Kimble Dola in the white

[Glassweb]

Like a thief in the night... here's my Kimble mandola in the white!

[mandophil(e)]

That.....looks.....awesome.

[Steve-o]

:disbelief::popcorn:

[Chris Biorkman]

Lookin' good. When are you going to take delivery?

[JimRichter]

What's the color scheme? Is it going to be a red sunburst like the Jethro (given the block inlay)?

[Glassweb]

delivery? i don't ask Wheel things like that! i figure within a couple months at most, but i don't know what Will figures! ;)

regarding the color, well, i'm going trad with a nice, dark sunburst finish. i was thinking L5 when i ordered this, so L5 it shall be... glad you guys are diggin' the way she looks... THE WHEEL IS BIG!

[pjlama]

My favorite two point design, I've been admiring them for a few years now. The blocks are sweet. What's the wood combination? I can "figure" out the back and sides but I need help on the top. Please keep us posted!

[Glassweb]

hola PJ... red spruce on the top and sugar maple on the sides and back... simple... yet oh so effective!

[pjlama]

That's what I "figured" but you know what they say about assuming.

You're quickly becoming my idol with what little I know of your collection.

[Glassweb]

hell, my "collection" ain't no part of nuthin'! in fact it's about to become -1 !

just 2 mandolins and a mandola... that's all i need brother!

[Oggy]

My favorite two point design...

I agree completely! It's beyond lovely.

Hey, Mr Glassweb, does Will usually choose suger maple for his mandola backs, or was it your choice? If so, could you please enlighten a fool like me what sonic charachter you were aiming for with that choice?

[Glassweb]

hello Sir Og! i think Will likes sugar maple and red spruce for just about everything. Will's a mad scientist and he's done his homework... so for the "sound" he's going for he feels these woods give him the best, most consistent results. that's not to say he won't use other woods... it's just that he's got his formula down with these. i really wasn't looking for a particular sound... just the qualities i always look for in a great mandolin - balance, volume, separation of notes and, of course, tonal complexity. very few mandolins can round all these bases. as far as i'm concerned ALL of today's established mandolin luthiers are f$!(%&g geniuses...

[mtucker]

yum!

[pigpen]

i really wasn't looking for a particular sound... just the qualities i always look for in a great mandolin - balance, volume, separation of notes and, of course, tonal complexity. very few mandolins can round all these bases. as far as i'm concerned ALL of today's established mandolin luthiers are f$!(%&g geniuses...

That's a pretty fine definition of a great mandolin sound, if you ask me. From all that I hear, your faith in Mr. Kimble is well warranted. I admire your trust in the process. Plus, it's good to see more evidence that the vast majority of luthier builds are good experiences.

[Glassweb]

The great thing about Will is that he's a highly accomplished string musician... aside from being a great builder. The Dude and Gil are two more top-tier builders that are also excellent mandolinists. To me this gives them a definite advantage over those builders that might be coming more from a strictly "woodworking" background. I know many of todays great mandolin builders that simply love that l'il ole man'lin!

[mtucker]

Wills finishes look pretty great. John Greven is about my favorite at old time 30's Gibby finishes.

[sgarrity]

That's gonna be one sweet 'dola!

[Big Joe]

I am jealous!

[Jake Wildwood]

Way cool! Nice aesthetic.

[SternART]

Great lookin' dola Glassweb........Will should be proud! I found a photo I had of another 2 point dola, this one is made by John Monteleone. If I'm not mistaken he calls his 2 points Baby Grands.

[Glassweb]

I do believe Will's 2-point design is an homage to JM's "Baby Grand" mandolins. I always liked the looks of those... scarce as hen's teeth though...

Thanks for the photo Art!

[JimRichter]

The great thing about Will is that he's a highly accomplished string musician... aside from being a great builder. The Dude and Gil are two more top-tier builders that are also excellent mandolinists. To me this gives them a definite advantage over those builders that might be coming more from a strictly "woodworking" background. I know many of todays great mandolin builders that simply love that l'il ole man'lin!

Will is a fantastic musician. Though I screwed up the mix, check out his guitar playing on our cut on the Butch Baldassari Tribute. Norman Blake would be proud (as am I!). He is equally talented on mandolin. He plays one of my favorite Methodist Preacher's--only Taterbug can top him.

[Will Kimble]

Thanks for the kind words everybody.

