Mandolins in progress

[Dfyngravity]

Thanks Terry. Steve just said he had to do the final assembly and waiting on the case. There will be a Kent Armstrong floating pickup at the end of the fingerboard and a k&k transducer pickup inside.

[Geoff B]

Just finished my first flower-pot, torch, esque type inlay... First time with abalone, multiple pieces and etching the pearl...

[MandoNicity]

Wow! That Holst looks absolutely amazing!!! I'm jealousing....!

[KyleBerry]

More pics of the Shawnee Creek.

[Jill McAuley]

Nice Kyle! How exciting that it's nearing completion!

Cheers,
Jill

[Rob Fowler]

Yup, that's looking pretty nice, Kyle! Can't wait to hear it on the SAW group!

[swinginmandolins]

Looks great Kyle!

[KyleBerry]

Yes it is looking very nice! I can't wait to play it! Just needs hardware now. It won't be long!

[TDMpicker]

Some photos of my latest flattop ready for finish.
I used old Old Standard Woods on this mandolin.
It has a red spruce top and curly maple sides, back and neck.
Ebony fretboard and peghead overlay.
Double binding, my own custom MOP inlay.


http://www.tdmsoftware.com/tdmmodels/mando/images/flattop3collage1.jpg

[Skip Kelley]

Kyle, That Shawnee Creek F5 is looking good! I bet your excited!
Terry, Nice work on that flat-top; it looks like it would be fun to pick!!

[Charles E.]

Terry, I really like the way the back and the heel cap come together, very nice.

[JEStanek]

Lots of nice progress all over this page. I like your deco torch, Geoff.

Jamie

[Geoff B]

here's another one... abalone and cocobolo on quilted maple...

[Skip Kelley]

Geoff, that is a really nice inlay! I like the peghead shape too; very cool!

[billhay4]

Geoff,
Does the peghead mirror the body shape? Hope so.
Nice.
Bill

[swinginmandolins]

The new Holst is getting closer!

[hank]

Nice color Terry. Is the FB extension bonded to the top or suspended above it with a very small gap?

[swinginmandolins]

Nice color Terry. Is the FB extension bonded to the top or suspended above it with a very small gap?

Thanks to Steve for that color! As far as the extension goes, if it is like the one I have there is a small gap, and I assume that is the case with the new one, unless he has changed due to a neck angle change or some other reason. There is about 5 years difference in the 2. I think I see a small gap,about as much as my current. I can't wait to play this beauty!!

[Skip Kelley]

Terry, that's looking good!!

[John Hill]

Wow Terry, that is a beauty!

[JEStanek]

I like what Mr. Holst does design wise. Those woods and finish are really something to behold. Great work!

Jamie

[nobullmando74]

I started to put this on "mandolin backs"...but why not just show some thing in progress

looks like there's some defect in that wood. all that rippling and what not;)

[thistle3585]

Getting closer on my Octofone inspired OM. This is after the first coat of amber shellac. I'm deliberating over making it a four string Tenor lute or an eight string OM.

[PJ Doland]

It's amazing that Steve Holst gets any work done, seeing as he must spend half his time photographing and emailing beautiful in-progress pictures to his customers.

[Michael Wolf]

... As far as the extension goes, if it is like the one I have there is a small gap, and I assume that is the case with the new one, unless he has changed due to a neck angle change or some other reason. There is about 5 years difference in the 2. I think I see a small gap,about as much as my current...

I looked at the pictures of your older Holst before and wondered if the neck goes somewhat higher above the top than it normally does or does it only look like this because the space under the extension is filled with wood?
I find the Holst (this new one as well as your older one) one of the most successful two point designs that I´ve seen so far. There are also only very few varities of the f-hole that I really like and these on the new Holst are one of them.

[swinginmandolins]

I looked at the pictures of your older Holst before and wondered if the neck goes somewhat higher above the top than it normally does or does it only look like this because the space under the extension is filled with wood?
I find the Holst (this new one as well as your older one) one of the most successful two point designs that I´ve seen so far. There are also only very few varities of the f-hole that I really like and these on the new Holst are one of them.

There is more wood under the extension, then some, but I do think that the fretboard is higher, or the neck set is steeper then others. The bridge on the bass side with the action set at 1/16" is 1 1/8" off the top. I don't know if it is much different though. It's a breezy to play!

[oldwave maker]

Still no adult supervision here in oldwave holler, guess I'll just keep makin sawdust till theres a good basketball game on the tv, hope to get the f hole litter frettable before driving miss daisy next week

[oldwave maker]

Like this 14.5" wide GOM with 1 piece hard maple back, widest I've found.

[MandoNicity]

That Holst looks just simply amazing! <jealousing>

[Dfyngravity]

Terry,

Wooowweee, that color turned out amazing. It's a nice contrast from your other two-point. How many times a day do you check your e-mail to see if Steve has sent and updated photos?

[Don Grieser]

Bill, we can only hope there's no adult supervision for you for a long long time. You got some elves or hobbits helping you down in Old Wave holler?

[Jim Hilburn]

I don't usually name mandolins but I think this one will have to be known as "Blacksnake".

[oldwave maker]

Part of the latest f hole clutch, sitting on a landfill salvaged backporch swing, designed for backporch swing......no hobbits harmed in the production, as far as I know:

[TDMpicker]

Another new flat top coming out of my workshop.
This is Crystal Forest #4 and has a red cedar top,
curly maple back, sides and neck. Rosewood peg head
overlay and fingerboard, 1 1/8" nut. I am anxious to hear
how this one sounds compared to the spruce top one.

http://tdmsoftware.com/tdmmodels/mando/images/flattop4collage640.jpg

[thistle3585]

I don't usually name mandolins but I think this one will have to be known as "Blacksnake".

Looks more like a garter snake. :)

Is it going to be left natural? It's nice to see a "natural flaw" in a piece of wood. Gives it some character.

[swinginmandolins]

Terry,

Wooowweee, that color turned out amazing. It's a nice contrast from your other two-point. How many times a day do you check your e-mail to see if Steve has sent and updated photos?

Thanks Ben! At least 10 times a day I check my email, and his site a couple times:)

[Dfyngravity]

I am right there with you Terry:grin:. I guess it won't be too long before we will both be loving life with our new Holst mandolins. This will be my first, and your second....I think I already have another project to discuss with Steve :whistling:. We will see how business goes this Spring.

