Anyone seen or tried a combo top?

[blind road]

So I love the deep resonance of my mahogany mandolin on the lows and the clear bell of my maple mandolin on the highs, is it possible to get both? I have a cedar/spruce dread that kind of accomplishes this. I'm sure someone has made a mando like this, any experiences?

[Jim Garber]

It looks, from the photo, that your dreadnaught guitar has a top of cedar (bass side) and spruce (treble). Does it also have a back of mahogany (bass) and maple (treble)? Who is the maker? Very interesting. I think I have seen mandolins with tops or even backs like that but I can'r recall where or who made them.

[MikeEdgerton]

It has been done. I know there are a few threads about it here, I just can't find them right now.

I believe most actually used different varieties of spruce for the tops to take advantage of the sonic properties of each version on the treble or bass side.

[MikeEdgerton]

Here's one thread with some guitar discussion with some well know luthiers.

[jd.panko]

Chris Standridge of Carver mandolins has built a few. He had one at Wintergrass a while back.

[blind road]

The back of this Blueberry is a mahogany species from Bali. I'm not big on the carvings but the guitar sounds fantastic and is well made. Thing is huge though 5" wide bout.

[blind road]

Here's one thread with some guitar discussion with some well know luthiers.

That's great Mike thanks. I'm lucky to have Bruce just down the road from me, great guy.

[blind road]

Bracing may not create a bass and treble side but the bridge coming down on the split top may...?

[MikeEdgerton]

Bracing may not create a bass and treble side but the bridge coming down on the split top may...?

And when the mandolin is converted to left-handed what happens?

[JeffD]

My guess is the entire top is involved in the vibration regardless of how many woods it is made of, so that all notes, treble and bass, take advantage of the combination of tone woods.

But I am not a luthier.

[blind road]

My guess is the entire top is involved in the vibration regardless of how many woods it is made of, so that all notes, treble and bass, take advantage of the combination of tone woods.

But I am not a luthier.

Agreed for sure but would it create the desired result if built by a skilled luthier? Not original but an interesting idea to me.

[Northwest Steve]

I believe that Ken Ratciff of Silverangel mandolins has experimented with different tops.

[blind road]

Ken has nice mandos. Maybe asking too much of such a small bodied instrument to achieve this. But I really feel the split top on my giant dread creates a resonance projecting both bass and treble. Comparing to my d 18 and rosewood larrivee it has a special sound.I have this old stradolin mahogany that has such a sweet resonance but the trebles fall off, nice tone change though from my km505. Chasing tone, just like with guitars.