A couple notes about Monteleone - I was definitely inspired by several design elements of the Grand Artist. First was the downward sloping treble point, although I think I went back and saw that the early three point Gibsons had a similar design. If I remember correctly, I was actually copying the shape of the three point Gibson, but the inspration was certainly from Monteleone.

However, I had never seen a photo of a Baby Grand until after I had designed my two point. Of course it made perfect sense after I saw a picture, but to this day I have only seen one or two photos and never seen one in person.

I also give a "tip of the hat" to Monteleone with my two point (and subsequently A style) headstock shape. It is basically the design elements of the GA headstock resized to fit on a Nugget/Collings shaped headstock. We tried many, many different designs on paper before we settled on this one. By the way, a local buddy who was a process engineer at P&G noted that my A style headstock has more pieces and more mitres than an F style headstock. So much for the A headstock being easier to make!

I also want to credit Gilchrist with the shape I am using at the end of the fingerboard. As far as I know he only used it a couple of times, and I traced it off of a very unique and fantastic F4 classical model that lives here in town.

I guess the headstock inlay and matching inlaid pickguard was pretty much my idea. And my Dad - Fred Kimble - deserves a lot of credit for these designs, as he was right there with me and helped a lot.

Best wishes,
Will Kimble
www.kimblemandolins.com

[Will Kimble]

Requisite pics with inlaid pickguard - took these this morning, hopefully Glassweb won't mind...

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/willkimble/SAB1.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/willkimble/SAB2.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/willkimble/SAB3.jpg

Will Kimble
www.kimblemandolins.com

[mandophil(e)]

What a beautiful piece of spruce. Glassman.... you're a lucky guy. Will... you're a genius.

[SternART]

Phil.......I think you just made Will's head explode. ;)

[Glassweb]

Requisite pics with inlaid pickguard - took these this morning, hopefully Glassweb won't mind...

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/willkimble/SAB1.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/willkimble/SAB2.jpg

http://i286.photobucket.com/albums/ll95/willkimble/SAB3.jpg

Will Kimble
www.kimblemandolins.com

oh, don't worry about me too much... you know i'm a glutton for "punishment"!

if that ain't beautiful i don't know what is! thanks Wheel!

[mandophil(e)]

I own the guy's latest--trust me. I know whereof I speak.

[Pete Martin]

I own the guy's latest--trust me. I know whereof I speak.

Yes he does.

Glassman, that look great, let us know when you get it.

[Glassweb]

actually, i think Will's 2 point design is quite different from JM's. it's natural for all luthier's (musicians, artists etc...) to be influenced by what's come before... what counts is what you do with it after...

[Glassweb]

Yes he does.

Glassman, that look great, let us know when you get it.

hi Pete... Steve Brown here... (we know each other from Seattle) when it's finished we'll get together sometime so you can check it out. yes, Glassweb and i are one in the same...

[Ken Olmstead]

Glassweb - that is insanely beautiful!! I played a Kimble Mandola at symposium this last year and I can honestly say that it was the finest instrument I have ever played! I mean any instrument in 25 years of playing guitars, banjos and mandolins. I have played some fine instruments but that thing was outragous!! Priced beyond my means (especially with my lovely Stealth in progress at the time) but simply an amazing piece of work! You are sure to enjoy!

Looking forward to seeing and hearing the finished masterpiece!

[John Gardinsky]

Precision work Will and I bet the sound will be stunning. John

[Perry]

Make it stop! Please..........
I'm always on the Edge of buying one of Will's Dolas

[Glassweb]

thanks all for the nice feedback on the upcoming dola... Will seems to think the sound "is happening", so you can believe my fingers are twitching in anticipation.
i was lucky enough to play a couple of Will's H5 dolas in Ohio and Chicago last year. they were both superb! sound, feel, construction... what can i say, i dig Will's instruments! at the moment i'm playing a graciously lent A5 Kimble dola that was Will's first attempt and guess what? it's superb! and it was made 7 years ago, and since then he has completely redesigned all specs. so any new orders will be benefitting from years of experience at dola building. i think it's safe to say that Will has built more mandolas than just about any of our current mando masters... probably Gil is ahead in actual numbers.
now let's talk about the experience... working with Will has been a gas. i probably ordered this instrument about a year and a half ago and, while it's running a bit late, Will has always kept in good communications and made me aware of any delays and why they'd be happening. losing your workshop and having to relocate certainly warrants a bit of slack. so does losing your trusty babysitter for a 4 month stretch (Will has two adorable kids)... this really cut back on his hours at the shop. so these delays were disclosed and understandable. we've gone back and forth about this feature and that... a light-hearted play of give and take. in the end i think we're both very excited about what we've come up with. i have FINALLY agreed to give up ALL control from now till completion so it's all Will on autopilot from here on in. we'll keep you posted as things develop.