[Steve Sorensen]

Got to post these two shots here too! My first 'burst followed with a shellac seal coat. Not thrilled with the spruce, more in love with the maple than ever. On to varnish and French polishing.
Steve5706057061

[Dfyngravity]

Steven, that looks pretty darn good for your first one. And yes, that back looks stunning.

[swinginmandolins]

That looks great Steven!

[Jim Hilburn]

This is the endgrain from the top of an octave that's about to get the duplicator treatment. It's red spruce from Old Standard and it has a lot of bearclaw and is also a lot of compression grain.
I'm not sure what makes this happen but it looks good when it does.

[Mike Black]

This is the endgrain from the top of an octave that's about to get the duplicator treatment. It's red spruce from Old Standard and it has a lot of bearclaw and is also a lot of compression grain.
I'm not sure what makes this happen but it looks good when it does.

Now you gotta make sure you show us after the duplicator treatment!!! :) Can't wait.

[hank]

Jim Hilburn's post "It's red spruce from Old Standard and it has a lot of bearclaw and is also a lot of compression grain." Woo hoo That beauty took a lot of trips around the sun, lots of rain clouds and fresh air, a large helping of gravity soaking up good old mother earth all the while. You know I don't understand everything I know about what makes this happen either but it sure is wonderful, Ain't it?

[trevor]

Bill,
Are guitar dola and GOM coming my way?

[hank]

I think your burst looks fantastic Steven. Does the contrast in the reflex area shift with the lighting direction? Did you find anything interesting in Sensitive Chaos? Maybe a vortex burst.

[Jim Hilburn]

Here it is mid-carve. This blank had more wood on one side than the other which you can see on the endgrain picture and thats why the cutter hasn't hit all of the bass side yet. There's 2-3 more progressively lower passes to go yet.
On this style of octave the top and back are the same so I only need one template for inside and outside and I made it in one template which I flip for the inside. In fact the inside has already been roughed out on this top.
I only make these long front to back cuts till I get to the last pass and then I go over it all side to side. It will still be pretty lumpy so this is where I use a disc sander on the drillpress to get a smooth starting surface for the hand graduating.

[thistle3585]

Jim,
How much do you take off in a pass?

Andrew

[ISU Trout Bum]

Hi All:

I'm currently in the process of building a Don Kawalek OM kit. I've set-up a blog to record the process, which you can find here (http://northwaystringedinstruments.blogspot.com/). I'm actually a bit further along than the blog records . . . but, I'm trying to get it caught-up. Here are a couple pics:

http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt11/ISUTroutBum/Kawalek%20OM%20Build/PartiallyCompletedBox.jpg

http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt11/ISUTroutBum/Kawalek%20OM%20Build/PartiallyCompletedBox2.jpg

I'm only a hobby builder, so if any of you see things that I could do differently and/or better, I'm happy to have my work critiqued.

Thanks for looking!

Best,
Eric

[Jim Hilburn]

On the spruce I'd guess between 3/8" and a half. After each pass I just raise the stylus slightly which lowers the router and have developed a feel for it. If you try to take too big of bites it's harder to keep those consistent passes.

[Jim Hilburn]

So here's where I quit. I could have taken a couple more passes but the main thing I want from the carver is to establish the shape of the arch. Now it's on to fun with fingerplanes.

[Skip Kelley]

I don't usually name mandolins but I think this one will have to be known as "Blacksnake".

Jim, that mandolin needs a "snakehead" peghead!

[Doug Edwards]

My Amradillo mandolin in the white.

http://hillcountrystringworks.com/sitebuilder/images/armadillo5-397x531.jpg

http://hillcountrystringworks.com/sitebuilder/images/armadillo1-309x418.jpg

http://hillcountrystringworks.com/sitebuilder/images/armadillo2-314x424.jpg

[Skip Kelley]

Doug, nice work on the mandolin and I really love the inlays!

[Doug Edwards]

Thanks Skip. The luthier I work with at the music store said I should have put tire treads across the armadillo inlay. I cut the headstock to mimic the Hill Country inlay. So far it sounds pretty good.

Armadillo MP3 (http://hillcountrystringworks.com/media/armadillowhite.mp3)

You're missing the best of Texas in the spring right now. I wish I had color on the mandolin to run out and get a photo in the flowers.

http://hillcountrystringworks.com/sitebuilder/images/willowloop_006-600x450.jpg

[Skip Kelley]

Doug, the mandolin sounds real good! Nice tone already!

[swinginmandolins]

Doug, the mandolin sounds real good! Nice tone already!

I agree! Looks great as well!

[hank]

Looks and sounds great Doug. Your demo tune fits well with your Spring time in Texas photo too. The inlay is spot on "Not too little and Not too much" I really like the Hill country and the dillo. How much tan are you gonna give this albino Armadillo's pale complexion?

[David Newton]

New-Navy Mandola, going to Vermont. My happy place, polishing.

[bropete]

David, Put a cork in that grain alcohol while you polish lest you get too happy! Looks great. I want to hear it before you ship it. Is that some of the walnut we acquired? Doug, I like the dillo!

[amowry]

Ready for glue!

[amowry]

And binding...

[Steve Sorensen]

A color-correct back pic in French Polish mode.

[Jessbusenitz]

Andrew, that binding ledge on the scroll is perfect! (as far as that goes, everything looks perfect) I'm working on my second F and that has been a real headache ! Jess

[Skip Kelley]

David, love that dola'!

Andrew, that is some mighty clean work brother!

Steven , that mandolin looks great!

[David Newton]

Thanks guys. I can't believe I'm on the same page with Andrew and StevenS, those are lovely mandolins. Not that my army-navy style can match the looks of your F's, the tone is dark and dreamy.

Pete, the Texas Walnut's figure is deep as the ocean, thanks!

[Dfyngravity]

The Kent Armstrong pickup arrived today and is being installed. So Steve thought it would be a good idea to send me a picture of her all strung up and to tell me has has been playing like a champ.....that just isn't right! :mandosmiley: Anyways, he said he should be boxing her up and shipping out on Tuesday, oh it is going to be a great week next week.

[swinginmandolins]

The Kent Armstrong pickup arrived today and is being installed. So Steve thought it would be a good idea to send me a picture of her all strung up and to tell me has has been playing like a champ.....that just isn't right! :mandosmiley: Anyways, he said he should be boxing her up and shipping out on Tuesday, oh it is going to be a great week next week.

