Hill mandolins no. 15

[Brad H]

Here are some pictures of my latest build. This is my first varnish mandolin, which took much longer than I had anticipated. The customer also wanted an old looking mandolin, so I did a "little breaking" in of the finish. Nothing dramatic, I just took a little color out of the high spots and a few carfully placed dings in the obvious areas. This mandolin has a sister that isn't finished yet (also varnish, I'll post when it is) they are basically prototypes for me. They have a 14" scale abbreviated fingerboard with a 9.5 radius and banjo fretwire, all new for me. The lines on my new ones are better IMO too. The color is darker outside of the "reveal" bulbs I took these pics under. I think those bulbs pull a lot of the reds out of colors. Hope you like!

[Brad H]

Back

[Brad H]

Back 2

[Brad H]

Top Scroll

[Brad H]

Side

[Brad H]

Headstock

[Brad H]

Neck

[Lane Pryce]

Brad this is indeed a very nice looking mandolin. Lines are very clean and the corners of your binding work are top shelf. What kind of top wood did you select? Although its too early to tell but how is the sound? Did you build to Loar specs? Lp

[Brad H]

JLP, thank you. The top is red spruce. This mandolin is not built to Loar specs that I know of, but it is Loar inspired in the way of color and overall vibe that I've gotten after playing and holding a few Loars in the last two years I've been building. As far as the sound, it is too early analyze to death, I only had it up to pitch for about two hours before I boxed it up and shipped it, I had it in my booth at IMBA in the white if anyone remembers, so breaking in will come. But, so far all my mandolins have been on the bright side of the spectrum, and are usualy more open and resonant sounding. This one is no different, except the f holes are slightly smaller than my others to help get the chop every body wants, but its still loud, so I'm pleased. Right now the mids and highs are stronger than the lows, but I think that should be expected with a young red spruce mando, from me anyway.

[Skip Kelley]

Brad, Awesome! Beautiful looking mandolin. Perfect scroll!!

[levin4now]

That is unreal. I love it.

[red7flag]

I really like the color and the fretboard end. Great job all together.
Tony

[Walter Newton]

Wow, very nice, love the understated headstock inlay, is the FB rosewood?? #I suspect not but it almost looks that way on my monitor - perhaps it's the lighting as you mentioned too. #I'd be curious to hear more of your thoughts regarding break-in timeframe on a Red Spruce top and the lows "catching up" with the mids/highs?

[Brad H]

Walter, the fingerboard is ebony. As far as the break-in timeframe for red spruce, I am not an authority on the subject by far, but I do have some general abservations about it. I think most people would agree that red spruce is overall a little stiffer for its weight than other spruces, maybe its because the latewood (dark part of the grain) is really tough in contrast to the earlywood (light part of the grain) which to me is very suple. This makes red spruce more difficult to work, and predict. But taking from the classical guitar world, when you buy a cedar instrument, you will get a bigger low end right out of the box because of the more flexible top. A spruce guitar from the same maker on the other hand will be more focused in the upper ranges. They both get warmer over time and over the period of say, 10 years of playing, the spruce guitar will probably be more balanced because it will have "broke-in" and matured in the low end. How much this relates to mandoins and red spruce, I'm still learning, but I do think that people are after the "old" sound and since red spruce was out of the game for a little while, the instruments made before WWII were most of what people were hearing, i.e. instruments that had had a chance to break in. I think red spruce mandolins need a little time to gain their full potential in the low end. Although I'm sure there are many who can build a killer, fully balanced rs mandolin from day one, I have been experimenting with different thicknessess and even putting wide grain on the bass side and tight grain on the treble side, like on the one above, to see what comes up. I'd be interested to hear other thoughts on the subject from builders and players.

[Austin Clark]

very nice, Brad. I have had the same experience with those light bulbs. Nice binding work!

[Danny Clark]

Looks good Brad keep it up!!
Danny Clark

[Brad H]

Thanks all for the nice comments. In an effort to not sound conceded or to brag, I'm happy to report that this mandolin sits very happy in the lap of its new owner, Alan Perdue of III Tyme Out (a great feeling for a young luthier!). Alan fell in love with it at IBMA and I'm very pleased that I could finish it to his liking. Alan and I would like to invite anyone who wishes to play this mandolin to come to a III Tyme Out show and do so!

[Yonkle]

Nice Piece Brad. I like the headstock curves are different than the standard F5, this looks a little more dynamic!
As far a disressing for a old look... I varnish all mine and by time I am done they always have a old look to them, just from the shellac adds a little yellow to the binding and changes the sunburst colors slighty.
As you found out, shellac is not as friendly to apply, by the time I finally get it rubbed out, I've dinged and banged and broke through the finish, with all these little repairs along the way, all of mine look old and distress without even trying. Maybe I should market them that way, so I don't have to hear "what happened here?" #"Ever notice this?" #"Is this the way this is supposed to look"? "Is that a scratch?" # #Then I can say, "Oh yes, you can not imagine how much thought has to go into this distessing and the talent it takes to make it look natural, thats why you pay the big bucks for the "Master of Disaster Brand Mandolin by J.D."
Seriously, I have got real good at hiding little flaws, I think thats how the sunburst developed. Then one day at Gibson someone really screwed up and they thought (this will take weeks to make right!) #(Not worth the effort, lets just sell it cheaper due to the flaws) #Then someone with a big brain said, why don't we ding it up more and call it "distessed Model" and add another grand for the professional break in look we worked so hard at! Genius!
#Nice work, from this vantage point it looks clean not distressed, but if you are like eveyone else on the cafe, no body takes photos of thier flaws, pick the good side, get the nice morning sun and the photos look perfect! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif PS: YES, if a flash bulb goes off you see all the reds and oranges. less browns. Sometimes a flash helps a photo other time not! I try and take outside pics if possible in the AM sun the photos tend to look more true to form.

[pickinNgrinnin]

BEAUTIFUL!

[Brad H]

Unfortunately, I have to admit I've never built a perfect mandolin... I'm not sure if I ever will. I have been able to do some pretty slick finish jobs with lacquer, like many builders on here can do, but I don't think the average person in the market for a mandolin really cares about that (hence the high price for a distressed instruments). Some want old character, and I think that varnish is the perfect way to get it, because the process does allow for imperfections (in my humble experience!). Mistakes happen either way. I have sanded the entire side of a lacquered mandolin from the scroll to the point, because I couldn't fix a small mistake to my satisfacion. I have had to drop fill and rebuff a top because I let the string snap a little dent while stringing up for the first time (my only complaint against the Monteleone tailpiece... lesson learned, protect the top while stringing!!!). I've also had people tell me that I'm going to rub all the finish off of my mandolins at festivals, because I try to keep them clean for the next person to view and play.
I think the overall respect builders should get that comes from doing a good distressing job, or building an instrument that is supposed to look a certain way or have a particular character, is knowing the difference between what looks authentic and what looks fake, being able to execute that look, and finally, convincing yourself that it's o.k. to sell something that looks that way. Whether it be a perfect lacquer job, or bare wood showing on a new instrument to make it look old!!!