Hilburn #56

**Jim Hilburn** · Jul-12-2011, 4:50pm

My first hand applied sunburst (with a little help from my detail gun) and second french polish. It was ordered with a 1 3/16" nut.

**Scotti Adams** · Jul-12-2011, 4:52pm

Simply stunning Jim....great work as usual :0)

**Jill McAuley** · Jul-12-2011, 5:08pm

Pure class - that is a looker!

Cheers,
Jill

**sunburst** · Jul-12-2011, 5:08pm

First rubbed 'burst, huh?

**Ed Goist** · Jul-12-2011, 5:43pm

Spectacular, Jim, just spectacular!

**Max Girouard** · Jul-12-2011, 6:46pm

Wow!!!! That looks amazing!

**pjlama** · Jul-12-2011, 7:01pm

Wow, looks great!

**Tavy** · Jul-13-2011, 3:16am

Beautiful, I'd hate to see what you'll produce once you get some more practice in on those 'bursts

**P Josey** · Jul-13-2011, 12:00pm

Nice....

**Glassweb** · Jul-13-2011, 12:26pm

i'll take it!

**Skip Kelley** · Jul-13-2011, 1:24pm

Jim, that mandolin is classy! Doesn't get any better!

**amowry** · Jul-13-2011, 2:06pm

Looks like it came out great, Jim! Nice work.

**Don Grieser** · Jul-13-2011, 2:57pm

Beautiful!

**testore** · Jul-16-2011, 10:38am

WOW, How did I miss this one? INCREDIBLE!!!!!!!!!!

**Kirk Albrecht** · Jul-18-2011, 4:27pm

Yum yum. Wonderful shading, Jim. Really beautiful work.

**Jim Hilburn** · Jul-20-2011, 9:18pm

So I've had the stars align for me with this mandolin.
I had the honor of playing on a couple of CD projects with some friends and bandmates at Coupe Studio's, Boulder's premier recording studio. The engineer is John McVey, really more of a magician masquerading as an engineer.
I happened to be playing my octave on a tune and he was fairly impressed with it and that I had made it. As the story unfolded that I was a builder I mentioned that I had audio tracks on my website that were recorded on my handheld recorder he was pretty appalled, to the point that he offered to give me an hour.
So along came #56 and I must say it doesn't suck. I also have the pleasure of knowing some of Boulder's best players and one of them is Rich Zimmerman, currently playing with Finnders and Youngberg. (Please, check them out!) Rich has one of those legendary Nugget's but he also has a way of getting a great tone and feel with anything he plays. In the early 2000's he played in a band called Slipstream with Brad Murphey on guitar and Paul Watinas on bass. At first I was going to try to back Rich up on guitar but I asked if he ever saw Murph anymore and he said he could probably get him to join in.
So the stars aligned this afternoon when Rich and Murph came to Coupe and John recorded a couple of tunes they had been working on. Rich is on #56 and Murph played my dread I made in '98.
Enough talk, here's the tunes.

**GKWilson** · Jul-20-2011, 10:43pm

Amazing sound Jim. #56 is another winner.

**Tavy** · Jul-21-2011, 4:03am

Beautiful instruments beatifully played! Way to go Jim

**Andy Miller** · Jul-21-2011, 10:17am

Wow, those guys are really good. And well-equipped.

**Jill McAuley** · Jul-21-2011, 10:36am

Sounds awesome!

Cheers,
Jill

**Don Grieser** · Jul-21-2011, 12:04pm

Sounds fabulous, Jim--really wonderful full tone everywhere.

Brings back fond memories of picking with Murph and Rich at the early RockyGrass Academies and festivals. Those guys can play.

**Jim Hilburn** · Jul-21-2011, 12:35pm

I should have mentioned the names of the tunes.
The first is "Red Prairie Dawn". I'm not sure of the origins of it though.
The other is "The Village Road" and I think that's a Matt Flinner tune.

**grassrootphilosopher** · Jul-21-2011, 12:36pm

Originally Posted by Jim Hilburn

My first hand applied sunburst (with a little help from my detail gun) and second french polish. It was ordered with a 1 3/16" nut.

Originally Posted by Jim Hilburn

So I've had the stars align for me with this mandolin.
I had the honor of playing on a couple of CD projects with some friends and bandmates at Coupe Studio's, Boulder's premier recording studio. The engineer is John McVey, really more of a magician masquerading as an engineer.
I happened to be playing my octave on a tune and he was fairly impressed with it and that I had made it. As the story unfolded that I was a builder I mentioned that I had audio tracks on my website that were recorded on my handheld recorder he was pretty appalled, to the point that he offered to give me an hour.
So along came #56 and I must say it doesn't suck. I also have the pleasure of knowing some of Boulder's best players and one of them is Rich Zimmerman, currently playing with Finnders and Youngberg. (Please, check them out!) Rich has one of those legendary Nugget's but he also has a way of getting a great tone and feel with anything he plays. In the early 2000's he played in a band called Slipstream with Brad Murphey on guitar and Paul Watinas on bass. At first I was going to try to back Rich up on guitar but I asked if he ever saw Murph anymore and he said he could probably get him to join in.
So the stars aligned this afternoon when Rich and Murph came to Coupe and John recorded a couple of tunes they had been working on. Rich is on #56 and Murph played my dread I made in '98.
Enough talk, here's the tunes.

To quote an old disco hit:"That´s the way aha, aha, I like it!"

Very nice aesthetics and sound! Chapeau!