That's great Ben!! Looks Fantastic! Funny I just sent you a pm with a comment as I saw on Steve's site he updated the pic. It will be a great week next week, but a long weekend...:)

[Dfyngravity]

A VERY LOOOONG weekend.

[MandoNicity]

The Kent Armstrong pickup arrived today and is being installed. So Steve thought it would be a good idea to send me a picture of her all strung up and to tell me has has been playing like a champ.....that just isn't right! :mandosmiley: Anyways, he said he should be boxing her up and shipping out on Tuesday, oh it is going to be a great week next week.

Love the look of this mando! <jealousing>

JR

[ColdBeerGoCubs]

Thanks Skip. The luthier I work with at the music store said I should have put tire treads across the armadillo inlay. I cut the headstock to mimic the Hill Country inlay. So far it sounds pretty good.

Armadillo MP3 (http://hillcountrystringworks.com/media/armadillowhite.mp3)

You're missing the best of Texas in the spring right now. I wish I had color on the mandolin to run out and get a photo in the flowers.

http://hillcountrystringworks.com/sitebuilder/images/willowloop_006-600x450.jpg

I probably owe you a few bucks for bandwidth. I've been trapped in that sound clip for awhile now. Mesmerized would e a better word, been trying to figure out for two nights now. Well done. Thank you.

[Dfyngravity]

Well, it's done! It should be shipping out tomorrow. :grin::mandosmiley:

[swinginmandolins]

Supercalifragilistic Ben!! I can't wait to hear you play it!

[MandoNicity]

Congrats on one amazing looking instrument. I too wanna hear some sound clips.

[Dfyngravity]

I will do some sound clips as soon as I get a hold of this baby.

[David Newton]

This is Texas Black Walnut, cut near where I live, and given to me by Peter Hutchinson, "White Dove" mandolins.
Actually he made me trim about 50 lbs of wood to get 5 sets, then he took 2! Poor old share-cropper me.
This wood has landscape lines and a band of red in the center, beautiful stuff, thanks, really, Pete.

[gw16]

Pretty happy with the way my new Brian Dean is turning out thus far - I can't wait to get this home!

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7889/67ip23.th.jpg (http://img249.imageshack.us/i/67ip23.jpg/)[/IMG]

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2879/67ip22.th.jpg (http://img717.imageshack.us/i/67ip22.jpg/)[/IMG]

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3369/p1010983v.th.jpg (http://img194.imageshack.us/i/p1010983v.jpg/)[/IMG]

[Doug Edwards]

That peghead is amazing!

[Soundfarmer Pete]

From the sublime to the ridiculous!
The first in a daft scheme of reducing "signature" guitars - the Tom Delonge Strat.
Not sure whether to call it a Tom Deshorte or a Blink 91 :-)
The pickup is obviously inspired by the Seymour Duncan Invader and weighs in at 11k - Dying to find out just how brutal it sounds!
http://www.thewuffler.f9.co.uk/tom.JPG

[ISU Trout Bum]

Pretty happy with the way my new Brian Dean is turning out thus far - I can't wait to get this home!

http://img249.imageshack.us/img249/7889/67ip23.th.jpg (http://img249.imageshack.us/i/67ip23.jpg/)[/IMG]

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2879/67ip22.th.jpg (http://img717.imageshack.us/i/67ip22.jpg/)[/IMG]

http://img194.imageshack.us/img194/3369/p1010983v.th.jpg (http://img194.imageshack.us/i/p1010983v.jpg/)[/IMG]

Wow - that is an absolutely amazing looking instrument!

[Max Girouard]

Here is my number 4 build. Instruments is strung up in the white right now. Will have a black topped top and the birch back will be stained to match the leopard wood sides. All hardware was gold so I decided to use the EVO gold fret wire. Instrument still needs final shaping and a ton of sanding before finishing but this will give you an idea.

[Skip Kelley]

Wow, That Dean mandolin is amazing and the peghead is a work of art to say the least!
Max, That is a great looking mando! I love the birch/ leopard wood combination! Awesome job!

[hank]

Just catching up on this thread after camping awhile. Beautiful wood and amazing talent here. It's like walking thru a gallery of art with minds from around the globe carving out the most beautiful little boxes on the planet. Thank you all for taking the time to share with us. David did that black walnut have a strong aroma when you butchered that old Texas tree?

[JEStanek]

Wow, from the ornate to the elegantly plain to the raucous. Great stuff on this page!

Jamie

[Skip Kelley]

Here are some pictures of number 26 for Leon in Florida. It has a red spruce top with a highly figured well quartered maple back. Tortise single ply binding on the body. 17 fret fretboard. Bill James tailpiece. Oil varnish and pearl nut. I hope you enjoy the pics as much as I like looking at yours!

[swinginmandolins]

This page is full of great work!

[David Newton]

Hank.
That local Walnut does have it's own aroma, (I love Walnut smell, it reminds me of my dad who liked to work Walnut) but not any stronger than the Indiana that I've worked.
I'm so taken with it because of its rich dark chocolate brown color.
There aren't many exotic dark North American woods available to the builder, I think we should promote Walnut.

[ISU Trout Bum]

Skip - that is a beautiful instrument!

[hank]

Skip Wow! David I agree, my dad also spent his last years working with wood in his retirement. I remember the smell of walnut in his shop and is the reason I asked the question. I agree on both it's dark beauty and it's ability to produce a warm rich tone. The prettiest sounding dulcimer I have ever heard was built with walnut. A dear friend came up from New Orleans to find a new dulcimer at McSpaddens in Mountain View. We listened to and tried every combination they had there and both agreed that the walnut model was our favorite choice.

[french guy]

Hello all , good work from everyone here , how many hours of woodworking only on this page .

I present you my actual project it's a teardrop mandolin inspired by a most part by the John Monteleone teardrop guitar .
I have designed a new scroll , and decided to make unsymetrical holes
here the plan , and the mandolin in progress .
The design remember the hoopoe bird , so I decide to give the name "La Huppe" to that mando.

[swinginmandolins]

Hello all , good work from everyone here , how many hours of woodworking only on this page .

I present you my actual project it's a teardrop mandolin inspired by a most part by the John Monteleone teardrop guitar .
I have designed a new scroll , and decided to make unsymetrical holes
here the plan , and the mandolin in progress .
The design remember the hoopoe bird , so I decide to give the name "La Huppe" to that mando.

I like that!

[billhay4]

Nice, Jean, very nice!
Bill

[oldwave maker]

Jean- my favorite line from the movie Field of Dreams- "if you build it, they will come"
A couple of weirdwood mandotoys, before we return to our regularly scheduled red spruce/curly maple programming: engelmann/broadleafburl oval, curly redwood/koa C#

[SHORTY]

Wow Dean. How about a lesson in scroll carving from you. That is amazing and beautiful. Skip, that A mando in outragious. Nice match up on the back.

[trevor]

Bill,
I love the swirl on the burl...

[Steve Sorensen]

Jean and Bill,
Wow! Wow, Wow ! ! !
Steve

[Skip Kelley]

Jean, I love that mandolin! It is such a cool design! I hope to see more pics of your work!

Bill, those are sweet looking A models! Nice work!

Thanks to all for the compliments!

[ISU Trout Bum]

Jean- my favorite line from the movie Field of Dreams- "if you build it, they will come"
A couple of weirdwood mandotoys, before we return to our regularly scheduled red spruce/curly maple programming: engelmann/broadleafburl oval, curly redwood/koa C#

Those are really nice looking. I absolutely love the curly redwood on the soundboard! Beautiful. I'm building an OM right now with redwood/walnut that I bound in black ABS. I just ordered black tuning machines from Stew-Mac today. So, thanks for posting this as it makes me feel a lot better about my color choices. Again, great intruments! Thanks for the post.

[Graham McDonald]

A couple with Tasmanian myrtle bodies/necks and spruce soundboards. The F model is made from what is called a streaky myrtle, streaks and blobs of tans and greys, sometimes almost reds and greens mixed in with the basic pink timber. This particularly nice bit also has a few wormholes and a couple of resin voids which will be filled with epoxy,

The 2-point oval hole mando has a body of tiger myrtle, a red brown colour with black streaks along the lines of the annual rings. It means a perfectly quartersawn piece has only very thin lines, as it goes off the the black stripes become more pronounced.

A lot of sanding and cleaning up to do yet

cheers

[crazymandolinist]

Gotta love them Aussie woods.

[Doug Edwards]

All lacquered up, 3 coats anyway.


http://hillcountrystringworks.com/sitebuilder/images/armadillo8-450x600.jpg

http://hillcountrystringworks.com/sitebuilder/images/armadillo7-450x600.jpg

[Skip Kelley]

Doug, that is a great looking mandolin! I love the sunburst!

[bropete]

Looking good Doug! PM me if you have tried that jig for the neck joint.

[Jessbusenitz]

Gettin' close to stringing up!:mandosmiley: Can't wait to hear how it sounds! You can tell from the pictures that photography is not my strong suit. :)

[billhay4]

A different drummer (make that mandolist).
Coming along.
Bill
5790157902

[Cosmomurphy]

57904

[oldwave maker]

Different strokes- engelmann/walnut x braced oval, red/sugarmaple tonebar ffholer. Big Country soundclips by Ezra, passing thru.....

[Dfyngravity]

Bill, those are two GREAT sounding mandolins. The eng/walnut blew my socks off!! I think that is a great combo for producing some amazing tone. You got a shot of the their backs?

[swinginmandolins]

Those sound great Bill! I agree with Ben the eng/walnut sounded mighty fine!

[Dfyngravity]

Terry you tricked me! I saw that you posted and I rushed in hoping to finds a photo of a finished Holst Jazz 2 Pointer. It's gotta be close now.

[oldwave maker]

Backs of the 2 with soundclips above, wiped with turpentine. Harvested the walnut by a neighbors corral in 1991, it had died maybe 20 yrs before that. The maple is from Rigel supplier Earnest the tractor pull champ, harvested 2005.

[Doug Edwards]

Bill, those mandolins sound amazing. I hope to get there someday.

Starting to work several new ones. Just a little here and there. I had a local woodworker bring me some nice birdseye. One particular piece is from a 100 year old church organ. I'm using that for a back and ribs.

http://www.hillcountrystringworks.com/sitebuilder/images/P1010027-600x450.jpg

[Steve Hinde]

#6 finally. Big Leaf, Sitka, Triple Ivoroid, Varnish

[JEStanek]

I love this thread. Great updates on amazing instruments and processes.

Jamie

[Steve Hinde]

The next 3 in progress. Remember that Green Tortoise idea? It works for me. I thought it could get ugly, but it grows on you. It may even be my favorite to date. Although I still love the Burgundy. Not done scraping the red one yet, and I may make the sides black, not decided yet. The side wood is not so fancy, so I may just cover it up. blonde top, black sides, and burgundy for the rest. ~o)

[kyken]

Been working on a painting for this one.....

[oldwave maker]

Randy's octave strung in the white, never did a 1 3/16" nut octave before, sure easy to chord, will shorten the tailpiece as soon as I find the correct metric die. Binding tape pile left from the recent binding orgy......

[sgarrity]

That octave looks tasty!

[ISU Trout Bum]

There are some absolutely BEAUTIFUL mandos on this page. Thanks for posting everyone!!

Best,
Eric

[Randolph]

I'm with Shaun on this one, that Old Wave GOM looks mighty nice:grin:

[John Hill]

Bill, those are two GREAT sounding mandolins. The eng/walnut blew my socks off!! I think that is a great combo for producing some amazing tone.
Agreed! Very nice sounding instrument.

[crazymandolinist]

Steve be sure to take some good pics of that green F and post them. I love it when people push the envelope and it works!

[Steve-o]

[QUOTE=billhay4;796004]A different drummer (make that mandolist).
Coming along.
Bill

Intriguing back wood and rosette Bill. What is it?

[hank]

Steve your green finish came out slick as Shamrock. May you have the luck of the Irish with it's tone. Bill it's hard to believe your walnut back oval is still in the white, what beautiful wood both in tone and hue.

[Skip Kelley]

Great work, guys!!

