TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
I'm a big fan of TK Smith, who builds Bigsby-inspired instruments that are just too cool...
He builds his own pickups for his creations, and they sound wonderful...
Anyway, this appeared on his website recently, and I thought you'd all like to have a gander...
https://c3.staticflickr.com/6/5663/2...4bb351f7_z.jpg
https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8274/3...3c6ff809_z.jpg
https://c5.staticflickr.com/6/5454/2...6fcf5f9e_z.jpg
It's part of a matched set!
https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8275/3...dda520e4_z.jpg
Just wow....
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Those are very nice. I'm not even going to check the prices.....
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Man. It's rare that I think engraving looks good on anything but 1911s, but that's pretty darn striking.
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Oh Yeah. I like those a lot. That red one is something extra special.
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Spruce
This one, for sure. Any idea if it is solid, chambered, or hollow body?
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Wowzer- so what do these guys go for?
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Mark Seale
Any idea if it is solid, chambered, or hollow body?
Bigsby inspired, so I'm pretty sure it's chambered...
I snapped a pic of a Bigsby copy he was working on, and you can see what's under the hood:
https://c6.staticflickr.com/9/8648/3...5c148f9b_z.jpg
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
I was going to say that the only quibble I had was the odd positioning of the knob (volume?) so close to the bridge, but it looks like that might be driven by the architecture of the chambers.
1 Attachment(s)
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chief
Wowzer- so what do these guys go for?
Here's the only one I've seen for sale publicly...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
onassis
I was going to say that the only quibble I had was the odd positioning of the knob (volume?) so close to the bridge, but it looks like that might be driven by the architecture of the chambers.
Check out the knob positioning on Tiny's Bigsby...
Glad TK re-arranged things...
Attachment 150313
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Nine large. I have a couple of lotto tickets I need to check...
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Yeah, that's kind of like way out of my ball park. Makes them more pricey than the originals.
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Chief
Makes them more pricey than the originals.
Um. No. Carter Vintage had the Glenn Tarver Bigsby 5-string for $40K a couple of months back. But it's gone now.
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...igsby-Mandolin
Should Tiny's mandolin ever come on the market, it would fetch more than a Loar, I'll bet.
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
I just love the way the neck blends into the body on both the original Bigsbys and the Smiths...
Just beautiful...
https://c6.staticflickr.com/6/5690/3...52ed3d3b_z.jpg
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
worth every penny, and out of my price range. I hate that combination. Beautiful work, for sure.
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
I played this one at NAMM this year. So nice. TK told me that he got ahold of x-rays and one of Tiny's mandolins for the construction. I can't reiterate how much I love it. It's here in Nashville at Carter's Vintage... I go in and play it a couple of times a month. I hope no one buys it so I can continue to do so.
https://cartervintage.com/collection...nt=42578200771
Listed at 6,200 but he offered it to me for 5k. I just can't in my right mind spend that, but I can dream.
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
It is chambered but heavily braced. Makes for a feathery light solid body.
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Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
Nice looking rig you have there Spruce. I love those Fender Reverbs.
Len B.
Clearwater, FL
Re: TK Smith Electric Mandolins...
What, Spruce, you're NOT playing it through an EH-185???!!!??? :disbelief: