Elkhorn #24

[Trey Young]

Hey folks,
Here are some pictures of the latest Elkhorn (#24) that Robb sent me figured I'd share, enjoy!
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[MandoNicity]

Wow! That looks amazing in the white!

[Trey Young]

yeah, I'm trying to figure out how in the world I could sneak that one past the better (non-MAS stricken) half...love the headstock inlay on it.

[nobullmando74]

Beautiful mando so far, They even put the hardware and strings on before finishing. It is going to be painted, right?

[JEStanek]

nobullmando74, Builders often put the hardware on whle the mandolin is unfinished to fine tune things or make necessary (if any) adjustments. The mandolin will likely not be painted, rather, it will be stained and then finished by one of a variety of methods (sprayed, French polish, etc).

Jamie

[Malcolm G.]

Oooh BABY!

[nobullmando74]

nobullmando74, Builders often put the hardware on whle the mandolin is unfinished to fine tune things or make necessary (if any) adjustments. The mandolin will likely not be painted, rather, it will be stained and then finished by one of a variety of methods (sprayed, French polish, etc).

Jamie

Interesting, I guess mandolins are different from guitars in the the build process. I would be worried about messing up that pretty wood with hardware. I knew about the stain thing, although some import mandos are painted with spray paint cans,I'm sure of it! They must not bring it up to pitch for that part of the build.

[JEStanek]

Some are painted. Some folks use spray paint to make black or white topped instruments. Certainly many very inexpensive instruments are painted rather than stained. There is a thread of videos of Mike Marshall trying a handful of Altmans in the white (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?50686-YouTube-of-Mike-Marshall-playing-Altmans&highlight=marshall+Altman+white), at pitch, in order to find his favorite of the batch. This is quite common with mandolin builders.

Jamie

[Dfyngravity]

Interesting, I guess mandolins are different from guitars in the the build process. I would be worried about messing up that pretty wood with hardware. I knew about the stain thing, although some import mandos are painted with spray paint cans,I'm sure of it! They must not bring it up to pitch for that part of the build.

There really isn't too much to worry about at this point. All of the hardware is going to go back in the exact place. You would have to do something fairly drastic to make irreversible flaws in the wood, but you definitely want to be careful.

[nobullmando74]

Years ago, my classical guitar teacher was showing me a guitar that was unfinished and I barely grazed the top (not on purpose) with my fingernail and put a bad scratch on it. I felt horrible. Luckily the luthier was able to sand it out. Thanks for the link.

[Elkhorn1]

I just wanted to say a couple of things about why I prefer to set up and string up my instruments before final finishing. The varnish I use (spirit varnish) with a top coat of french polish tends to be pretty fragile in it's early stages. I like to drill all my holes for tailpieces and truss rod covers, and fit the bridge feet to the top as it is much easier to sand out small scratches in the unfinished stage of the process. also, the varnish tends to chip some when holes are drilled in a completed finish. I think a big majority of folks don't have any idea what it takes to get a varnish finish with french polish to the end result; it's a very tedious and time consuming process! It's no fun trying to fix your mistakes after the fact. This is just the order that works for me for me, I know all builders have their ways and reasons for finishing the way they do. It's just whatever works best for each individual builder.

[Nelson Peddycoart]

Another nice one!

[Trey Young]

Hey Nelson,
I'll be in Madison on May 21 and 22 for my baby sister's graduation, perhaps we could get together at some point and pick, I'll have my Elkhorn with me...

[grassrootphilosopher]

Funny flowerpot-fern. I like that.

[Trey Young]

Here are some photos of the finished product that Robb sent along earlier today, prompted me to go buy a lotto ticket tonight...probably my favorite mandolin, aesthetically, to date...

[Ivan Kelsall]

Trey - that's an awesome looking instrument,as refined as you could ever get & the workmanship that Robb bestows in his instruments
is second to none. However - 'in the white',IMHO,it was on another level altogether. I think i'd have asked for the back & sides to be stained & varnished,but the top would have had to remain 'white' - utterly beautiful, & with my favourite fingerboard inlay as well.
As a builder of totally gorgeous Mandolins,Robb Brophy has to be in the top 10 makers around (IMHO).Some of the woods that he uses,take one's breath away. I think i'll treat myself to a lottery ticket as well,
Ivan:disbelief:~:>

[banjer23]

Wow,,,thats a super looking mando,,somebody's gonna be happy for a long time with that jewel,,I wonder what Robbs waiting list is like,,superb craftsmanship!!

[barryband]

I just recently purchased Elkhorn #11, I am proud to say that its the only mandolin that I am performing with. I have owned many mandolins including most of the top builders, and I definitely put the Elkhorn right up there with any that I have owned. I am currently using it on the Zac Brown Band Breaking Southern Ground Tour. I would encourage everyone to check out an Elkhorn, you will not be disappointed.

Barry Waldrep
www.barrywaldrep.com

[Trey Young]

Hey Barry,
What kind of pick up are you using on #11?