A new Hamlett mandola

[sunburst]

A couple of years ago, Cafe member Jerry Haynes gave me a wedge shaped piece of a telegraph pole from the 1800s. He has used the wood for several mandolin tops, I believe, but this is the first instrument I've finished using that western red cedar for the top.
Here's what the wood looked like.

[sunburst]

The top halves looked pretty good when I sawed them from the billet, and here is the top under construction.

[sunburst]

So anyway, I finally finished the mandola, and here it is.

[sunburst]

The back, sides, and neck are hard maple.

[sunburst]

A couple of details.
Thanks for looking!

[Jared Heddinger]

Whoa! Thats incredible! I love the rosette on the oval hole, it’s not flashy like others, very simple and clean.

How does it sound being made from two hundred year old timber?

[sunburst]

Sounds like a new mandola!
I forgot to mention that the scale length is 17". I like the sound, so far. I think it was Will Kimble who said something about the 7 (only 7) notes that a mandola can play that a mandolin cannot, and they might as well be good ones. I tried to get a good, full "bass" voice from the instrument, and I feel like I got it. The low C course is plenty strong and resonant and balances well with the other strings. It is a "big" sounding instrument, not much like a mandolin, more like a... a mandola!

[amowry]

Beautiful work as usual, John!

[Jake Wildwood]

I'd have guessed that it was a 17" scale. Very long neck. Also: sure is a looker!!!

[Steve Sorensen]

Classic beauty.

[Gail Hester]

Awesome John. I love the history and reclamation of that top.

[Tavy]

Beautiful work as ever John.

Mandola's may only have 7 extra notes, but the tone is still quite different from a mandolin IMO, and well having in the armory!

[boatman]

Land o' Goshen, John, that sure is purty! Makes me proud to be in such close proximity to Hamlett Hollow.

[Ben Milne]

Swoon. Congratulations, what a looker. I love the tone of cedar top mandolas

[Dale Ludewig]

Beautiful, John.

[robert.najlis]

beautiful!

[Randi Gormley]

Elegant.

[Jim Garber]

Very nice, John, and I also like the deep-toned sunburst. Was there a reason you used an oval hole vs. f-holes. I also noticed (I think) that this is a longer neck in terms of the place on the body it joins and therefore the position of the bridge (more centered on the body). What type of bracing patter did you use?

[JEStanek]

Spectacular, John. Lovely in story and construction. It's a treat to see the new instruments coming out of your shop.

Jamie

[sunburst]

Very nice, John, and I also like the deep-toned sunburst. Was there a reason you used an oval hole vs. f-holes. I also noticed (I think) that this is a longer neck in terms of the place on the body it joins and therefore the position of the bridge (more centered on the body). What type of bracing patter did you use?

The reason for the oval hole was the customer's request. I built one the same shape and size with f-holes, for another customer, and I wish I could hear them side by side to hear the differences, but they reside in different states so getting them together isn't likely.
Longer neck? Longer than what? :) It is longer than the Gibson mandola necks were, but who pays any attention to that? :cool: The neck is configured more or less like an F5 mandolin neck with the 15th fret at the top edge. It has an X-brace.

[Trey Young]

A fine looking instrument, great job!

[Jim Garber]

Longer neck? Longer than what? :) It is longer than the Gibson mandola necks were, but who pays any attention to that? :cool: The neck is configured more or less like an F5 mandolin neck with the 15th fret at the top edge. It has an X-brace.

By longer I meant that it was joined higher like the equivalent of an F5 as you say. I wasn't talking scale, just where the neck joins the body. I have played a few oval hole mandolins recently and noticed a definite difference and my personal preference in tone leans to the modern versions that stick are built similar to the older non-F5 Gibsons. So I was just curious about your take on a modern mandola.

[mandopete]

Very, very nice. I think you might be right about the scale length and the notion of being able emphasize what the notes the mandola has available.

Can you post a sound clip, I'd love to hear it!

5 Stars!

[John Zimm]

Just beautiful. I admire your talent.

[Max Girouard]

Wow!!!!

Inspiring!

[sunburst]

Can you post a sound clip, I'd love to hear it!

I'd love to hear it too...

Well, scratch that, the owner came to pick it up as I was typing that, so now I've heard it played. Unfortunately, I can't play mandola so I couldn't make a sound clip if I wanted to. It sounds even better, to me, from in front of it. I think it fits really well into the sound "space" that the mandola is meant to fill.

[Spruce]

I just love to see wood like this make music... ;)

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee22/e_stamp/sideB.jpg

Good one....

[Mandobar]

John, Do you have pics of the f hole Mandola? I'd love to see those.

[sunburst]

John, Do you have pics of the f hole Mandola? I'd love to see those.

I have pictures of nearly everything I've built and a lot of what I've repaired since I got my first digital camera. The f-hole 'dola is here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?71681-A-new-mandola&highlight=hamlett).

[Denny Gies]

That's a beauty John. By the way, the dawgs are doing great.........thanks again.

[Jake Wildwood]

Mandola's may only have 7 extra notes, but the tone is still quite different from a mandolin IMO, and well having in the armory!

