Dale Ludewig 'Emory Lester' Model A

[Ted Eschliman]

I’ve had one of the new Emory Lester Model As on loan from master luthier Dale Ludewig for a review on my website. I thought I’d share some of the pics here.
No financial interest; I just love a good, progressive builder…

http://members.aol.com/mandohack/images/LESerial.jpg

[Ted Eschliman]

Bold, symmetrical statement with his design. This is cutting edge in form and shape alone:

http://members.aol.com/mandohack/images/LEFace.jpg

Note the mixture of A & F style machines.

[Ted Eschliman]

Did I mention ebony pegs?

http://members.aol.com/mandohack/images/LEKnob.jpg

[Ted Eschliman]

A closer look at the headstock. The way the tortoise shell binding "lurks" here is quite compelling:

http://members.aol.com/mandohack/images/LEHdstk.jpg

[Ted Eschliman]

This is what really knocks me out, his bold statement with the binding on the body. What an incredible combination, going from a “Darth Vader” black to the honey brown back & sides.

http://members.aol.com/mandohack/images/LEBackSide.jpg

[Ted Eschliman]

Bird’s Eye Maple back with a delicious ‘burst:

http://members.aol.com/mandohack/images/LEback.jpg

[Ted Eschliman]

I have more thoughts about in on my website (http://members.aol.com/mandohack/Ludewig.html). Suffice it to say, this is a very progressive instrument. Tone somewhere in between an Oval and an F-hole instrument, the exaggerated F holes yield a very big, warm sound, without losing the “snap” one needs to articulate the sound.
Highly recommended; beat the curve and take advantage of this man’s work before the rest of the world finds out about him!

[Darryl Wolfe]

Very very cool...I thing A models drifting in this direction are wave of the future

[mandopete]

Yes, definately cool, but the scroll really looks odd on this one

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

I recall seeing one of these mandos with a soundhole on the top side of the instrument. I believe the objective was to give the player more of a sense of what the sound was like.

[mandoJeremy]

If you are seeing a scroll at all then you have better vision than most of us!

[Tom C]

I remember reading somewhere that the only metal used were the tuners and frets. Is that so?

[Dale Ludewig]

Hi Tom. I don't know where you read that but that's not so. All the hardware is normal, basically. It's an Allen tailpiece. Grover tuners that I disassemble and have plated black, as with the tailpiece and the thumbscrews on the bridge. The nut is black corian. Frets are metal too. <g> I wish I could find black fret wire.............
I did put black Black Diamond strings on mine for awhile. That was quite the look. It really made me want black frets.