My new mandolin by Phil Davidson

[Lord of the Badgers]

Hi all

The brief:
Incorporate my nickname pictorially
Incorporate my nerdy steam railways thang
Make it green & faded
Tobacco burst on the reverse.
Gold hardware
Make it an A Style with F Holes
Give it K&K pickups

Mando build, Phil, inlay work, Mrs D

116634

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Not in my paws yet, so no video of my appalling playing - I'll give more info when I pick it up :)

[Steve Sorensen]

Really attractive! Hope it sounds and plays as good as it looks!
Steve

[Turtle]

That looks amazing. It's non-traditional, but still has a classic look to it. The colors are really nice.

[Lord of the Badgers]

Cheers guys
Yeah, I'm not really into completely traditional mandos (he does make mandos that way) - I specified the neck to be similar to my breedlove (the other davidson has a flat fretboard) - radiussed with a wider nut. I will be paring down my mando family count to compensate a bit though. I've already mentioned one that's going ;-)

[buckhorn]

great looking inlay and novel fret board....

[billhay4]

Beautiful instrument. Enjoy.
Bill

[GarY Nava]

Great to see another UK builder's work on the forum!
Cheers Gary

[Skip Kelley]

Congratulations! That is one sweet looking mandolin!

[sgrexa]

Very, very beautiful! I love the inlay. Is that a honey badger perhaps?

Sean

[Lord of the Badgers]

Sean, it's the eurasian badger... bit less "angry" than the honey badger, but pretty darn feisty if cornered!

[Jesse Harmon]

Don't know how you can stop looking at it long enough to play it. Just absolutely beautiful. Maybe I'm a little slow but I don't see the "steam railways" incorporated?

[Shelagh Moore]

Very nice work indeed! Congratulations on a successful commission.

[Rob Beck]

Really nice! I thought you were joking about the colour on the other thread about the tail-piece engraving! But that colour looks fantastic! :)

[Lord of the Badgers]

Don't know how you can stop looking at it long enough to play it. Just absolutely beautiful. Maybe I'm a little slow but I don't see the "steam railways" incorporated?

GWR logo on the tailpiece and the colour is an allusion to engine green

[Lord of the Badgers]

Really nice! I thought you were joking about the colour on the other thread about the tail-piece engraving! But that colour looks fantastic! :)

ha ha I'm not sure whether to be upset or not :) nah, we're cool :)

[mandolinlee]

Beautiful instrument. Things about it I like: the green front, the gorgeous back, the position markers, the tailpiece and the treatment of the end of the fingerboard.
Enjoy in good health.

Lee

[sgrexa]

The tailpiece looks like a sharks mouth opening, very cool!

[GreenMTBoy]

Really nice !
Is that British Racing Green
Or Irish Emerald Green

[Bill Baldridge]

It all comes together very nicely. Thanks for sharing with us.

[peterk]

A beauty......bold, unique, and elegant.
I really like the design/outline of the headstock.

[Lord of the Badgers]

Aw thanks all

One of the things that we discussed at some length at the early stages was how to terminate the fretboard. I am not really an "up the neck player" at the moment, and long fingerboard extensions didn't do it for me. So what we agreed on was the style Phil uses for his ukeleles (he's an ace uke & banjo maker too). I like the symmetry of it.

The main badger inlay consists of two pieces of the same grey/silver shell material, but cut in two and realigned, giving a sense of shading. A bit of copper wire on end makes the eye glint... The stump he rests on is from a nicely shaped bit of wood veneer

I know I could've done many options - waited two years for a Shippey (Paul lives near me), blown my savings on a Nugget etc, but I wanted something that was very unique to me. Ultimately, I'm not an amazing player by any stretch, but having come to performance & songwriting late in life (due in part to a break up/radical life restructure), so this represents ME. For that, it has an important emotional attachment. The change in my life that's embodied in being in a band can't be understated .

It also means I'll probably have to sell on the fylde & the breedlove LOL .... (hopefully no rules transgressed for that statement)

[Lord of the Badgers]

The tailpiece looks like a sharks mouth opening, very cool!

The functional aspect of the tailpiece is Phil's preferred design :) It's nice and easy to restring, having got used to it on my celtic style mando of his. I wanted a tailpiece that meant somebody would "spot" the engraving rather than it shouting at them. Especially once they see the Great Western Railway logo.

[roberto216]

What a beautiful one of a kind instrument! Especially love the color and the headstock. You lucky badger!

