New Apitius Club Jazz Mandolin acquisition…

[Tomando]

Here’s a few pics of a special order Apitius Club Jazz mandolin I just just received. I knew Oliver Apitius was a one man shop, and wondered if he could do a custom headstock inlay . I provided him with a design for a great blue heron, (my favorite bird), laid out on a scale template that Oliver provided. I also asked for a few other minor tweaks, which he happily provided. I think the result is aesthetically gorgeous. But even better, it has a fantastic voice: strong, responsive, articulate, with a vintage-y vibe. And, sustain for days…! Oliver is a great guy to work with, and this Club Jazz is a joy to play.! Just wanted to share this with the mandosphere.

[RichieK]

Wow. Totally awesome!

[Aaron Bohnen]

No kidding - what a beautiful instrument. Just gorgeous.

[darylcrisp]

love the headstock shape and the inlay!
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[John Soper]

I love the whole vibe of that mandolin. Visually flows together. Not as ostentatious as an 5F, but sensuous in its curves. Bet you're not taking it to a lot of Bluegrass jams!

[Joey Anchors]

Such a wonderful build! Love it

[William Smith]

I tell ya man that's sweet! I've never been fortunate to play any Apitius mandolins but the few demos I've heard, OH YEAH! Those Rosine models at least the one I've heard really was special!

[MontanaMatt]

Can you share a sound sample please?

[Jeff Mando]

What a beauty! Enjoy it!

[Tomando]

Thanks, all for the great comments.
Here’s a short video of the Club Jazz. Warning: I’m not Chris Thile…


https://youtu.be/rzOZh38ljFw

[Old Growth]

Tomando...that is one very special looking instrument. Congrats And, yes, I couldn't agree more. Oliver is one of my favorite people!
Play in good health.

[Br1ck]

That is why you should commission a custom build.

[seankeegan]

That is stunning. Congratulations.

[Mike Scott]

Nice! Plus a vintage Masi to boot!

[Skip Kelley]

Here’s a few pics of a special order Apitius Club Jazz mandolin I just just received. I knew Oliver Apitius was a one man shop, and wondered if he could do a custom headstock inlay . I provided him with a design for a great blue heron, (my favorite bird), laid out on a scale template that Oliver provided. I also asked for a few other minor tweaks, which he happily provided. I think the result is aesthetically gorgeous. But even better, it has a fantastic voice: strong, responsive, articulate, with a vintage-y vibe. And, sustain for days…! Oliver is a great guy to work with, and this Club Jazz is a joy to play.! Just wanted to share this with the mandosphere.

That is so cool! Enjoy that mandolin!!

[Scotter]

Besides The Buckeye f5 that I'm currently waiting to be delivered, The Club Jazz is the only other mandolin that I covet.

[mandoglobal]

Hey, I believe we are shop brothers! Oliver sent me pics of my custom Vanguard F5, and yours was in the background....that inlay is awesome, unmistakeable. Attached some pics. Couldn’t agree more re working with Oliver. And the craftsmanship....well, I’m in awe every single day. Had it for a couple months now and it’s far surpassed my Sumi that’s been such a loyal head-turning companion for many many years. Pics include a finished product as well. You can see yours hanging in the background on the 3rd pic. Congrats!!

[Tomando]

Wow! Shop brothers…�� What a small world this mandosphere is. I’ve never done a custom order before, and I certainly love the result of this one. I hope you do too, brother…��

[Donal H]

It is just beautiful to look at, but I want to know what that Mando sounds like...

[mandoglobal]

One way to know what they sound like - listen to any mandolin recording by Dan Tyminski and any recent work by David Benedict. They’re both die hard supporters. There are also a number of recording samples on the Apitius website. See below...enjoy!

http://www.apitiusmandolins.com/recordings.html

[Elliot Luber]

Sweet!

[Baron Collins-Hill]

Very cool! Would love to hear a sound clip!

Thanks,
Baron

[Keith Witty]

That's a seriously beautiful mandolin. I'm jonesing for my Blevins to finally be finished!

[O. Apitius]

Thanks everyone for the enthusiastic reception of my jazz model mandolins! I carried the concept for these "J-models" around in my head for many years and was finally able to make them a reality a couple of years ago. I really felt legitimized when Downbeat Magazine asked to do a review of my "Yorkville" model for their upcoming July issue. (The Yorkville is just an uptown version of my J-models. Tuxedo required.) I'm doing all I can to boost the recognition of the mandolin as a serious jazz instrument. I have been in contact with Canada's only 24/7 jazz radio station in the hopes of getting them to play more (some) mandolin music and I think I'm making inroads. Here's a link if you would like to petition them. https://jazz.fm/

In the meantime, here are a few more images of Tom's Club Jazz.

[MontanaMatt]

Hi Mr. Apitius
I'm intrigued by the scallops on the bracing(particularly the double scallop on the F, is that your secret sauce or is that part of other builders pallet of Tone control?
How do you decided when and where?