Alrite Tribute
I'm a big fan of the flattop mandolin. Coming over from the guitar, I started on one of Mike Dulak's Mid-Missouri models, and since that time, I have owned one of Walt Kuhlman's Gypsy Vagabonds, one of I guess Steve Carlson's Flatiron pancakes, and two of Steve Smith's Redline Travelers. In the process, I have developed a tremendous admiration for the amount of sound these little mandolins produce and the amount of value that they deliver. At one point, I had a hankering to buy a vintage model, such as a Gibson Army-Navy Style DY, but a lot of the survivors are in bad repair, and truthfully I prefer the feel of modern instruments. Thus, I decided to reach out to Andy Poe to see if he would build me one of his Scout flattops as something of a tribute to the Gibson Alrite, celebrating its 100th birthday. His directive was to make the instrument look as much as possible like one leaving Kalamazoo in 1917, to play like one built in 2017, and to sound like one with a hundred years of seasoning. On Thursday, he delivered!
The top is a piece of red spruce that Andy selected. It is really wide grained with lots of bearclaw figure.
The back is a piece of 500 year old sinker birch pulled from Moosehead Lake in Maine, sourced with the help of Max Girouard (thanks again, Max!).
The neck is traditional Spanish cedar:
And the tailpiece is an original Waverly cloud, sourced from Dave Stutzman's drawer of forgotten antiquities (thanks Allen Hopkins!).
Add in the purfling that Andy sourced, the pickguard that he crafted, and the spirit varnish finish that he applied, and I think that the completed instrument really captures the look of the original Alrite.
But as vintage as it looks, it plays like new. Andy installed both an adjustable bridge and truss rod, allowing for future tweaks as necessary. The latter made possible a more narrow V- style neck which, coupled with the compound radiused board, creates a very comfortable playing experience. Throw in stainless steel frets and this mandolin is ready to provide long service like the instruments it commemorates.
As for the voice, it is the best and most complete sounding flattop in my experience. Tonally, it has a strong fundamental with excellent note definition and clarity. It is already quite loud and features a surprisingly full bottom end with long sustain. It sounds nothing like a little guitar or a lute from the Renaissance fair. It's all mandolin.
At last, I get to join the chorus lauding the work of Andy Poe. He makes high quality instruments built to impeccable standards for very reasonable prices. It is my understanding that he's not currently taking new orders for 2017, which is a pity and makes me thankful that I got in when I did. I would heartily endorse getting on his waiting list if possible or recommend one of his used instruments without reservation.
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Originally Posted by pheffernan
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