Search:

I was very fortunate to be there that night with my wife and Michael Schroeder. It was magnificent from start to finish.

Butch was an extraordinary guy with fabulous ears and a magic touch.
Way...

I enjoyed re-reading my sad tale from 2019. Since then, Adam Buchwald has built a number of carbon fiber mandolins based on my work that really make me want one.

Adam is uniquely skilled and it...

Hi Julie,
Among the many virtues of carbon fiber is the fact that it does not absorb or shed moisture and is extraordinarily strong and resilient. It is extremely unlikely that the neck has...

Try this if the video doesn’t load properly:

CFhRP51KcCw

TLv-jflB3bI

Any fingerstyle fans out there? Austin’s OM is a treat to play!

Here’s the link if it doesn’t play: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=TLv-jflB3bI

Fabricating a carbon fiber mandolin body is a very expensive proposition and all the more so when an arched top and back are involved. Through the 1990’s I went to the NAMM shows expecting to see cf...

Joe’s work is wonderful: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Vb9wGR0bs

Here’s a terrific electric F5 from Hondo. History is sketchy and it may have been a NAMM show custom instrument in ‘69 or the early 70’s.

I googled Hondo once and found it quickly under the...

Adam Buchwald of Circle Strings sent photos to me of his newly completed electric mandolin recently. Today I went to meet it and took a test drive.

Typical of Adam’s work, it is exceptionally...

173083

Hopefully, you can see the contrast between the original ‘65 saddle and the new brass version. I always thought the originals were brass, but they are in fact stainless steel.
I don’t know...

Oh, almost forgot.....Florentine body points, hence the name.

Nope, no tangible evidence. The fellow I acquired it from corresponded with Gleason’s niece (dunno how that came about) who told him of its history as she knew it. I don’t know any particulars, but...

In 1961 during the filming of The Hustler in NYC, Jackie Gleason is said to have bought this black Gibson EM200 Electric Florentine mandolin as a gag for his co-star Paul Newman.

He meant to buy...

Over the years I’ve found that the only way I can get the volume and sustain needed for slide (without feedback) is to use a solid body mandolin. Single strings sound like a high-strung guitar, so...

Please check Joe’s site for the best information, of course, but it is a chambered instrument with a top-mounted Fralin/Yanuziello pickup. His work is gorgeous. Check out the Cupcake series.....

Here’s a sample of one of Joe Yanuziello’s fantastic mandolins. I was very fortunate to find it as his work just doesn’t come up for sale. I had been playing it for a couple of hours and was...

Here's a bit of Chuck Sanzone's fabulous e-Mando:
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtube_gdata_player&v=QBmIIlQvW6U

The body was modeled on a '58 Gibson EM200 and is carved of quilted maple...

148846Chuck based this wonderful e-mando on a '58 Gibson EM200. Carved-top, flat back quilted maple body with Kent Armstrong pickup.......

I met Stan by phone in the early 70's when he and Hap were partners. I called him about a 1918 Gibson A1 I had acquired along with the 1918 Gibson catalog that was tucked in the case. I knew a little...

Having spent many years in the production of fine carved mandolins, I am most comfortable with ebony fingerboards. I love how they feel and sound, I know how to deal with them as time goes along and...

Thank you all for the very kind comments! John Baxter deserves great credit for making these videos possible. We started this project when VHS was the standard of the day, so you know it's been a...

This red carbon fiber/Kevlar F5 has had the initial coats of pore-filling lacquer applied and now awaits clear coats before set-up. As some of our extremely patient customers can attest, finishing...

For what it's worth, I have done a lot of open-tuned playing over the years, but find it limiting on mandolin. Standard mandolin tuning and slide do work very well together though there hurdles. Yes,...

I'm running straight into a Fender Pro 900 amp with no effects aside from a little bit of reverb. The only advice I can give is to be very patient and play endlessly. If you are able to boost your...

For those who haven't heard Niles play, please check him out! He's brilliant! Being less so, I take a more conventional course and stay in standard tuning. As he correctly points out, you can't slant...