J.L. Smith 5 Sting Custom Mandolin

**dkmontgomery** · Jan-05-2012, 10:18pm

I have been looking for some time for a good deal on an electric mandolin. I have always understood the "You Get What You Pay For" philosophy in regards to mandolins. Well, I am a bit of an Ebay watcher in conjunction with other hobbies and low and behold I come upon a J.L. Smith 5 string custom job! It was owned by Spencer Capier (A super great guy to deal with too!) in Canada. He had it made by J. L. Smith some time back but needed to clear out a few instruments to make room for a Heiden Model. To my surprise I had the winning bid and am the very proud owner of a J.L. Smith Custom 5 String! It showed up in a super nice case and looked as though it came directly from production! An excellent mandolin with a lot of kick! If you need an outstanding electric mandolin you should look no further than Mr. J. L. Smith. You will not be disappointed!

**Ed Goist** · Jan-05-2012, 10:25pm

Congratulations!
We'd love to see some pictures...

**rico mando** · Jan-05-2012, 10:29pm

I saw that mando and had it on my watch list to see if it would go at that price , glad you were able to get a hold of it she looked nice as a beautiful red .

**dkmontgomery** · Jan-05-2012, 10:42pm

Yes, I was so surprised! Nobody else bid on it. It was quiet a deal. I will post pics a little later.

**Jerry Turberville** · Jan-06-2012, 3:43am

John's mandolins are really nice and a joy to play. I've certainly enjoyed mine the last 2 years. He's a great guy to work with too.

**Ed Goist** · Jan-06-2012, 8:15am

Congratulations Jerry...That's a real beauty!
What type of pick-ups are those? Mini-Humbuckers?...They look like "tweeners"

**Chinn** · Jan-06-2012, 12:13pm

Definitely need pics!

**Jerry Turberville** · Jan-06-2012, 3:42pm

They're Kent Armstrong (humbuckers) Jazz pickups.

**terzinator** · Jan-07-2012, 3:22pm

Love the Blues for Allah poster in the background

**dkmontgomery** · Jan-09-2012, 3:53pm

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Here is my mando pic!

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**rico mando** · Jan-09-2012, 8:36pm

So what is different about this mandolin that makes it custom ? looks great though congrats

**dkmontgomery** · Jan-09-2012, 9:37pm

J.L. makes these mandolins per customer's request.... color, etc.... I guess I should clarify that it is custom built. Check him out at http://jlsmithmandolins.com.

**Chinn** · Jan-09-2012, 10:16pm

Great looking instrument DKM. I'm sure it sounds as good as it looks.

**rico mando** · Jan-09-2012, 10:17pm

been to his site many times . so you are saying all his emandos are custom or yours is different than his standard model ?

**jlsmandolin1952** · Jan-10-2012, 5:44am

Daniel,
Glad to see another proud owner of one of my mando's. To answer rico mando's question about custom built,you answered it just fine. I consider all of my mando's to be custom built, as they are all individually built with no use of computerized machines, and each one has it's own personality in some little form or another. Kinda hard to explain, and I suppose you'd have to be a builder yourself to understand. I will add, that there is not another one of my mando's out there at this time, with that particular color scheme.
Best Regards
John
www.jlsmithmandolins.com

**dkmontgomery** · Jan-10-2012, 12:06pm

Originally Posted by jlsmandolin1952

Daniel,
Glad to see another proud owner of one of my mando's. To answer rico mando's question about custom built,you answered it just fine. I consider all of my mando's to be custom built, as they are all individually built with no use of computerized machines, and each one has it's own personality in some little form or another. Kinda hard to explain, and I suppose you'd have to be a builder yourself to understand. I will add, that there is not another one of my mando's out there at this time, with that particular color scheme.
Best Regards
John
www.jlsmithmandolins.com

That is neat to hear! I am totally thrilled with this mando and plan to be playing it for many years to come!

**Lee** · Jan-12-2012, 1:27pm

Wow, this is the first time I've heard of the J.L. Smith e-mando. I've a few questions for him that I'll post here simply so others can read the results too.
- I prefer to play a 4-string tuned to the lower four, CGDA. Can this be built using the 14.5" scale length that's used on the 5-string?
- On the models with a pair of pick-ups, what brand(s) are they?
- Is it a three way toggle switch, which would allow both at once?
- Is the string spacing, at the nut and at the bridge, the same on the 4-string as on the 5-string models?
- Does the body's wood make much difference, and how?
- How wide are the frets?
Thanks!