[billhay4]

Steve-o
Back, sides and rosette are Oregon Myrtle from Bruce Creps in the San Juan Islands: Notable Woods (http://www.notablewoods.com/). Very nice stuff but a bit dicey to work with as it alternates being hard and soft. Book match went south on me for some reason, but it still has nice figure. I think it will need fill before finishing as it's pretty open pored. I intend to FP, but we'll see when the time comes.
Bill

[pjlama]

Jonathan Mann is building me up a sweet emando. Here's a few progress shots;580275802858029

[David Newton]

I'll be shipping this New-Navy Mandola, Monday.

[Skip Kelley]

David, Nice mandola! I love it!

[MandoNicity]

Just catching up on this thread. Some amazing work being done. Thanks all for posting. I just love this thread!

JR

[Geoff B]

Caught a cool one last night...

[JEStanek]

Cool. I dig the translumination photos.

Jamie

[Dfyngravity]

Me too! You know, for those who have carved a top and thought that it is just too thin you can always cut out a face and illuminate it on your front porch for halloween!

[ISU Trout Bum]

Almost ready to string up the Kawalek OM that I've been working on. Starting to get excited to see what she sounds like! :)

http://i593.photobucket.com/albums/tt11/ISUTroutBum/Kawalek%20OM%20Build/AlmostReadytoStringUp2.jpg

[Geoff B]

Me too! You know, for those who have carved a top and thought that it is just too thin you can always cut out a face and illuminate it on your front porch for halloween!

Yeah, in a lit room this one is not nearly so dramatic, but right up close to the light bulb in a dark room and it sure lights up!

[David Newton]

Spooky!

[Mike Black]

I've got the neck fitted and ready to be shaped for my octave. I also got the inlay done last night. The top is going to be natural and has a sealer coat of amber shellac.

[Skip Kelley]

Mike, your octave looks great! I like how you cut your name for the peghead!

[Mike Black]

Mike, your octave looks great! I like how you cut your name for the peghead!

Thanks Skip, It took me a long time to design it. I originally used just MB, but then I found out that the M that I used was being used by the MIX mandolin. I messed around with that B forever so that it was original and didn't look like a 3 with a line in front of it. And I've always likes the way the Jackson logo looked on all those metal guitars as I was growing up. So the LACK is kind of a tribute to that.

[roscoestring]

Hey yall. I'm new to the forum and new to mando building too. This is my second. The first started as a kit that I modified. This one is totally from scratch. Electric.

http://i232.photobucket.com/albums/ee210/roscoestring/001-69.jpg

[crazymandolinist]

That's silly....I like it!

[MandoNicity]

I really like the look of your octave Mike! Love the natural blonde!

JR

[amowry]

Making some necks...

[Mike Black]

Those look nice Andrew! I really like the way that you thin the middle of the headstock so the ears cover the sides better.

[Geoff B]

Classy as always, Andrew!


Here's a color I'm pretty happy with... Been french polishing as snow falls outside... may be the latest snow I've experienced in May in Denver...

[MandoNicity]

Geoff that color is gorgeous!

JR

[Skip Kelley]

Geoff that color is gorgeous!

JR

Geoff, I agree with JR, that is an awesome color!

[amowry]

I like it, too! Looks great Geoff. I'm waiting for that last freak snowstorm here too-- should come right after we get the tomatoes in the ground ;)

Mike, sharp eyes--thinning the headstock like that saves some headaches, especially when someone requests an unusually wide fretboard.

[Skip Kelley]

Nice work, Andrew! I love the inlays! Snow, this time of year? The weather this year has been strange for sure!

[oldwave maker]

Y'all got me droolin! or maybe its the solvents.......snippets from the latest buildcoat sprayathon:
lizardskin quilt, the noah, burl, walnut/engelmann, blacktop gom, redbrown burst gom

[Skip Kelley]

Bill, you should really try to get some decent looking wood for your instruments:grin:
Just kidding, really beautiful work! I love those A models!!

[hank]

Droolin is right. When my wife Donna asks me if I need anything from the store she has no idea what I'm talking about when I tell her "Pick me up one of Mr. Bills walnut and englemann ovals".

[billhay4]

Coming along.
Bill

[hank]

Bill thats one Bodacious mandolin you designed, what a great original look. Myrtle sure is a beautiful wood. Do you think it will sound similar to walnut? I hope we'll get to hear this lady sing when you finish up. What's the top wood?

[ISU Trout Bum]

That headstock is so cool, Bill!

[JEStanek]

Nice design, Bill.

Jamie

[billhay4]

Thanks, guys,
The mandola itself is from a tracing of a Kay Florentine someone brought to a jam I go to. I guessed about body depth as I wanted a small mandola instead of a mandolin. It will be almost 3" deep. The headstock shape and design are my own. Supposed to mimic the top curve of the mandola body.
Myrtle is lovely. I've heard it actually resembles bigleaf in sound, but this may not be the instrument to find out on as it's size is odd.
It's tonebar braced.
I don't know what the top wood is. I was going to use Lutz spruce, but the top I carved split as I was doing the final sanding (better then that after it was glued up). I used a billet I got in a lot of odds and ends I bought a few years ago. Has a nice boink, though.
Bill

[hank]

I like that word boink, maybe if I ever get another dog since I lost Koko that might be a good name for her. I got an old A model Kay from Donna's family that they had on their fireplace mantle. I really think the mantle is the best place for it though, it's in really bad shape and would cost much more to repair than to buy another in good shape. Did the florentine at the jam sound good. I'm not familiar with Kay at all and have never heard one.

[Geoff B]

Bill I was gonna comment when I saw the picture a few pages back! I like the design! Please keep updating the pics! I'm thinking about a new body style, in that sort of direction...

[Graham McDonald]

For the past couple of years I would sit in boring meetings at my day job and sketch out ideas for building a really small mandolin that would just about fit into a briefcase, a compact travel mandolin. I was inspired by those German travel ukeleles, with the tuners in the middle of the body, but I wanted to get some acoustic sound at the same time. This is the prototype half done. There will be a spruce soundboard on the top, and the sides will be covered in thin pieces of timber, but there won't be a back so there is access to the tuners. They are Rubner side mount tuners which will have to be screwed into place before the sides go on. It is a 13" scale, to keep the size down and will be strung with light gauge strings. The bridge will be only an inch or so from the end of the body and the strings will go over the end of the body and underneath to the tuners. The body framework is laminated spruce, off cuts from the guitar soundboard and the neck and centre sections of the body where the tuners are mounted are rock maple. There will be hitch pins above the nut for the string loops. The last pic is next to a standard mandolin to compare the size

It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

cheers

[man dough nollij]

Hey Graham, just out of curiosity, what is your day job? I'm one of the fortunate few that got to buy a ticket for your Zoukfest instrument. I'm stoked. I've never been to Canberra, though I've done a bit of traveling in NSW, Victoria, and Queensland.