Not to mention, if you get a mandolin and a mandola together in a duo it's such a wonderful sound -- very in-sync but especially if the mandola is playing backing chords you get this velvety crossover thing going on.

[tburcham]

Mr. Hamlett...simply stunning! Your "sunburst" is absolutely beautiful! Your Cafe name is well deserved (-:

[Mandobart]

Looks great John! I'd love to hear it. Most people know I'm quite partial to Western Redcedar. I have both an F4 mando and "F4" style OM with Western redcedar tops. The tone on each is darker, mellower and warmer to me, with more sustain and bassier overtones in the sustain than spruce topped ovals I've played and heard. Anyway, I've even contacted a few luthiers about building me a western redcedar topped viola-sized 5-string fiddle. Only a couple are interested....

Those trees are to me more like Sequoia or Redwood than other true cedar species. I've seen some old growth out on the coast that are simply huge. And the grain is always straight and tight.

[John McCoy]

Magnicifent!!! :redface:

[Ivan Kelsall]

Yet another awesome looking (& 'sounding' no doubt), instrument from John Hamlett. Like Jim Garber,i love those deep 'sunburst' colours that John gets - truly outstanding craftsmanship,
Ivan

[boatman]

Well, after playing Johns' latest creation 'till the finger tips are oh so sore, I thought that I'd relay impressions. If I were as fluent as Mr Jay of Mandolin Bothers, superlatives like "celestial choir" or"heavenly harmonics" might be included, but such descriptions elude me. Safe to say that this is a really nice instrument, aesthetically and tonally. As compared to the "f" hole mandolin and octave mandolin (both also by John), this mandola seems to be more resonant. It's got a really "rich" sound, with some of the "tubbiness" of a nice vintage Gibson oval hole. I was a bit concerned that the mandola wouldn't be "different" enough from the octave mandolin to justify the expense, but it is. A most welcome addition to the "armory". Thanks, John

[Jim Rowland]

Ultra, John! I really hope you get the color and finish assignment on the group archtop effort forming up in the next holler over.
Jim

[Toycona]

I was just looking at your website...particularly your feature on the fretboard leveling. It was fascinating. Thanks for providing a little insight into an art that I know little about.

[GKWilson]

John. This is a beautiful instrument. But, I checked out your f-hole.
And, that's the sweetest 'dola' I've ever seen. Please, keep up the great work.
Gary

[Jeff Hildreth]

Very fine instrument. Particularly fond of the long headstock.

[Jerry Haynes]

Looks really nice John ! Glad you could use the wood. I have enough to make more mandolins than I can possibly build in this life time. As for the wood, after getting it, I compared it to a couple of wrc pieces that I had, and in my opinion ... that's what it is.
For me, it give mandos a deep woody tone. It came from telegraph poles in a small town close to Dayton Ohio, cut down in 1973 and chunked into 3 foot sections. As for the chemicals in it....who knows?? I've not been sick yet.....no bugs in shop though...jk

[Galileo]

Hi Jerry,

I live up in the Dayton area. Out of curiosity what town did the wood come from?

Robert


P.S. I missed this thread some how...the 'dola is gorgeous

[sunburst]

...I compared it to a couple of wrc pieces that I had, and in my opinion ... that's what it is.
As for the chemicals in it....who knows??

I'm sure that's what it is too.
I doubt if it was treated with anything. WRC is toxic enough as is that it doesn't really need anything else to make it last a long time.

(Hint, for those who don't know; any wood that lasts a long time in the weather does so because it is toxic to bugs and fungi, and usually, toxic to us too. Anyone who has ever gotten a splinter of WRC knows how painful it is and how quickly it swells and "festers". Also, anyone who has breathed much dust from working WRC knows how much nose, throat and bronchial discomfort it can cause. It's toxic stuff.)

[tmsweeney]

There has been an influx of some great mandolas posted recently, this one is exceptional
I am you on the the 17 inch scale, great design.

[Chip Booth]

There has been an influx of some great mandolas posted recently, this one is exceptional
I am you on the the 17 inch scale, great design.

Great looking instrument!

I have also noticed more mandola threads are showing recently. It is great to see that players are learning how useful the mandola can be. I am a true convert, I love playing the 'dola. In fact I will be playing the Smart at a jazz festival all this week. An F hole mandola comping with a piano is one of the best sounds I have made in recent years.

[Steve Ostrander]

Fabulous. I wish I had the skill, ability, patience and tools to build. I could buy the tools, but the others are hard to come by.

[Pete Jenner]

Is 'hard' maple a species or just a collective word for a few species?
I ask because I have a neck I made from Stewmac hard maple. NFI.

[sunburst]

"Hard maple" is sugar maple (Acer saccharum) most of the time, though black maple (Acer nigrum) is also considered hard maple. Black maple is less common than sugar maple, but is a similar tree.

[Pete Jenner]

Ah ha - thanks John.

[AaronVW]

Very nice work, John! I like the look of the dark burst with the nice clean rosette. You are making me want to go and try my hand at building a mandola....

[Happy gnome]

Man, that is a truly excellent looking instrument. I love the shots of the wood. It simply astonishes me that a chunk of tree can become something so beautiful. You're an inspiration John; keep up the good work!