Lxii

[labraid]

Do you ever see what you want to be
Do you wonder
Do you ever feel that you're not being real
Hear the thunder

And woman you're so enticing
You're the cake and not the icing
Can't you see?
And you'll wake up one of these mornings
To the sound of your own drummer
Wait and see

And you'll wake up feeling open,
Filled with the force of hoping
Makin' your big decision
In the face of all derision
And you'll find it so insightful
You'll be feeling so delightful
Can't you see?
And you'll wake up one of these mornings
To the sound of your own drummer
Wait and see

In the space that you're displacing
Ain't no sense in your evading
How to be
And the direction that you're facing

Ain't no use in all your racing
Just you be.

http://labraid.ca/images/62.jpg

SP, "Do You Wonder"; 1975.

[labraid]

I dunno, but by the sounds of her she's happy to be alive.

I really should turn off my computer when I go to bed, new mandolins are kind of unpredictable. She is a interesting one, just have a look at her vocal chords:

http://www.labraid.ca/images/62_bracing.jpg

...I have several developing philosophies which I dare not express in written form. But let's say I was hoping to de-twang, de-tin, ef-four-icize this little girl while not losing the projection fives are so good at.

In the end, she has a thunderous woof with great bottom end, I think some of you guys (n' maids) would like her.

[chasray]

She's very special and beautiful!
And it's a real treat to get a "vocal chord" shot.

[MLT]

Simply beautiful. And those chords....what can I say? Do we get to hear some of her sweet tones too?

[billhay4]

Stunning, Brian, but I expected that.
Were the mini-braces an afterthought? I notice one seems to cover up the last digit in the date.
Bill

[crazymandolinist]

Love it, say what do you call that type of f hole?

[Skip Kelley]

Brian, Amazing as always!! You are a genius! How did you come up with that tone bar design? Awesome work!!

[sunburst]

Brian, it looks great, but I think you need to break free of your stubborn traditional thinking...
;);)

[Geoff B]

You are a rock star, Brian! That's awesome!!! Sound clips please!

[man dough nollij]

Yowzah. Quite incredible. One of the first things I thought of when I saw those images was the fragility of the little "tabs" on the soundholes. I see you addressed that with the mini-braces on the top.

Bravo! :disbelief:

[labraid]

Michael, I've sorta given up sound files on the brand new instruments. Apart from range which I am very proud of, the finer points of the actual tone are so unrepresentative of even two months down the road.
This mandolin will be featured on a solo album by Mark Vaughan, however. Mark is the very talented mandolinist with Viper Central, and has some great projects planned for the near future. I look forward to it heartily myself.

side note: One of Mark's fetishes is death ballads, hence our crimson creation...

Bill, my life is one large afterthought! I build by bits and stages, rarely planning how something will go precisely from its beginning. You never know when a revelation is going to hit, so a rough sketch is my usual starting point. One of the reasons it takes me so long to build, is I force myself to consider and reconsider, remove braces, add them, feeling, or rather hearing, my way through the process.. I'd originally wanted these little spruce "ears" to be free, but then considered most of where I'd hoped their contribution to tone would be, would be in the trebles. Thus, they could be made stiff. And I certainly didn't want them breaking off either.. Two birds!

Ian, this type of hole was inspired from the Viole d'Amour. Some say the squirrelly lines of the these soundholes resemble the couvre-chef (kerchief) over the bound eyes of blind love. Your interpretation would be as good as this! But their Renaissance feel was what they are all about.. I'd love to know what the perhaps-inventors of the very first viol f-hole soundholes would have called them. Probably something cute like "speaking holes" in early Arab, or who knows what mother tongue.

I've now taken 45 minutes to write this so my response is now a bit out of place in line. Sorry. :redface: Thanks all, you guys are the rock stars...

[billhay4]

Brian,
Your life may well be one long afterthought. Mine is too, but I can't come close to what you do. Some afterthinking, indeed!
Who would ever even know what a viole d'amore is, much less copy the soundholes? Further, who would even consider the effect of the soundhole tabs on the sound.
Been reading a book lately call "How We Decide". It's about the various parts of the brain involved in decision making. I won't bore you with a lot of it, but one point that is made is that the human brain has trouble keeping track of more than four-seven considerations in a decision at a time.
I think Brian's brain is not human, but it's a damn good one.
Bill

[labraid]

edit: <oh so much blathering on my part, learn to take a compliment bd>

[billhay4]

The proof is in the instruments.

[labraid]

edit: <more redundant blathering removed :redface: >

[MLT]

The proof is in the instruments.

That is so true. The instrument's do say it all.

[Jake Wildwood]

That's looking pretty far forward!

I love the design elements, especially the "speaking holes" and I heartily approve of your ambitions to "de-twang, de-tin, ef-four-icize this."

Excellent work as usual. Skyrocketing, really.