Cheers,

Lee

[Graham McDonald]

Hey Graham, just out of curiosity, what is your day job? I'm one of the fortunate few that got to buy a ticket for your Zoukfest instrument. I'm stoked. I've never been to Canberra, though I've done a bit of traveling in NSW, Victoria, and Queensland.

Cheers,

Lee

I work for our National Film and Sound Archive, collecting sound recordings for the national collection. As day jobs go it is pretty good, basically the government pays me to know about music. One of my research projects is compiling a discography of Waltzing Matilda (our national song) and I have 613 unique recordings of the song so far, much to my colleagues' dismay.

cheers

graham

[Dfyngravity]

Now that is quite the interesting project Graham. Can wait to see and hear the results.

[Skip Kelley]

Bill, that is one cool mandola! I love the peghead!

Graham, that is amazing!

[mzurer]

Love this idea, Graham, I can't wait to see/hear the results.

[RJinRI]

my #2 in the white, strung up awaiting final sounding & some tru-oil
back, sides and neck is oregon myrtle, top is one pc adirondack spruce
it even sounds like a mandolin !

[Skip Kelley]

RJ, that looks great! I like the Myrtle! Can't wait for the finished pics! Nice work!

[hank]

Looking good RJ another myrtle beauty.

[Joe Mendel]

Graham,
You should post a couple of versions or tab of Waltzing Matilda and let cafe members double or triple your count of recordings! Please don't give your colleagues my name.

[Dfyngravity]

Graham,
You should post a couple of versions or tab of Waltzing Matilda and let cafe members double or triple your count of recordings! Please don't give your colleagues my name.

Now that's a cool idea.

[Graham McDonald]

Joe Mendel

Re: Mandolins in progress
Graham,
You should post a couple of versions or tab of Waltzing Matilda and let cafe members double or triple your count of recordings!

I do only include commercially released versions, but perfectly happy to add any that anyone wants to record. There is a small selection on the NFSA website (http://www.nfsa.gov.au/the_collection/collection_spotlights/waltzing_matilda/index.html) which are all quite old ones and out of mechanical copyright. I especially like the square dance version :)

It is a good job, but I would rather be building mandolins...

cheers

graham

[Mark Marino]

Well, nothing fancy but this is my first build (Siminoff kit)- I'm doing an F4 hybrid- elevated fingerboard oval hole, with a virzi. For a while I wondered if I bit off more than I should have, since I've got very little woodworking experience and few tools.

Anyhow, I thought I'd post a picture as encouragement for others out there who are contemplating taking this on. Just finished binding the top scroll over the weekend.

[mzurer]

Wow - that looks plenty fancy to me...

[RJinRI]

Very nice Mark...can I send my #3 to you, to do the scroll work?:grin:

[Jim Hilburn]

I've always been amazed by Steve Gilchrist's name inlay with the fine underline. I got to ask him how he did it and the explanation made it sound easy. However, because in his name the underline is connected between the G and T. and that gives it a little extra stuctural stength. With mine it needs to be open ended. So I thought I'd try.
The picture makes it look giant but it's actually pretty small. I see where I need a lot more work with the files but I was being quite conservative because that long line is very delicate. I was going to glue it down so I could work on the line and straighten it out but to be honest I don't care for the look. So here's the evidence that I did it. I'm going to saw it off so it looks the same as always.

[Skip Kelley]

Jim, nice work with the pearl!! That is hard to cut!

[Jessbusenitz]

I'm a little ignorant when it comes to inlay, do you glue your pearl to something when cutting it? Also what size of blade did you use?

[Steve-o]

Well, nothing fancy but this is my first build...

Looks real good Mark. I'm impressed with the binding on your first go at it. Are you having fun in the process?

[Mark Marino]

Looks real good Mark. I'm impressed with the binding on your first go at it. Are you having fun in the process?

I am really having a great time. Kinda like a roller coaster ride- moments of sheer panic and then elation once I figure out how to overcome something (or hide it!)

Not sure I'd be doing as well if it weren't for Roger (Siminoff)- he's been great about answering questions as I go.

[Jim Hilburn]

Jess, I know some and probably most people use some kind of backing support glued to the pearl but I just cut it raw.
I don't know exactly which jewelers blades I'm using now but they're the last batch I have and must be extra fine. They're finer than I prefer but all I have right now. I only have to drive about 10 miles to get more but never seem to get around to it.

[Kirk Albrecht]

Mark -

Excellent work on your number 1! Wow - very impressed with the quality of the carving on that scroll - good geometry, better than some I see coming from established builders!

Tell me, do you have any background in woodworking?

I, too, have a Siminoff F5 kit, sitting in my workbench waiting for me to get the time to dig in. Hopefully I will have as much fun as you!

[Mark Marino]

Kirk- Thanks much. I don't have any woodworking background- but I really enjoy figuring things out as I go. Don't hesitate to email me if you have any questions as you build. (marinos@charter.net). I just finished installing the virzi, and getting ready to merge the neck and body- so I'll probably post more pictures once that's done. If you don't see any, expect the worst!

I just prepared by reading threads on mandolin cafe until wee hours of the morning getting ready to undertake this- most of the frustration I ran into has already been widely discussed somewhere, or included in the Siminoff book. Not sure how the rest of the build will go, but I KNOW it was much easier to bind this top scroll before the neck was installed and in the way. I think the scroll on the back, and in much harder maple, will be a real challenge..





Mark -

Excellent work on your number 1! Wow - very impressed with the quality of the carving on that scroll - good geometry, better than some I see coming from established builders!

Tell me, do you have any background in woodworking?

I, too, have a Siminoff F5 kit, sitting in my workbench waiting for me to get the time to dig in. Hopefully I will have as much fun as you!

[Skip Kelley]

Mark, nice work! The F4 looks awesome! Keep posting the pictures!

[Jim Hilburn]

Trying a new inlay.

[MandoNicity]

I like it jim!

