View Full Version : Avi Avital's Kerman mandolin
astein2006
Oct-04-2017, 6:28pm
Does anyone know the specific wood Avi Avital's Kerman mandolin is made of? The top, back, sides, neck and fretboard?
I love the sound coming from it and was curious. And yes I know the player makes a huge difference in sounds that are produce but I am interested in what wood was used.
pheffernan
Oct-04-2017, 6:39pm
I think that Kerman's mandolins are notable less for their woods employed and more for their innovative construction techniques.
astein2006
Oct-04-2017, 8:18pm
I think that Kerman's mandolins are notable less for their woods employed and more for their innovative construction techniques.
I appreciate your comment. Do you know what wood Avi's Kerman mandolin is made out of? Thank you
Markkunkel
Oct-05-2017, 6:47am
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?102738-Avi-Avital-and-the-Arik-Kerman-mandolin is a nice overview from a previous discussion. It should answer pretty much any question about this unique and wonderful instrument. I continue to be amazed at the various ways these builders approach their arts and crafts!
pheffernan
Oct-05-2017, 8:33am
I appreciate your comment. Do you know what wood Avi's Kerman mandolin is made out of? Thank you
I don't, and as I tried to communicate, my guess is that the sound you love coming out of Avi Avital's mandolin has less to do with the woods employed and more to do with Arik Kerman's design. In other words, a Big Muddy built by Mike Dulak using the same tonewoods as Arik Kerman is not going to reproduce the sound of Avital's mandolin.
Jeff Hildreth
Nov-03-2020, 10:14am
Many are made from maple backs and sides. Not sure of the tops, but several photos show quite a range of color so I would think anywhere from spruce to cedar.. just a guess.
Jim Garber
Nov-03-2020, 5:00pm
Jacob Reuven's Kerman: looks like maple from the side (screenshot from an interview).
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Avi's might be mahogany or else stained maple. From his web site:
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Possibly the only way to know for sure might be to write to Avi. The only info on his site says:
Instrument: Arik Kerman (1998)
Strings: Thomastik-Infeld (154, Medium)
Jim Garber
Nov-03-2020, 5:02pm
Oh, wait. Scott just posted this Interview with Arik Kerman (https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/threads/152286-In-Conversation-with-Arik-Kerman-an-interview). Fantastic.
No specifics on type of wood but this:
Indeed, my mandolin is slightly larger than a traditional mandolin, but it is not the size that gives a big sound, and not the double board either; it is much more complex. Acoustics is a complicated and wild thing and sometimes similar results are obtained from different resonator bodies, and vice versa.
The type of wood has an effect on the sound, it is a primary parameter that affects the color of the sound. Everything else – the sound strength, its length, etc. is in the hands of the builder. It is possible to tune in advance which sounds will be dominant, the low ones or the high ones, the aspiration of course that all the sounds will sound good. I can say that in my mandolin I can slightly change the sound while testing the instrument after it is finished – very small changes, which affect the feel of the player.
Charles E.
Nov-04-2020, 2:01pm
Here Avi discusses his mandolin, at 1:49 he shows the back. It looks like stained maple.
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I think that Kerman's mandolins are notable less for their woods employed and more for their innovative construction techniques.
Yes. I played one at a workshop, belonging to Jacob Reuven. There are some innovative things I noticed.
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/entries/961-Kerman-mandolin-and-the-end-of-MAS
Psymando
Nov-07-2020, 9:00pm
If Bill had strolled by a barber shop in Tel Aviv and found a Kerman, he’d have played one.
If L. Loar is the Stradivarius of mandolins, Arik and Yam Kerman are the Guarneri del Jesu. Think Paganini’s illustrious “Canon” violin with 8 strings and a double top.
Psymando
Nov-07-2020, 9:17pm
Sorry, I should have begun with an introduction here. I’ve been a Cafe ‘voyeur’ for years now and just this evening, inspired perhaps by Yaki Reuven’s interview with Arik Kerman, decided to move out of mandolin shadow country and join the choir. These are remarkable instruments and follow no other developmental line in mandolin evolution as far as I can tell.
Happy to trade ‘fish stories’ with anyone else who has played one. Woods used? European maple/spruce, occasionally mahogany back and sides. Doesn’t begin to tell the story. Two basic models (see Jacob Reuven and Avi Avital).