[Glassweb]

Make it stop! Please..........
I'm always on the Edge of buying one of Will's Dolas

Perry... give Will a call ASAP... he might have some info you'd be excited to hear about... no kidding!

[Glassweb]

oops, how did this happen... sorry!

[pjlama]

You're killing me GW, I'm trying to justify a custom build and Will is on my short list. This is not fair.

[Glassweb]

yo... PJ...JDI! (just do it)

[Glassweb]

ok you mandola horndogs... check out the classifieds for a nice-lookin', recent Kimble mandola that's up for sale... he/she who hesitates is TOAST!

[Chris Biorkman]

I lack liquidity and am slightly afraid of my unemployed wife, otherwise I'd be all over that.

[sgarrity]

I am instrument poor and unemployed or I'd be very tempted as well. Maybe I should learn how to play the 'dola before I buy a $5k one though........LOL

[mrmando]

Maybe I should learn how to play the 'dola before I buy a $5k one though........LOL
That one will TEACH you to play it.

I've had a few moments with that particular 'dola. I get goosebumps just thinking about it.

[Richard Morrison]

Lovin' the block, and the top!

[hank]

Holy Cow That's gorgeous Glass. You guys up there in Washington got it going on. Talk about Dola Dreaming, You and Will are causing another major outbreak of acute DAS. Congratulations, you done good.

[Glassweb]

Will knows what he's doin'! And he does know his Cinci-style chile joints!

[Glassweb]

OK dola fans, she's ready to roll! Will be arriving at my place tomorrow morning. Will check in later...

[sgarrity]

What a stunning instrument! I know you're gonna love that one.

[hank]

Ou Wee! Your gonna be Boo Coo amuck in tenor land. And the Dola girls go do do do do do do dooooooo.:)) Congratulation's on your new mandola. Is this your first one?

[Glassweb]

My first Kimble Dola, but I had a Gil Dola before I ordered this one. I won't be sleeping tonight!

[Rob Fowler]

Yup, that's pretty epic looking!

If you pay for my gas I could drive up to WA to help you break it in, Glassweb! HAH!

Awesome...

[Oggy]

If you pay for my gas I could drive up to WA to help you break it in, Glassweb! HAH!


To bad Rob ;), Will's instruments don't need to be broken in... they sound awesome from the start! At least mine did.

Awesome lookin' mandola Glassweb (and Will)! I couldn't be more jealous.

[grassrootphilosopher]

Cute instrument. Music police says this thread needs a soundclip/video.

[Chris Biorkman]

That looks awesome, Glassweb.

[Nelson Peddycoart]

Here it is Holy Week and I am guilty of being covetous....

Beautiful work!

[Glassweb]

Music police says this thread needs a soundclip/video.

unfortunately I am the most non-tech savy person in the world and I have nothing to make a recording/video with. but hey... you know it's gonna sound good just from lookin' at it. Should be here later today...

[doc holiday]

Glassweb! Great looking mandola. I saw a Kimble 2 pt a year or so back at Greg Boyd's in Missoula that was the best sounding mandolin in the place. If it had been an f-style I know it would have flown out of there in less than a week. Nice approach to avoid the black tongue :-). Michael Heiden is another modern maker who is a fine fine fiddler and mandolin player. Many happy tunes on the 'dola when it reaches your hands

[mtucker]

the finish kills! love the os burst. thats a mighty fine piece.

[Glassweb]

Glassweb! Great looking mandola. I saw a Kimble 2 pt a year or so back at Greg Boyd's in Missoula that was the best sounding mandolin in the place. If it had been an f-style I know it would have flown out of there in less than a week. Nice approach to avoid the black tongue :-)

Thanks Doc... you know, I've been real good lately about not mentioning the Dr**d*d Bl**K Ton**e so don't get me started! ;)

[doc holiday]

GW re: black tongue....what's the line...."Just because you have silenced a man, doesn't mean you have converted him".....:-)

[Glassweb]

Ha! Tru'-nuff brother!

