New Mandolin Armrests!

[tcapps]

[QUOTE=Markus;856497]It's good to know he's full of good ideas ... an armrest is tempting, but with a `quartz' breedlove [the plain blonde wood finish] I've been going in circles trying to figure what wood/color to go with.

Markus, I had the same thoughts on my natural Weber A and ended up trusting Doug's eye. He nailed the armrest/mandolin match perfectly. Of course , I was able to take the mandolin into his shop and he was able to select the best match. Really have had a lot of compliments on it, both for the color match and function. I think I would have been happy with ebony to match my fretboard and to contrast with the body, but when he matched the finish perfectly, I was really pleased. At his prices you could get two --a contrast if you are feeling wild or put on a match/blend for when you are in a low key mood. LOL Just kidding, I was having the same problem making up my mind so I can fully understand your dilemma.

[Ed Goist]

...snip...
It's good to know he's full of good ideas ... an armrest is tempting, but with a `quartz' breedlove [the plain blonde wood finish] I've been going in circles trying to figure what wood/color to go with.
...snip...

It's hard to go wrong when the wood used to make the armrest matches the wood used on the fretboard and peghead veneer of the mandolin (regardless of the color scheme used on the body)...
Well, that what I think anyway...



BTW, it's Cocobolo in this case.

Markus, with this in mind, I bet an Ebony armrest would look great on your Breedlove.

[BBK]

Most mandolin players I see do not use an arm rest, but they sure look great and if they take that sharp edge off the players forearm, then they really serve a useful purpose. I agree that anything in contact with the surface of the mandolin will (over time) tend to mar the finish at the contact point.

I have a varnish mandolin and since varnish is much softer than lacquer, my question is "would the clamp tend to damage the finish of varnish more severly than lacquer?" I know for some this is not an issue as the arm rest is never removed. Second question, "do the arm rests stay on permanently, or are they removed after playing?"

I am tempted to get one but I don't want the finish harmed.

thanks.......

[jasona]

Any small mark placed by the cork on the finish is probably minor compared with the wear your arm puts on it...

[Doug Edwards]

Beginning to look like Santa's workshop around here. My plate is quite full, not including the 15 instruments I have in for repair. The shoulder is doing better, but still limits how long I can work on stuff. Thank goodness for pain killers.