Girouard mandola en route from RI to VA

[dan in va]

Max and Lauri were kind enough to build a mandola w/ 17" scale to be a twin to the Stanley #62 mandolin (pics in the Stanley Social Group and on the Chris Stanley Facebook page). Since i'm pretty computer challenged i asked Max if he would be so kind as to post some pics of it on this thred.

i'm more than pleased with how it looks and the attention to details, of which there are many. i'll be over the moon if it sounds as good as it looks! The tone that i'm after is like a deeper mandolin, instead of that reedy/throaty sound that most mandolas are cursed with.

Hope y'all enjoy....dan

[Max Girouard]

Here they are Dan......

Enjoy!

[Max Girouard]

few more.........

[lenf12]

Love that old industrial workspace in Pawtucket, Max. As an RI native, I am all too familiar with spaces like that in Providence. Gorgeous mandola, understated elegance!! Congrats to you both and enjoy that thing Dan!!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Max Girouard]

Love that old industrial workspace in Pawtucket, Max. As an RI native, I am all too familiar with spaces like that in Providence. Gorgeous mandola, understated elegance!! Congrats to you both and enjoy that thing Dan!!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

Hey Len, it is a cool old building for sure. Next time you are in the area, you will have to stop by. Here are some photos and history of the building we are in:

Architectually, the building is a great example, with a large tower on the south east corner featuring some ornate brickwork. Most windows have arched gabels and granite lintels. Unfortunately, most windows also have been replaced with glass block, or at tenants request, have had new vinyl windows installed. The building was home to a few large companies and businesses at one time, and slowly has been split up into smaller spaces, so a lot of odd things have been installed and then removed and then redone.
Designed by Howe, Prout & Ekman, this mill was once the largest lace mill in the country. A three-story brick pier building with 4th story penthouse featuring a 4-story elaborately detailed hip roof tower. The tower is a fine period example and can be seen from the surrounding neighborhood, including traffic on I-95. A later addition (1945 - 1950) is attached at north, concealing a sawtooth weave shed behind it.

[Charles E.]

Great looking Mandola! Max, is that a John Hamlett tailpiece?

p.s. #83 is really settling in nice, it played it's first gig last weekend.

[lenf12]

I'm thinking sometime in June is most likely. You have obviously done a lot of research on the background history of the new home of Girouard Mandolins. Do you have a coffee or lunch truck showing up everyday? I'll be in touch.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[dan in va]

Max, thanks for posting the great pix and for you an Lauri going over the top on this project. i'm more than really excited and the wait won't be easy.

Glad you like it, Len. Your comment is just the thing i was trying to go for.

Charley, yes that is a Hamlett tail piece. It's unplated cast bronze and will take on a beautiful patina that ought to go with the stain and is my favorite by far. John's shop used to be in the neighboring county, and he kindly put one on my Stanley also....sorry to see him move, but there will be many Kentuckians that will be blessed by his skills and good judgement.

[Don Grieser]

Beautiful mandola. Very elegant. Congrats, Dan! and Max and Lauri!

[Max Girouard]

Do you have a coffee or lunch truck showing up everyday? I'll be in touch.

They do! In fact twice, once for breakfast around 7am, and a second at lunch time. If you google our building and select street view, they just happen to get the photo with the lunch truck in front of the building. I have yet to try it, but hear it's good.

[lenf12]

They do! I have yet to try it, but hear it's good.