[Chris Biorkman]

Well?

[nobullmando74]

very nice, keep posting 'em

[Glassweb]

Well?

Well... been lost in the mail for 2 days now... was supposed to arrive yesterday... still missing today... no help at all from the postal service so... NEVER USE EXPRESS MAIL AGAIN FOR DELIVERING VALUABLE STRING INSTRUMENTS. Me and Will are NOT pleased. Will keep you "posted" as it were. I may have to go postal...

[Chris Biorkman]

Omg, that stinks! Hope they resolve that quickly.

[Glassweb]

Thanks Chris... I might have to call Johnny Casper to take care of this one for me...

[Glassweb]

Giovannni Gasparo... gets it done every time... the mandola is coming up from Seattle and I'll have it tomorrow...

[Nelson Peddycoart]

That is one gawjus instrument!

[Glassweb]

The Kimble made it to the P.O. this morning and I went down and picked it up myself... no way I was gonna sit around and wait for the truck to get here. So enough about the shipping woes... let me just tell it like it is. This is, hands down, the best mandola I've ever played - PERIOD. Not only that, it's one of the best stringed instruments I've ever played - PERIOD. Will has made me an instrument that is flat-out gorgeous, perfectly balanced, plays like a dream and feels like an old friend right out of the box. Tone, volume, balance, response... what can I say... I know it's a cliche, but Will really out-did himself with this one. It's more than I could have ever hoped for and, yes, it was definitely worth the wait! Thank-you Will... you've made this grumpy old Cyclops very happy... :grin::grin::grin:

[swinginmandolins]

Glad to hear that you received it and all is well. Enjoy!!

[Glassweb]

Thanks to all who have been so supportive before, during and after this build... I do appreciate it very much...

[Chris Biorkman]

So, you like it? ;) congrats.

[SternART]

ahhhhhhh a happy ending!

[Glassweb]

Art, this is one magical instrument... no kidding!

[SternART]

I'm glad some dude down at the Post Office isn't playing it........I was worried for you there.
Hey, I'm envious.........CONGRATS to both you and Will !!!

[Steve-o]

Hey, congrats Glassweb! I've been away for a while and didn't notice all the excitement. Just a gorgeous mandola - lot's of mojo. You are a lucky man.

[Glassweb]

After a bad experience with a custom-order mandolin many years ago I swore never to do a custom instrument again. It was too heartbreaking in the end and I felt awful "rejecting" the instrument because you're really sort of rejecting the builder as well... not a good feeling. So I feel especially grateful to Wheel for really going the distance to make sure I'd be satisfied. It's taken many years and this mandola to bring about the change, but I'm "a believer" once again in the player/artisan relationship. This dola is hotter than Cinci-style chili!

[Dfyngravity]

Well, it looks like you have gotten yourself a real gem. And you have gained confidence back in luthiers and custom builds too. I can only image what that baby sounds like!

[Chris Biorkman]

There's a nice looking new Kimble A mandola at Carmel Music.

[sgarrity]

There's a nice looking new Kimble A mandola at Carmel Music.

Not any more! :grin: :mandosmiley:

[Don Grieser]

Shaun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[hank]

Dern, it's awful hard to hang out here without getting at least a little envious. SHAUN!!!!!! Ha, Congratulations, looking forward to some good Dola recordings. I tried to coax our fearless leader (Captain Scott T.)into making some with his H5 without any success and Glassweb has already taken the fifth.

[sgarrity]

Videos will be coming next week probably. Will makes a darn fine mandola and deserves all the congratulations. Now, what do I sell to help pay for this acquisition?? :confused: :grin:

[swinginmandolins]

Congrats Shaun! Looking forward to the videos.

[Gary Hedrick]

You will enjoy it greatly. He makes a very good instrument.

[sgarrity]

Here's Shove the Pig's Foot.....on the mandola.

oidv6pVVx5k

[Rob Fowler]

Damn Shaun! That's a NICE DOLA!!! I need to get into your line of work...whatever that may be!

[hank]

Sounds mighty fine Shaun. Thanks for sharing.

[sgarrity]

I'm still figuring out how to play this thing so forgive my mistakes but here are a few more:

Jerusalem Ridge
ELPxhx7UrD0

Dubuque
DmXbUPFqC84