Black A5 on hold at Mandolin World HQ

[dan in va]

This is one mandolin that really grabs my attention. It just flat out looks right and Mike really hit a home run this time - it looks fantastic! The overall box and peghead shape, 1 1/16" nut, beautiful binding everywhere, the perfect fretboard extension, and -- wait for it -- even the tailpiece is straight. If this one sounds as good as it looks it will be some kind of wonderful.

It's going to DG in NM. Hmmm...might that be you, Don? Details, man?!

[Don Grieser]

It's here. The only thing that doesn't work for me is the neck so it's probably going back. I've got 2 that work so I'm holdin' what I got.

[dan in va]

Is it as much of a looker as it is in Chas' pics? i was wondering if the neck was a bit chubby even with 1 1/16" nut. Maybe the cost of having it reshaped isn't worth it....but how does it sound?

[Don Grieser]

Check your email.

[pheffernan]

This is one mandolin that really grabs my attention. It just flat out looks right and Mike really hit a home run this time - it looks fantastic! The overall box and peghead shape, 1 1/16" nut, beautiful binding everywhere, the perfect fretboard extension, and -- wait for it -- even the tailpiece is straight. If this one sounds as good as it looks it will be some kind of wonderful.

This one interests me as well. Obviously, I'm a fan of Mike's work, as you can tell by my signature. Yet I've never owned or played one of his A5's. This one (#9) was sandwiched between #5, which Brent Hutto posted favorably about, and #11, which has drawn raves from my buddy Gary. It also comes from the 2010-2011 window where Mike was posting a lot in his research of the Mrs. Griffith Loar. I'd be curious to learn whether he had access to John Sullivan's Hacklingers from Spruce when carving the top. Maybe he'll return from Winfield and post here.