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twoscoobysnacks
Oct-15-2013, 9:22pm
Hi All,

I had been reading the forum as a guest for almost a year and joined a few months ago. There is a lot of great information on this forum. For my first post, I want to give a nod to James Wilson at Red Valley Mandolins. I contacted James a couple of months ago about doing a mandolin build. He was great to work with. He spent a good deal of time with me on a phone call answering a bunch of questions. He then answered a bunch more questions via email, both before and after I received the mandolin. I've had the mandolin for three weeks now and am thrilled with it! The craftsmanship is excellent. And the tone is exactly what I was looking for - round, full, and warm. I know most on the forum prefer F-style and carved top mandos. But if you are looking for an A-style flat top, give Red Valley some consideration. The prices are very reasonable and I think a great bargain.

Ben

AaronVW
Oct-15-2013, 9:35pm
Looks great! I like the tailpiece and natural wood colors. I bet that mandolin is great for Irish tunes.

Marty Jacobson
Oct-15-2013, 9:43pm
Basic and beautiful.

twoscoobysnacks
Oct-15-2013, 10:26pm
Thanks. Yeah, I prefer the natural woods look. I use the mando on some rock songs, some blues, and some Irish tunes. It plays/sounds great for my applications.

Bill Clements
Oct-15-2013, 11:11pm
Congrats! 14 inch scale?
Spruce top?
How about the back/sides/neck?

JEStanek
Oct-15-2013, 11:14pm
Cool builder I hadn't heard of before! Elegant mandolin.

Jamie

Happy gnome
Oct-16-2013, 6:21am
I really dig that simple, natural look too. Great mandolin!

Tommcgtx
Oct-16-2013, 9:25am
That is super nice! Enjoy!

twoscoobysnacks
Oct-16-2013, 9:43am
Thanks again, folks. To answer Bill - yes, 14" scale. Spruce top. Mahogany back, sides, and neck. Ebony fretboard. Rosewood veneer on the headstock and rosewood binding on the body and around the sound hole. The bridge is ebony with a bone cap. And the tailpiece is ebony on brass. The picture of the back that I posted does not do the wood justice, but the mahogany has a nice figure to it. James, the builder, said that picking out nice looking (and nice sounding) woods is one of his hobbies. So he has a selection of woods from which to choose.

lorrainehornig
Oct-16-2013, 10:04am
Very nice! Enjoy it!

billhay4
Oct-16-2013, 10:46am
Nice!
Bill