JR

[oldwave maker]

Jim- looks like a more complex A3. Bought one precut from Dave Nichols without realizing what it was, inlayed it upside down, which is, of course, the international A3 distress signal!
build coats on the next tradom and guidola, voldemort left his mark in the middle of the guidolaback, but its ok since its heading near hogwarts......

[MandoNicity]

They are lovely Bill! I'm sure Dumbledore would approve! ;)

JR

[Mark Marino]

Allrightee... I posted a picture of my F4 body under construction a page or so ago. I've just completed the headstock inlay in a torch-n-wire pattern using all abalone. It turned out pretty good- a few pieces aren't exactly where they should be, but for a first inlay project, I'm ecstatic.

So... I'm starting to think about finish- thought I'd ask for opinions, considering the classic torch-n-wire. I've played around on scraps and think I can do a fair job on a cremona sunburst, but also pondering a black-top. Of course there's always the traditional F4 red-burst. Suggestions? I've heard black tops show every flaw, so I'm fearful of that. If black top, what should back and sides be?

[hank]

Allrightee & Good Golly Miss Molley too. Looks great Mark. Did you cut out the abalone or was it precut?

[MandoNicity]

Hey Mark that's a fantastic job! Outstanding! I'm partial to the trad red-burst myself, and I thought blacktop HID problems not the reverse. I could be wrong but that's what I've always heard. I'm sure builders with experience will give you the low down. Great job on the torch and wire!

JR

[Andy Miller]

Allrightee... I posted a picture of my F4 body under construction a page or so ago. I've just completed the headstock inlay in a torch-n-wire pattern using all abalone. It turned out pretty good- a few pieces aren't exactly where they should be, but for a first inlay project, I'm ecstatic.

So... I'm starting to think about finish- thought I'd ask for opinions, considering the classic torch-n-wire. I've played around on scraps and think I can do a fair job on a cremona sunburst, but also pondering a black-top. Of course there's always the traditional F4 red-burst. Suggestions? I've heard black tops show every flaw, so I'm fearful of that. If black top, what should back and sides be?

Nice inlay. First one? You really like to dive in headfirst, don't you? I bet you'll do a great job with whatever finish you choose.

[Mark Marino]

Thanks for the kind words- yes, the inlay was precut- no way I would have taken that on. Routing was fun- nice thing about ebony is that it's easy to hide the gaps- ebony dust and epoxy blended real nice. Thanks for the compliments- I read gobs before starting, ended up using a stew-mac dremel router base and used CNC bits off ebay for $11. From there, just took it slow, and kept test fitting the pieces as I went.

This is my first inlay- I figured worst case I'd just sand off the ebony overlay and start over if it turned out too poorly. Glad that wasn't the case. I've always admired this inlay pattern and when I found it available online, I couldn't resist. Honestly I thought this would be the hard part, but I'm now trying to carve the binding channel on the headstock- now that's a bugger...

[Max Girouard]

I posted this a few pages back. I guess this is actually my fifth build rather than fourth. I forgot about a mandola I made a while back. It has a black top and yes, it shows every little flaw, fingerprint, piece of dust, pollen you name it! The top also gets hot when I was playing it outside. Still need a new nut and to finish the truss rod cover. Sitka top, leopard wood sides, birch back and mahogany neck. All parts from other projects that I either terminated or did not like how they were progressing.

[Max Girouard]

Also just closed up this box today. It is an archtop guitar body that will be a mandocello. Beagle included for size reference.

[RJinRI]

RJ, that looks great! I like the Myrtle! Can't wait for the finished pics! Nice work!

finished pics and others in progress are here:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rj7388/2FMandoBuild#

have wood & time to make one more :)

[misterc]

5922559226

Here's two of three that are almost finished, just polishing the varnish and installing the hardware. I like the view of the fingerboard on this one.

[ISU Trout Bum]

Lots of nice work on this page folks! Thanks for posting the pics. Max - the back and top of that mando is amazing! I love the contrast.

[Steve Sorensen]

Spent the past couple of weekends neckin'

[Dfyngravity]

Steven, very nice! 2nd to the end on the far right looks amazing. Can't wait to see the group shot with the necks attached to the bodies.

[Skip Kelley]

Steven, nice work on the necks! It looks like you have been busy!

[mandopete]

Spent the past couple of weekends neckin'

Careful, this is a G Rated movie!

[D18dave]

Well, our latest batch of instruments may not be as detailed as some of the beauties in this post , but they keep perfect time :grin:

We were looking for a project for our scrap Engleman Spruce. Don't worry, we didn't cut up good instrument tonewood.

[Skip Kelley]

Dave, if you bring one to a jam, will it help you keep perfect time?:grin:
Nice work! I would like one of those!

[Geoff B]

very cool, Dave! I recently put a clock into an old top that was replaced. They look good on the wall!

Here's something I've been working on... working on binding this week....

[ISU Trout Bum]

Geoff - the inlay and the headstock look really cool. What is the image on the headstock? Nice looking mando!!

[Geoff B]

thanks Eric! the inlay is a tree, designed by the future owner. I put a picture up a few pages back... post #4513, page 181

[Jordan Ramsey]

Looks great, Geoff! I love your take on the block inlay, very cool!

[hank]

Geoff your clients stylized tree is similar to Terry's(TDMpicker) Crystal Forest Logo with tree(ex.page 13 post 4509). They both remind me of a cedar Bonsai. Are the f holes yours or your clients design? Very nice.

[Geoff B]

thanks hank! yeah, we had to do some arranging with the tree so the roots wouldn't run right into the tuners. I worked them to reach around the posts.
The blocks and modified holes were all commissioned, but I really like the whole thing we've got going on.
here's a pic of a hole up close... very cool take on the traditional-ish f-hole, which I'm not very traditional on anyhow!

[Mattg]

Nice mandolin Geoff. I like the detail on the F's too

[D18dave]

Geoff, Nice mandolin! a real work of art

Skip, I'm heading down to Weiser this weekend to do some pickin' I'll let you know if it helps me keep 'perfect time' :)

[labraid]

59684

[hank]

What does the bowl back sound like compared to the normal flattop with a flatback the depth of its rib. What is one looking for in a mandolin to have a bowl back commissioned.

[crazymandolinist]

Well if you haven't already I'd message the guy doing it to find out.

[MandoNicity]

Brian your workmanship and innovation always blows me away. The bowl back looks lovely and the setting would make an amazing painting! Thanks for posting.