[almeriastrings]

Wow.

Phil is a great builder (I know several who play his mandolins), and the wood choice and inlay work here is just beautiful. Love the footprints!

A truly amazing instrument! I suspect Brian May would be interested to see this one....

[Denman John]

Hey Badger,

That is very beautiful personalized instrument you have there. Great headstock design and I like the F5 tuners. The inlays are fantastic and well executed. I really like the tailpiece. I'm sure you mentioned it somewhere, but who made it?. The engraving is top notch and really flows. I'm putting some Alessi tuners on an OM I'm having built now and they also have some beautiful hand engraved touches. There's a lot going on with that mandolin and it all fits together beautifully.

I'm really impress with what is coming out of the UK these days. Phil Davidson and Gary Nava are putting out some amazing instruments. The British, Scottish and Irish make some beautiful oval hole instruments that have a wonderful unique tone that I really enjoy. I would love to get a chance to play a few in a couple of years. I'd like to take the family over for a trip and cycle John O' Groats > Lands End. Still a dream at this point, but we've talked about it and the spark has been ignited.

Enjoy and play it in good health!
John

[Denman John]

I'm also a sucker for black tuner buttons :)

[Lord of the Badgers]

Hi John
The inlay is Phil Davidson's wife's work. She is a wonderful & kind hearted soul. The tenth fret was the first pawprint she did - she thought she couldn't make it that small, but she managed to do it with aplomb whilst I was there! I admit the tuners aren't alessi/ nor are they waverly thru & thru, he was set on schallers which I know aren't preferred here (many thanks to the two pms I received, but my funds were done) - they seem great to me though; I just couldn't stretch any further. Note, the tuner buttons are customised with waverley ebony buttons inlaid with mother of pearl to cover screw holes. And they look fab close up.
The tailpiece is made by Phil to his design, but engraved by a Birmingham UK gun engraver called Phil Duffill. The plating was arranged by Phil Davidson.

Oh and if you do that trip, we should meet up and you can show me how to play it :) I still have so much to learn having relied on chords too long for the band project, my tune playing is only just starting two years in.

But I say, an instrument like this is something to grow into

I must say, that for a first "built for me" instrument, the process has been very rewarding. The Davidsons are lovely folks and when we specced it, it was one of those really cool creative sharings and problem solving discussions. Phil had a real gleam in his eye when he understood I was wanting saying "oooh I've got a project".

My choice was due to my friendship with him because he's spent a bit of time tweaking my 20 yr old one, and we have a mutual friend too. He also had a far shorter wait than Paul Shippey (no disrespect to Phil, but even he admits Paul's amazing). However, Paul would've delivered a fantastic instrument, but one that didn't have the fancy inlays - maybe my next celtic will be a shippey though! :)

[Tavy]

Really really nice, love those paw prints, and the tailpiece engraving is really something else!

[Ivan Kelsall]

I've know Phil for many years since he began building banjos.He's a good friend who's workmanship never fails to amaze me & a builder,who if i could afford it,i'd be approaching to build a custom instrument for my penurious self. That's a seriously fine piece of Phil's craftsmanship that you have - enjoy the heck out of it,it's a stunner !!.
As you say,Phil's wife does all the inlay work & some of her work that i've seen, defies belief,
Ivan:disbelief:

[Lord of the Badgers]

Hi Ivan, cheers bud
yeah I count them as friends too now. Lovely couple. Last time i was there my blood sugar went all funny and they fed me bless.
Had a fb message of himself today offering to UPS it cause i've been poorly. Like flip is he... Soon as I'm over my bug I'm off to see them both - i'm only an hour away after all :)
Mrs Phil's work is indeed unbelievably awesome. I still think my fav is the trout on the banjo headstock on his site somewhere. World class stuff.

[fatt-dad]

I love it!

f-d

[Ivan Kelsall]

Badger - On your next visit to Phil & his wife,have a look at the 2-point oval hole 'Blackface' mandolin whih is hanging in his shop. I saw that mandolin a couple of years ago & i think Phil's wife excelled herself doing the inlay on that one.I'm amazed that he still has it,
Ivan

[Lord of the Badgers]

Oh I've had a few looks at, and the odd covetous strum of, that little beauty :) He's got a less decorated two point oval that I covet tremendously. He's saying it's festival stock on his FB page at the mo...

hoping to go over tomorrow morning or sunday, but am mindful that I'm getting over a bit of lurgy...

