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I sure do, Don, that's what started me down this path. I think they called theirs a Sopranolin and I was immediately smitten. Eva Holbrook recorded a Bach piece on one and it was just so cool I had...

And let's not forget that John Hamlett (Sunburst) is on here all the time offering invaluable building advice, Graham McDonald likewise frequently checks in, and Mike Black is here now and again. ...

I had trouble uploading the photo of the headstock overlay on the Cherry mandolin, and I just figured out the problem and fixed it. I needed to shrink it a bit. So, here it is. It looks a bit more...

Hi Billy,

These are tuned Cgda, a fourth above a mandolin, an octave above a mandola. The scale length is 10.35". They are small and a lot of fun to play. Sort of like driving a two seat...

Here are the latest Piccolo (Sopranino) flat-top mandolins off my bench (Barn Cat Mandolins Kitten model). One has local cherry back/sides and the other local Black Walnut backs/sides. Both have...

Sometimes when playing out, I will need to sight read a piece of music, make eye contact with another musician, or interact with the crowd. For these reasons, my fingers need to know where the frets...

While I favor listening to and playing slower pieces of music, I think the slow pieces can often be played best by players who have the technical ability to play fast, but make the decision to play...

I'll take what is in your case over all the others posting here thus far. What a sweet expression on your cat's face!

Just my two-cents worth, but it wouldn't diminish my enthusiasm for a mandolin I was considering purchasing at all. Floating bridges are that way to allow fine adjustment of intonation. The mark...

I have used thin flat shims of maple and bone. Both worked fine and I didn't hear any difference between the two. I have made a couple of these bridges and the shims make them quite adaptable.
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I must like blonde mandolins. Here are two blonde-top piccolo mandolins on my bench right now awaiting tuners, TP, nuts and bridges. One is Cherry, the other Black Walnut. What I really like is...

I chuckled at the anti-six string comment, and really enjoyed your playing. Now is not the right time for me to give a tenor a try, but you have convinced me that when the right time arrives, I...

Congratulations! That sure is good news.

Hey Don, sorry to hear about this problem and I sure hope you can resolve it. Have you thought about contacting Martin directly to ask whether it is a problem they are aware of and if so, how to fix...

Anything the cat finds fascinating is worth doing!

My lap for re-stringing. A new, unused, unopened bag of kitty litter for any major work like installing frets. The bag conforms to the shape of the neck and holds it securely in place. Plus, I...

Good choice of both instrument and store. Congratulations and best wishes for many years of happy picking.

That is a great story, thanks for posting it. I, too, have seen the impact of in-person acoustic music on people and it has brought to my mind just how unusual it is for a large segment of our...

Wow Don, that's gorgeous. Perfect book match, too. For a minute, I thought I was seeing a face in there! You have me chomping at the bit to get working with my piece. Thanks very much for posting...

I agree, it might not feel quite right, but I can think of a few 'performers' who's CDs might find their most appreciated use on a string, not in a player!

We used to get those AOL CDs in the...

Hi Jeff,

You are absolutely correct, even if, or maybe because ;) , you started the eggnog early. Mind you, I am very much if favor of starting the eggnog early and if we lived nearby in a COVID...

Hi Brian,

I find I can switch back and forth between a 13" and 14" scale length with no problem at all. These flat-tops are also made for light gauge strings which keep tension low. Have a look...

OK, I'll admit I am old school and still listen to CDs. But my other main use for them is stringing them up, maybe 4 or 5 to a string, with a weight on the end, and hanging them in the open doorways...

Some decades ago I planted a grove of hybrid (Chinese X American) chestnut trees, to harvest the nuts for market. We packed and sold the nuts for a while, but they proved not to be profitable due to...

Hi Don,

This particular piece has a really interesting grain pattern to it, and I have already done my resawing of it but have not yet started on the mandolin it will be used on. I need to finish...