A beauty with total attention to detail.....a Lewis

[Gary Hedrick]

Here is another rare bird I had the pleasure of being a caretaker for.9602196022960239602496025960269602796028

[Dale Ludewig]

Yeow! Bravo.

Cocobolo? Brazilian? Just plain knockout. Michael is one of the best.

[JEStanek]

Boy, that's a well executed mandolin, there. Could you compare it's tone (and give some specs) for those of us more familiar with the spruce over maple variety, please?

Jamie

[lukmanohnz]

Stunning!! Audio clips, pretty please??

[Stephen Cagle]

GOOD LORD that is a beauty!!!!!!!!!!! Whats the tone like??

[Cheryl Watson]

Classy to the MAX!

[Gary Hedrick]

Yeow! Bravo.

Cocobolo? Brazilian? Just plain knockout. Michael is one of the best.

Cocobolo.......

[Gary Hedrick]

Boy, that's a well executed mandolin, there. Could you compare it's tone (and give some specs) for those of us more familiar with the spruce over maple variety, please?

Jamie

Jamie, it was more of a jazz type of sound. Not the in your face power. The body was a little more thin than the classic Gibson body. The balance was very good across the strings and it was a joy to play and to look at. Cheryl is right on about this one....it has head turning looks indeed.

Notice I keep saying was.....I don't own it any more. Seems that it nows resides with a Dr. in California and is in the same home as Dude #12 that I had Lynn build for me.....the mandolin world is small

This instrument was sent to a certain person that was commisioning and buying a blond example of each builders instruments....so a blond Dude, Nugget, Gil, Monty etc etc etc. He sent it back because it had a small indentation on the neck.

[Charles E.]

Thanks for sharing that. He sure nailed those violin style F-holes. Fantastic.

[bernabe]

Thanks for all the posts. Enjoyed looking at 'em all this morning.

[Mandobar]

Gary, I'm getting dizzy looking at all these.....

[Londy]

Holy Crap is that an amazing looking instrument! WOW, thanks for sharing.

[billhay4]

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=96021&d=1357176869
I can tell you from making canoe paddles that this is not an easy thing Michael has done: i.e. getting the witness lines of the veneer layers so even.
Beautiful work and beautiful instrument.
Bill

[Gary Hedrick]

To all ...you're welcome...I am glad that you found the photos worthwhile.....I had lost all of these photos and finding them brought back a lot of memories of these. .....

I am still looking for additional pictures.....there are 2 Dudenbostels....a Nugget and a couple of more F4's.....and a couple of tenor guitars.....I was just a little bit of an addict......but MASA (Mandolin Aquisition Syndrome Anonymus) helped me greatly with their 12 step plan ;)

[Tomy Plunk#er]

Great looking piece you have there, Thanks for sharing the pics.

[Steve Ostrander]

One of a kind. Very nice.

[Bill Snyder]

I have always wanted to see a Lewis mandolin in person.
I have great respect for Mr. Lewis. On another forum before I found the mandolin cafe I was planning my first mandolin build and he was gracious enough to answer all of my questions.

[Denny Gies]

Yuuuuuuuuuuuup. Words fail me.

[Gary Hedrick]

There are some makers that go that extra amount for artistic expression. Michael Lewis , John Monteleone Doug Woodley and Lawerence Smart come to my mind as some of the most artistic statement makers. Arthur Stern has owned a number of these object d'art (I hope I spelled that correctly).......instruments.....as has Glassweb....

The BIG four and Will Kimble all make highly detailed mandolins that are perfection but these art makers take the game in a different direction.....

[Michael Lewis]

Gary, thanks for putting those pics up, as you say, they bring back memories.

I pushed at doing the Loar thing so much I am a bit burned out with it, well, not burned out but other design parameters are more interesting to me at this time. For the Healdsburg Guitar Festival next August I am making a couple mandolins rather than guitars. (Not f models) A black top Ritz similar to the one I made for The Acoustic Music Co. but with an oval hole, and a symmetrical two point from some old walnut wood I found.