[billhay4]

FYI,
"lurgy" is a peculiarly British term. Look it up.
Bill

[Lord of the Badgers]

No.. if you have the double-click to explain words thing in your browser like I've got, you get... The Lurgy is a small river near Kilmacrennan in Donegal in Ireland.

Nah I'm kidding. It's one of our charmingly polite ways of saying "I've been exploding violently in a couple of directions for a day or so". This is why we're polite. No one wants to think of these things :)

Anyway, looks like I'm good now, so if Mr D is around, looks like I'll be monetarily poorer, but richer in so many ways :)

[JEStanek]

It looks fantastic. Enjoy it and congratulations on the cool build.

Jamie

[Frank Farley]

Beautiful!

[fentonjames]

one word. awesome!!!

[Lord of the Badgers]

It's even better in the flesh...!!

Phil's photo of the front doesn't quite show the green colour - it is proper Brunswick Green - ie more on the yellow half of green than the blue half. Proper GWR engine green :)

You know when you look at a photo and think " I know it must be more amazing when I really see it "? Well.... apparently my jaw involuntarily dropped. I didn't even play it til I'd given Phil the balance LOL

It sounds... (no video sorry I've got a gig later)... sparkly... clear.... focussed... powerful... gentle. And I know it'll improve in the months to come. The intonation is superb and beats the other davidson (which is 20yrs old for flips sake!) massively in all depts.

It is truly a work of art, and I'm flattered that my vision got turned completely to reality. I'd say I'm actually slightly in shock still!

I shall post my own photos in good time on this thread :)

I do have a question - does anyone in the UK make endpin jacks that are also gold coloured? Phil was unable to find anyone? I've made do with the one K&K supplied for now which is the normal silvery colour.

[Tavy]

I do have a question - does anyone in the UK make endpin jacks that are also gold coloured? Phil was unable to find anyone? I've made do with the one K&K supplied for now which is the normal silvery colour.

Strange, I've not had a problem in the past, Jon Press in Bristol seems to have them here (http://www.jp-guitars.co.uk/sales/pickups_and_amplification/electrical_parts.htm), and Small Wonder has them even cheaper (http://www.smallwonder-music.co.uk/shop/Strap-Buttons-and-Endpins/Endpin-Jack-Sockets/p-126-459/).

[Lord of the Badgers]

eh up.. yeah. should've said... I found a few in the end!
I'll pass on the links to Phil. Thanks mate

Gigged the mando tonight... pleasure to have functioning tuning hardware, only one light retune required! Then my preamp's new battery died, but the K&K sounded OK DI'd. Folks in the crowd briefly heard my old one (headway p/up in that one) but said The Cub sounded loads better than the older mando. Happy, even though we were badly short of rehearsal and I was lacking energy :)

[Tavy]

eh up.. yeah. should've said... I found a few in the end!
I'll pass on the links to Phil. Thanks mate

Forgot to say: try contacting K&K and see if they'll send you a gold strap button: I believe they offer that as an option in the US, but no one over here imports them :( A replacement strap button would be a lot easier as you could just unscrew the old one and put the new one on yourself. No rewiring required.

[Al Bergstein]

Spectacular design. Lovely. Gonna have Calton build you a green case to go with it? As to playing up the neck, I'd leave that to Simon Mayor. I think he has reserved all air rights above 12 in the UK.

[Lord of the Badgers]

Calton cases cost a sixth of the build of the mando now! Not for a while :) Besides "Mr Calton" (not his name!) has sold the business overseas. The longer headstock prevents me from using the other Davidson's calton.

Tavy - I'll take up on one of your links & order - how do I safely remove & screw on the strapnut? I'm not very good with things like this

This mandolin is SO inspirational. I've started doing what I've been struggling with for two years... playing actual tunes. It just happened naturally. Ones I make up mind. Got a way to go before I'm playing the proper stuff!

[Tavy]

Tavy - I'll take up on one of your links & order - how do I safely remove & screw on the strapnut? I'm not very good with things like this

The button the strap goes on simply unscrews from the jack, in fact it will normally unscrew itself if you take a strap on and off enough. Only thing to watch for is that the jack itself doesn't rotate when you're screwing/unscrewing the strap button - in the unlikely event that it does the pickup wires inside get twisted round and round til something breaks - if you're feeling paranoid about that, there's a small hole in the side wall of the jack you can slip a screw-diver into just to make doubly sure the jack itself doesn't turn.

