Wilson #12

[craigw]

I'll try to post some shots of my latest (just a couple weeks old) WA-5 based on "Griffith" Loar specs. I had a chance to play and examine the "Griffith" Loar last fall while at IBMA and as a result have done some tweaking, mainly to the peghead shape, in an effort to better replicate the spirit and integrity of the old beauty. This one has a sitka top with red maple back, sides and neck, a 12" radiused fretboard, ebony Loar style pick guard, Steve Smith bridge and James tailpiece. The tuners are Gotoh with retrofitted slotted nickel screws and mop buttons. It has a hand rubbed oil varnish finish and a "lil rooster" ph inlay. It's got big sound that's focused and even across the board and plenty of woof for BG pickers. I'll have this one as well as a previous WA-5 and one or two WF-5s at Wintergrass on display in the Music Caravan booth. :mandosmiley:

[craigw]

Back side.

[craigw]

Peghead and tuners.

[craigw]

Side view.

[Brent Hutto]

This one has a sitka top with red spruce back, sides and neck, a 12" radiused fretboard, ebony Loar style pick guard, Steve Smith bridge and James tailpiece.

That back looks a lot like red maple and not red spruce but I'm no tonewood expert...;)

[craigw]

Sorry Brent, I was just testing you. :)) I caught the mistake but by the time I figured out how to correct it you beat me to the punch.
Any way here is a front on shot of the peghead.

[Brent Hutto]

Dang, you were right. There's a rooster on that peghead!

Lovely piece of work you have there, spruce or maple. I'm a sucker for Griffithesque A5's and the very tasty looking finger-rest really adds to the allure.

[craigw]

Thanks Brent. And you are right about it being a finger rest and not a guard. You could have nailed me on that as well.

[Brent Hutto]

Craig,

I actually typed pickguard out of habit, read my message, and went back to change it to finger-rest.

Which is funny because the whole reason I like the shape and proportion of yours is that it looks perfect for a finger-rest and nothing like a pickguard. But nine times out of ten I'll call it a pickguard anyway.

I should get in the habit of saying "The black doodad up against the neck".

P.S. I can never keep my tonewoods straight. What is the nature of Red maple as opposed to Bigleaf that indicated its use to you. And similarly what about Sitka as a top made it attractive for this A-5 project?

[craigw]

Brent, I usually try to stay true to what they were using for the vintage Loars with Red Spruce and Red Maple. I think they both tend to be a little stiffer than the northwest species of tonewood as I strive for Loar tone, BUT I have gotten tonewood (sitka and bigleaf) from Bruce at Orcas Island Tonewoods in the past and had really good results with it. I picked up a few billets (mostly red maple back wood) from him at Wintergrass last year and used the one sitka top I got in this mandolin. Bruce really knows how to select good tonewood and I don't notice an significant tonal changes affecting this mandolin. When I was on the east coast last year I was able to come up with and bring home a couple of carpathian spruce tops and a European maple back. That wood might be destined for the next couple of A models.

[Stephen Cagle]

Craig,
You make me want to play an A so dang bad! That is one SHARP mando! Nice job..:grin:

[Spruce]

Nice....
Looking forward to scratching it at Wintergrass.... ;)

[Tavy]

Very nice, love the look of that back and neck!

[amowry]

Nice work! That's a beauty.

[Skip Kelley]

Craig, That is one sweet looking A5. Nice work!