not fond of the ornate looking F5s - they are made for bluegrass and to me look a bit too jazzed up. I also find the scroll gets in the way as I like to have my mandolin up near my chest up high when I am playing standing up. The following day I arranged to come back and take a second look bringing my Weber Absaroka instrument with me so that I could do an A-B comparison in the same location. My second look, play, and discussion with John decided it for me. I put down a deposit after sounding out more about the instrument and its heritage. So if you after an instrument which can be used to play a number of different genres of music with plenty of panache, you cannot far wrong with this style of instrument. I think I will call it my tiger mandolin based on the brown and yellow stripes in the figure on the back of the instrument. Thanks John for being such a wonderful luthier and conversationalist. I have waited thirty years for this moment. It has been worth the wait. I look forward to many more sessions with it! All the best. Nic Gellie 15 November 2005
___________________________________________ 8 November 2005 Harrietville Headliner to play a Liddy We are chuffed that Dan Jones will be playing a Liddy mandolin on his Australian visit to perform at the Harrietville Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music Convention, Victoria, Nov 18 - 20. Dan is from Kentucky and is a former Bluegrass Boy. He played with Bill Monroe in 1971. Visiting along with Dan will be Lonnie Hoppers and Joe Isaacs. When Dan visited our exhibition booth at the IBMA and expressed an interest in playing a Liddy mandolin down under, we were very pleased to make this possible. This will go a small way to repaying the generosity and hospitality we experienced in Nashville. ___________________________________________
7 November 2005 I returned on the 5th of November from, amongst other things, exhibiting at the IBMA World of Bluegrass in Nashville. For those of you who have been thinking about going but have not yet made it, it is worth breaking a leg for. Just to give you one instance, the concert on Friday night featured Mountain Heart, Alison Krauss and Union Station, Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, and The Del McCoury Band. I was a bit apprehensive going over because I knew I would be sharing accommodation with three banjo makers and/or pickers. But, you know, deep down, they are no different to the rest of us - only joking - they are! In the end I survived surprisingly well. I will get back to you with more once I deal with the backlog of unpaid bills, get over jet lag and recover from Vegimite deprivation. Cheers John Liddy ___________________________________________ 5 October 2005
I am heading to Nashville for the IBMA World of Bluegrass with mandolins. You can try the mandolins out at the Australian Instrument Makers booth in the Exhibition area from 24 to 30 October. I look forward to meeting you. Those not able to be there please aware that my email responses may not be up to my usual standard from 19 0ctober, but I will attend to all emails shortly after I return to Australia on 5 November - if I have not done so before. John Liddy ___________________________________________
9 September 2005 Rob Shannon's Guitar Mellows Out It was gratifying to receive the following from Sydney guitarist Rob Shannon.
"Long
time since we have had contact. All is going
very well with the guitar. It just keeps mellowing, and getting richer all the
time, it really is a different instrument now. I
recently played at the Dubbo Jazz Fest'. Chuck Morgan was there. He had a little
trouble with his guitar and the airline, so I lent him
my guitar, and sat back and listened to the set... WOW it really
sounded beautiful, almost the same colour as the piano, and with Chuck
playing it, it really allowed me to listen to the tone being produced
by a truly great guitarist. I am so satisfied with the Opal.
Hope all is going well with you. I have
attached a recent photo taken from a concert a couple of months Take care
Rob Shannon in concert ___________________________________________
26 August 2005 I received the following about 2 seconds ago from my most recent customer.
Testimonial from John Bridgland, mandolinist for ‘Bluegrass Junction’ (Adelaide, South Australia). August 2005 John Liddy’s mandolins are rapidly entering that space in bluegrass heaven reserved only for the very best. Having observed John’s craftsmanship for some years, in August 2005 I purchased an F-style mandolin that he had made in February 2005. It marked the beginning of a new range featuring red spruce (Adirondack) tops with cross-bracing. Mine is an outstanding instrument, with great projection and clarity and a rich rhythm ‘chop’ that is so important to a bluegrass ensemble. John has for many years made extremely fine archtop guitars, and his recent F-style mandolins meet the same very high standard – flawless workmanship and finish, a joy to play, with brilliant tone. In my opinion, John’s current batch of Liddy mandolins are among the finest of their style in Australia and very competitively priced compared to other ‘known’ brands. My advice to any serious mandolinist is to get in early, because Liddy mandolins are going to be the ones to watch in future years, especially once the US market discovers them.
‘Bluegrass Junction’ is one of Adelaide’s most well-known bluegrass bands. It features Trevor Warner on banjo and fiddle and Nick Cawthorne on guitar. [This testimonial was offered to John Liddy (he did not ask for it or pay for it) and John Bridgland purchased his Liddy mandolin (it was not given to him to endorse).] John Bridgland <jbeditor@senet.com.au>
Thanks John John Liddy P.S. Just a reminder that I will be exhibiting at the IBMA Convention and Festival in Nashville in October (see below), and the Harrietville Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music Festival in north-east Victoria in November ___________________________________________
16 July 2005 We will be exhibiting at the International Bluegrass Music Association Convention and Festival in Nashville, Tennessee, October 24 to 30, 2005. You can find us at the Australian Instrument Makers booth in the Expo space. We welcome all to come and try some mighty fine Australian bluegrass mandolins. I look forward to meeting lots of people and to experiencing all this great event has to offer. John Liddy P.S. There will also be fine Australian banjos, fiddles and basses at the Expo. ___________________________________________
16 July 2005 We recently received a shipment of mandolin wood. The wood is a selection of Adirondack and Englemann Spruce for tops, and Sugar and Red Maple for backs, sides and necks. This is always a time to wonder at what nature produces - such outstanding tonal qualities and magnificent figure. It is, indeed, a great privilege to be able to work with such material. It provides the inspiration, and the obligation to produce instruments to the best of your ability!
The mandolin wood delivery _________________________________________
18 June 2005 We recently received this photo...........
The Latrobe Valley Symphony Orchestra aka The Strzelecki Stringbusters with first mandolin Ray Negro on - you guessed it - a Liddy mandolin
Photo courtesy of Rainbow, thank you. ___________________________________________
2 April 2005 We are now able to offer a varnish finish on Liddy Mandolins as an alternative to nitro-cellulose lacquer. ___________________________________________
2 April 2005 I have just got back from attending three festivals on consecutive weekends, the Port Fairy Folk Festival, the Frankston International Guitar Festival and the National Folk Festival in Canberra over the Easter Weekend. Port Fairy Folk Festival There were about twenty three instrument makers from around the country represented in the "InstrumentworX" exhibition at Port Fairy. The wide range and quality of hand made Australian instruments was there for all to see. There were "Australian Made and Played" concerts programmed for Saturday and Sunday night which showcased the instruments. These concerts seem to be getting more popular each year. No wonder! - the line up this year produced some stunning eclectic performances. The good news is that the festival organisation is compiling a CD with the best of these performances (more on this down the track). Thanks must go to Dani Rocca for her continuing and creative support of Australian makers. Thanks to Lachlan Davidson from the Davidson Brothers Band for demonstrating Liddy mandolins. Pete from the Davidson Brothers played western swing on a Liddy archtop guitar. Mick Hamilton on Liddy Guitar accompanied that old smoothie Dan Robinson on vocals in a trio featuring a Dan Robinson bass. And, to cap the Sunday evening concert Matthew Fagan gave a climatic performance displaying his virtuosity and the versatility of an archtop guitar. Thank you to all these performers for finding time for this in what for some, I know, was a heavy festival workload. I had better not forget Terry Dean, who generously gave his time to compere these concerts and the sound person - it was spot on - Thanks Guys! Frankston International Guitar Festival Frankston this year made a decision to return to its roots. It certainly paid off, from all accounts the festival was very successful. The National Acoustic Exhibition was in the Civic Centre across the road from the Frankston Arts Centre. Amplification was not allowed in the exhibition area. This made conditions for patrons and exhibitors very congenial. We had access to a quiet room where those seriously interested could make a full assessment of an instrument. From memory, I think there were about 16 guitar makers present covering all styles of acoustic guitar music. This event certainly showcased some of the best of Australian guitar making. A bonus for makers at these events is meeting with peers, which leads to discussions of ideas and approaches, and information exchange. This can only help us make better instruments more efficiently! National Folk Festival, Canberra The National is the true musicians festival - music happens everywhere, formally, informally and, notably, in the Sessions Bar. This year the instrument makers were relocated to a grassy area close to the Sessions Bar. We were in two smaller tents rather than one large tent. I thought this worked well for festival goers and exhibitors in halving the volume of the cacophony when a multitude of disparate instruments are being used to play a variety of musical genres simultaneously. We were able to use a quiet corner of the Sessions Bar for people to trial instruments. Thank you to Andrew Clermont for agreeing at short notice to play my mandolin and guitar in the "Instrument Makers Showcase". The Instrument Makers Showcase was a new addition to the program this year. It is one indication of how the Canberra organisation wants to support our instrument making endeavours to the best of their ability. Thanks to Carolyn Griffin and Peter Daly for their organising, and for listening to, and acting on our suggestions for improvements. These people are dedicated volunteers whose work extends through the year. I do not get to see a lot of concerts at festivals because I am mainly tied up on the stall. But, I did get to see two standout performances - the twin mandolins of Mike Compton and David Long and "The Festival Western Swing Band" put together by Lucky Oceans. In Conclusion Thanks to the three* people who became instant Liddy owners, and thanks to all the people who tried and considered and may even be still considering.............. John Liddy For photos see Recent Events below. *As of 7 April, make that four - thanks Ray! ___________________________________________ 10 March 2005 US Dealer for Liddy Guitars & Mandolins We are pleased to announce Liddy Guitars and Mandolins are available in the USA from Liddy USA in Wilmington, NC, Telephone 910-221-9474 To place an order call Toll free 888-716-4457
___________________________________________ 24 February 2005 Congratulations to Melbourne Blues man Jimi Hocking on winning the International Blues Challenge Feb 4-6 2005, Memphis, USA For more on Jimi visit the Players page ___________________________________________
Tour Dates for John Liddy* If you would like to have the opportunity to play a Liddy Mandolin or Guitar don't miss these tour dates:
November 3-6, 2006 - Maldon Folk Festival, Victoria November 17-19, 2006 - Harrietville Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music Convention, Victoria March 2007 – Port Fairy Folk Festival, Victoria Easter 2007 – National Folk Festival, Canberra July 2007 - Redlands Bluegrass Convention, Queensland September, 2006 - IBMA World of Bluegrass Expo, Nashville, Tennessee *All festival attendances to be confirmed before the above dates. If you are not
attending a festival but are in the area and would like to try a Liddy
instrument, you can phone John
John Liddy at the 2003 Fremantle Jazz Festival Read what the press is saying about Liddy Guitars and Mandolins. April 2003 -- John Liddy at the Fremantle Jazz Festival Dec 2000 -- Liddy Mandolins from Country Music Capital News Recent Events National Folk Festival, Canberra - 2005 Photos Frankston International Guitar Festival 2005 Photo Port Fairy Folk Festival 2005 Photos Harrietville Bluegrass and Old Time Country Music Convention 2004 Photos
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