Please note: not all jacks and buttons are equal, in particular the ones sold by smallwonder have a different screw/thread size to the ones used by K&K (or at least they used to), if you get one of those then someone would have to fish out the old endpin jack (through the soundhole), rewire it to the new jack and re-install the new jack. I don't think there's any way to tell in advance whether you're buying something compatible or not, which is why I suggested contacting K&K direct as a replacement strap button would take 30 seconds max to swap over, where as fishing out the old jack and rewiring is a couple of hours and several strong words worth!

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Al - "...I think he has reserved all air rights above 12 in the UK. ". Not in my home he hasn't. I regularly play above the 12th when improvising as does another fellow Cafe member & friend of mine - you do however need a well set up mandolin to do it,in order to get clear intonation,not 'plinks'.
Keith Calton does have a US franchise,but i'm pretty certain that his 'core' business is still here in the UK,which would make good sense.Who wants to buy from the US with import duty etc. added onto the case cost ?,:(
PS - It seems that Calton is indeed moving entirely to the USA. Keith Calton makes an apology for the increase in cost to folk who wish to import from the US to 'wherever'. Well,the best of luck !. With duty & tax on top of the price,a Calton case is going to be pretty expensive for EU residents.
Ivan:mandosmiley:

[Lord of the Badgers]

D'oh :)
(Calton)

[Ivan Kelsall]

I e-mailed Keith Calton yesterday just to clarify the situation,that's when he confirmed the 'total' move to the US. So,unless a Calton case is a definite 'must have' for anybody in the EU,then i think EU sales are going to be fewer than they were. Keith does mention an EU outlet for his cases,but of course,they will have had import duty & tax added to the cost, which will be reflected in the 'cost to us' - bad news for prospective buyers !,
Ivan :(

[Lord of the Badgers]

Think Phil suggested to me about £500 sterling. So yeah. not cheap if so! Not spending that sort of money on a case, I've a hiscox for travelling/gigging and a light backpack one for less problematic journeys

[Ivan Kelsall]

I keep my mandolins in hardshell rect.cases when in my home,but i use a Travelite when 'playing out'. £500 does seem a lot of cash for a case,but compared to the cost of a top quality mandolin,it's not 'too' OTT. Even so,having read of some of the experiences of Calton owners re-headstock scroll damage,unless the new US built cases have rectified that problem by having more space around the headstock than the old UK cases,i wouldn't be enticed to buy one.
If the US built cases are using the same tooling as the UK built ones,then the risk may still be there,
Ivan

[Tavy]

IMO stick to the Hiscox if the instrument fits OK: those Hiscox cases seem pretty much indestructible, and look set to last a lifetime. In fact I don't know how Hiscox manage to make a profit - it's not like their cases will ware out and need replacing often!

[Gelsenbury]

Hiscox make good cases. I pondered for a while over spending £90+ on mine, but it was a worthwhile investment. The mandolin and case have survived quite a bit of travelling around Europe last summer, and the case is a handy emergency seat when you need one. The only criticism I have is that stickers don't stick well on the textured outside. :)

[Ivan Kelsall]

Peter Jenner,a Cafe member & the ex-pat.English gent who resides in Australia & who recently did a tour of the US,South America & Cuba,visited me on his trip to the UK just before last Christmas.Peter had his mandolin in a Hiscox case & apart from Cuba,he'd been allowed to take it on board all the aircraft he flew on. On his flight to Cuba he had to check it in. When being un-loaded in Cuba,the case was dropped from the luggage bay onto the tarmac & the corner literally shattered.The mandolin was totally un-damaged. The corners of the Hiscox are the most rigid part of the case,& it was unfortunate that it was the part that hit the deck. I gave him my own unused Hiscox. I'd part-exed another case for it,so it was no great monetery loss & at least he had a sound case to carry his mandolin back to Ozz. I have to make an observation here,that i doubt very much if a Travelite case,for all it's lightness & lack of a really 'rigid' outer case, would have come off so badly,
Ivan;)

[Kip Carter]

Hi The brief:
Incorporate my nickname pictorially
Incorporate my nerdy steam railways thang
Make it green & faded
Tobacco burst on the reverse.
Gold hardware
Make it an A Style with F Holes
Give it K&K pickups


One lovely mandolin! VERY jealous!
Enjoy,
Kip....

[John Lloyd]

Beautiful instrument all round. Congratulations!

[mugbucket]

Well done sir! Love the inlays, and the back is making me drool.

Enjoy!

Ski