JR

[Geoff B]

Incredible, Brian. What's in the glass?

[labraid]

Geoff (and JR), Thanks. Sailor Jerry.

Hank, it's so very very hard to describe tone in words.. The benefit of a bowl is its incredible stiffness : low-weight : high-air-volume. And like a carved/flat-back, there are many ways you can go about tuning the back to either be heavier/lighter, more/less-resilient, so that each maker can have their own tone. And they certainly do...

[hank]

Thanks for taking the time to answer my question Brian, I have a huge amount of respect and admiration for the understanding you have of acoustic instruments. Having no exposure to bowl backs I had no idea they are resilient and tuned with similar objectives of carved back instruments. I think most of us with interest in the leading particulars of acoustic design can find detail and narratives for an armchair understanding of flat/canted top/back and carved top/back instruments but your instruments exceed our present boundaries on both the oldest methods from all over the world and completely new unexplored designs. I really enjoy this thread and can imagine from past experience what many of the beautiful projects shown in construction may sound like but your amazing creations leave me with no known reference for speculation. Thanks again for sharing your time and giving us a peak at your work.

[Michael Wolf]

What does the bowl back sound like compared to the normal flattop with a flatback the depth of its rib. What is one looking for in a mandolin to have a bowl back commissioned.

If I´m not totally wrong this mandolin in the photo above looks like the german model of Brian. In this case you can see and hear some wonderful playing of Chris Acquavella with this kind of mando.
To me this mando sounds very beautiful and strong, plus it seems to match the player perfectly.
AYDyPb4KESw

[hank]

Thanks Michael, This video gives us a good comparison of Catherine's bowl back and Mikes Loar F5. I'm getting the impression from these videos that these bowl backs have more projection and cut better than a carved top/back or flat top/back oval hole instrument.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Pw26nmGgG8&feature=related

[Jill McAuley]

59684

That photo is a work of art itself! Your mandolins are such things of beauty that it just makes my day to see photos of them in any stage of progress! Thank you so much for posting that!

Cheers,
Jill

[Dan Voight]

Here is #9. Just doing the final sanding, getting all those scratches and nicks that are over looked during the building process. After being strung for 3 days, this mandolin sounds like the mandolin that I've always wanted to build. That is a great feeling.:mandosmiley:

[Dan Voight]

Here is a sound sample. at this point, it had been strung up for 2 nights.

[Geoff B]

That looks great Dan! The headstock looks very nice, and it sounds good too! Well done.

[hank]

The only thing more beautiful than you playing is the delicate tone of this mandolin. Congratulations on what sounds like perfection to me.

[Steve-o]

That looks great Dan! The headstock looks very nice, and it sounds good too! Well done.

x2 Dan! Your playing is exquisite. I love the tone you pull from #9, and it is quite a looker. Is it spoken for?

[Dan Voight]

#9 is spoken for.

[MandoNicity]

Dan that looks and sounds great! The back looks amazing. Can't wait to see that with some color. What size frets did you use? They look big. Loved you playing also, the piece sounds like Mark Knofflers music for Local Hero. Great work!

JR

[Dan Voight]

That is "banjo" wire from stew mac and in the clip I was playing Bela Fleck's Big Country. This is what I was up to last night. This is my first sunburst with no airbrush.

[hank]

"That is "banjo" wire from stew mac" Would that be the narrow medium? I ask because as I see my frets wearing down I'm beginning to wonder if I could increase my sustain with larger frets and if stainless frets would have any effect on tone or sustain. Beautiful burst.

[Dan Voight]

yup narrow medium

[Steve Sorensen]

Dan,
You caught the "Magic, bell-like tone that I keep trying to describe as my goal. Impressive ! ! !
Steve

[Skip Kelley]

Dan, that is one well done sunburst! It is going to look awesome under the finish!!

[Clyde Clevenger]

An IV kit I made for my son, my first attempt at an F-5.

[Skip Kelley]

Clyde, Nice job! I love the burst; it is perfect!!

[Jessbusenitz]

That is one sweet lookin' mando Clyde! Jess

[hank]

Beautiful job Clyde. Your son is a lucky man. Happy Fathers Day!

[Clyde Clevenger]

I've started a Stew-Mac kit this week. I've learned a lot on the first one. I really wish I'd bought the Stew-Mac/Don MacRostie DVD before I started the first one. I have it now and it sure answers a lot of my really dumb questions, I mean really dumb.

[billhay4]

That mandolin must have aged you quite a bit, Clyde. Your beard is considerably whiter in the later pictures than in the earlier. :-)
Nice job on the instrument!
Bill

[Clyde Clevenger]

It was only six months of every second of my spare time, it's the lighting and length of beard that are different. It was a great experience and only aged me slightly.

[wwwilkie]

Walnut back and sides, Amboyna burl 'portal to hell' inlay on headstock. French polished. Gold logo (oudensha) will eventually be flush after spraying many coats of shellac. This has been a fun project.

[big smiley guy]

Very cool design - nice mixture of modern and vintage styling.

[labraid]

Hey, it's my man Wyatt. Goodonya Wyatt....

Lining a bowl:

[Dan Voight]

Some back shots of #9

[wwwilkie]

Brian, I think you should fill that bowl with beer and pass it around
Dan, what a fine looking finish on that F-5
Thanks big smiley guy!

[crazymandolinist]

Walnut back and sides, Amboyna burl 'portal to hell' inlay on headstock. French polished. Gold logo (oudensha) will eventually be flush after spraying many coats of shellac. This has been a fun project.

I like that alot. You've even used my personal favorite fingerboard extension ;)

[crazymandolinist]

Brian, I think you should fill that bowl with beer and pass it around

I don't. It's already full of other good things.

[labraid]

Mmm, deep amber homebrewed stout.

[hank]

So that's your secret. You know come to think of it my mandolin sounds better after a pitcher or two as well.

[Mark Marino]

I'd posted some pics of this earlier- just got strings on for the first time last night and making adjustments before starting to dye and finish. It's my first build (a Siminoff kit) F4, but with an elevated fingerboard and Virzi. Sound isn't bad for first string-up, but hoping it will open up some- bass is pretty tight sounding.

[Skip Kelley]

Nice work to all!
Here is a new A model I am getting ready for sanding. It has a California redwood top. It had been sitting around for years. The peghead shape is similar to Smart/ Monteleone. I hope you like it.