Homemade mandolin (different woods used)

[Zach Wilson]

https://seattle.craigslist.org/oly/m...443568562.html

This one has been re-listed a couple times. It's a bit of a drive to the coast for me otherwise I would go take a look at this one.

It is, apparently handcrafted and the builder used a bunch of different woods... cherry, shadua, walnut, purple heart.

[LadysSolo]

It's interesting-looking. If I lived close I would go look at it and if I liked it, might make an offer.

[MikeEdgerton]

If you're going to get up in that territory go with a known commodity like a Big Muddy.

[pops1]

Looks like it may be a neck thru, I don't know what that would do to sound, but would think it would not be loud like most flat tops.

[John Kelly]

Is it the stripe down the back that is suggesting the neck-through construction to you, pops1? I have built a similar instrument where I added just such a purpleheart stripe and the instrument was a standard dovetail neck joint, as I always use. The purpleheart was used because I did not have wide enough wood for the back without adding in the extension piece. Not that I would tell anyone, other than saying it was a design feature I was trying out! There may well be other features of the instrument that I am not seeing that make you believe it is a neck-through design.

[Eric Platt]

Pretty sure it's not a neck through. He states teak for the other wood in the back. And the neck is some sort of mahogany.

Looks interesting, but my preference on a flat top would be to have an oval hole.

[allenhopkins]

The f-holes are what would make it distinctive from, say, a Big Muddy.

Looks like nice crafts-person-ship. I'd need to have it in my hands (which will never happen) before making a purchase decision. Too many unusual features to evaluate it sight-unseen (and tone-unheard).

[Eric Platt]

The f-holes are what would make it distinctive from, say, a Big Muddy.

Looks like nice crafts-person-ship. I'd need to have it in my hands (which will never happen) before making a purchase decision. Too many unusual features to evaluate it sight-unseen (and tone-unheard).

Definitely. Also looking around, it appears Flatiron did some early pancake mandolins with F holes. Although I've never handled one.

Guess I just prefer oval/round soundhole. But it's a bias I'm picking up from my band mate and mandolin mentor. He thinks oval holes sound better for the music we are playing (Finnish and Finnish/American).