That could be a smart move. If you haven't tried it yet, you must have something better to choose. Coffee and lunch trucks have been a RI staple of textile mills and manufacturers for many decades. I haven't "dined" from one in years but I certainly hope they're taking a cue from the Food Channel by offering better quality, healthier, more interesting choices.......duh, what was I thinking? It just wouldn't be the same...We do have a thriving "food truck" movement here in the Tampa Bay region. We've been on TV...;)

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[dan in va]

It arrived this afternoon and i can't imagine being more pleased with how it sounds, plays and looks. Max made the neck extra narrow and gave it a perfect shape, so playing this 17" scale isn't hard at all, and i'm someone who really stretches to make a Monroe G chord on the mandolin. The C isn't too throaty and blends perfectly with the G strings. Actually, i can't really tell by the tone which string is being played, and the transition from D to A strings is just as good. Not to worry, the tone and volume is very even across the strings and up the neck. The Carpathian spruce top is waking up after just a little playing. The detail and little thought out touches are wonderful. Lauri did an amazing job matching the color of the Stanley, and her finish work is top shelf.

i was surprised that my guitar playing son even liked it more than any mandolins, so a good problem might be developing. There's something about the scale length and playability that makes this one more fun to pick than i thought possible. Even though i don't pick the price tag, this mandola is easily worth what i paid for the Stanley. The Ameritage case fits perfectly and is built like a tank. Max and Lauri gave covered all the bases and have been such a pleasure to work with.

i'm very, very grateful for all the Girouards have done so graciously, and it's been a whole lot.

[Don Grieser]

Dan and Don, the happy Girouard mandola twins! Glad yours turned out just like mine. I second everything you said about working with Max and Lauri, and how great their work is. A wonderful experience in a custom build.

[Rosemary Philips]

Sweet! Congratulations and enjoy!

[dan in va]

i didn't see that one coming, Don! Yep, the smiles stretch from NM to VA! You could make a dog laugh. REALLY looking forward to some of your pickin' on new wood.

i appreciate your post, Rosemary. Thanks very much. Good pickin' to ya.

[Bob Clark]

Just another ex-Rhode Islander chiming in with a big congratulations to Mr. Girouard for another beautiful build and to Dan for the great new voice he has added to his lineup. Seems like there are quite a Rhode Islanders on this site who have migrated away from home!

Best wishes with your beautiful new instrument!

Bob

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Just catching on my cafe reading and saw this. A big congrats to Dan and Don. Dan - I think I had mentioned to you previously that your Stanley has one of my favorite aesthetics on a mandolin, and I'm glad you got a matching sibling to keep it company. Hope you post a pic of the twins once they settle in.

Max and Lauri are building some fantastic instruments and they are outdoing themselves with every new build. I played one last year at Sylvan and thought it was one of the best they have in the store. Keep up the great work!

[OldGus]

understated beauty, congrats!

[dan in va]

Thanks, Bob and Gus. The tone and beauty are so striking that it's humbling to me for it to be waiting in the case to be picked. And i had no idea it would play so amazingly well. i'll do my best to do right by it. Glad to meet you.

Hey Clement; always great to hear from you, and thanks for your kind words. Yes, i understand what you mean about plain design being beautiful. Violins and classical guitars have an almost timeless appeal, and that's what i'm hoping for. The Stanley #62 kind of does this (for me, at least), and his stain may be unmatched. Max and Lauri did a great job making the twin, and i'll try to get some help with pics of them together someday. The job Max did with the tone and volume is pretty breathtaking. It has just enough throat in the tone to make is a different instrument, but he has redesigned the arching (among other things) so that it is warm and sweet, with a shared tone on all the strings, instead of the C sounding like a different instrument. Max and Lauri do lots of little things that add up to a wonderful mando...an example is an elegant riser block that continues in a semi-circle under the fretboard as an extension. He seems to have the right blend of current technology and old school craftsmanship...it's striking. There were lots of spec's that he executed perfectly...to name a few:

* A5 Loar peg head shape and size
* 1 1/8" at nut, semi V neck
* 19 EVO frets (Max chose just the right size)
* ebony top binding
* specially shaped F holes
* compound radiused board, with specific Gibson point
* neck oriented so the bridge top is about the same height above the top at each end
* thin ebony cap on back of peg head, with deeply arched point
* 3/32" pearl side position dots only

[ccravens]

What a beauty!

Just finding this thread.

Congratulations!