View Full Version : Brentrup Eclipse V8
trevor
Sep-20-2010, 7:08am
This beauty arrived just before I went on vacation.. I am glad to be back..
Dale Ludewig
Sep-20-2010, 7:30am
wow.
MandoNicity
Sep-20-2010, 12:42pm
Frikin' awsome!
JR
John Soper
Sep-20-2010, 7:27pm
Dittos to all above!
red7flag
Sep-20-2010, 7:47pm
Hans is just amazing. Is he still building? I thought I saw a post saying something about either stopping or slowing down.
Chuck Naill
Sep-20-2010, 7:49pm
Is it an optical illusion or is half the bridge wood and the other half bone?
Jim Garber
Sep-20-2010, 9:22pm
That back makes me want to play "Deep Purple". It does look like the bridge is half topped with bone. Interesting.
JEStanek
Sep-21-2010, 8:14am
IRRC, the bridge is hald ebony and half bone to give the tonal clarity Hans wanted. Hans is a true innovator who mastered the traditional designs as well.
Jamie
Mandobar
Sep-21-2010, 9:00am
Hans is finishing up his backlog list. But he has retired from mandolin building for the most part. He is however building some nice guitars.
Chris Biorkman
Sep-21-2010, 9:25am
That's pretty wild.
sachmo63
Sep-21-2010, 10:49am
It looks like someone stuck it in the oven and melted a traditional F5.............
Ron McMillan
Sep-21-2010, 10:55am
It is clearly an amazing bit of craftsmanship, and undoubtedly crafted without too much concern for others' reactions, which in my case is just as well as I think it is uncommonly unappealing. But now I'll have to go looking for some of the builder's more traditional designs, since he is obviously an incredibly talented craftsman.
rm
aphillips
Sep-21-2010, 11:04am
That is an awesome looking instrument. Btw Hans has made some seriously gorgeous traditionally styled mandolins as well. And oh my goodness look at the Larson Brothers inspired white oak parlor guitars he's making these days! http://www.brentrup.com/page4/page4.html
Ron McMillan
Sep-21-2010, 11:12am
I went straight to the Brentrup website, and surprised myself by being immediately most taken by the least traditional instrument in the mandolin gallery, a real stunner.
http://www.brentrup.com/page6/files/stv.jpg
trevor
Sep-21-2010, 11:18am
There's some photos of that one on my website too, unfortunately from before I improved my photography.
Chuck Naill
Sep-21-2010, 8:02pm
IRRC, the bridge is hald ebony and half bone to give the tonal clarity Hans wanted. Hans is a true innovator who mastered the traditional designs as well.
Jamie
Jamie,
Seems like you understand something about the bridge. What advantage is having a split bridge?
JEStanek
Sep-21-2010, 9:37pm
It's more like I remember from the Post A Pic section when Hans built it. I found an old thread (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?33558-Eclipse-iii) on Eclipse iii where Hans says its a Cumberland bridge with fossilized walrus on the treble "Don't know if it needs it with that sugar maple, but it does draw questions..."
If only I had recall of the fingerboard and chord inversions like I do old threads I would play much better.
Jamie
Chuck Naill
Sep-22-2010, 5:41am
Well he is correct that it draws questions. My concern using two materials is having a tonal variation that does not blend well. In other words getting a woody mellow tone vs something of a guitar tone that do not match, but I am just over thinking probably.
To the OP, beautiful instrument. I trust it performs as well as it appears.
chuck
JEStanek
Sep-22-2010, 8:07am
Knowing Hans (only through the forums) and his desired tone, I'm sure the ballance of tones achieved through the bridge materials and top and back woods/graduations and sound holes he gets the sound that was in his head to come from the box. He really understands a good bit of how the pieces affect thw whole. Whoever snags that mandolin will have a really unique looking and wonderful sounding mandolin.
Jamie
trevor
Sep-22-2010, 8:08am
Jamie,
Its snagged.. by me.
JEStanek
Sep-22-2010, 8:11am
Jazz it up, Trevor. Can you add to my uninformed musings on the effects of the bridge for the sound (since I never played that mandolin)?
Jamie
trevor
Sep-22-2010, 8:17am
Jamie,
Hard to be specific without swapping it for an all wood bridge. It has Hans' usual amazing sound, full loud and incredibly responsive. The trebles are very clear...
amowry
Sep-22-2010, 1:36pm
That's a beauty!
trevor
Sep-22-2010, 2:00pm
It looks great alongside yours...
Congratulations Trevor. The Moon bursting is lunatic.
Chuck Naill
Sep-22-2010, 3:36pm
Jamie,
Hard to be specific without swapping it for an all wood bridge. It has Hans' usual amazing sound, full loud and incredibly responsive. The trebles are very clear...
ll
Are the basses less clear? I am having a hard time understanding why you would want two materials on a bridge besides the obvious curiosity that I am exhibiting. Does Steve at CA sell/produce these bridges or were they a custom order?
trevor
Sep-22-2010, 3:46pm
You would have to ask Hans.
Chuck Naill
Sep-22-2010, 9:23pm
From what I have read here the primary benefit is to prevent string breakage since bone does not hollow out like wood.
whyner
Sep-22-2010, 9:37pm
Common for violin bridges to have ebony inserts in the maple for E and sometime A strings. Keeps the strings from digging. I suspect the same for the bone insert, due to the higher tensions on mando.
violin bridge (http://www.firstqualitymusic.com/p_VP3E.aspx?source=FROOGLEFEED)
Steve
Oregon
Ivan Kelsall
Sep-23-2010, 1:04am
I had a look at Hans' website yesterday only to find that many photos.of his wonderful instruments have been removed (unless i looked inthe wrong place ?).Hans' "Eclipse" is a wonderfully inovative take on the trad.shape & executed is as wonderful a manner - it's truly awesome !.62897
The 2 Mandolins in the attached photo. however,have to be my all-time favourites by Hans. Truly amazing colour & absolutely to die for. I don't know who owns either of these awesome Mandolins,but they are incredibly fortunate,
Ivan:disbelief: