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Thread: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

  1. #1
    Pittsburgh Bill
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    Default Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    I just met the builder of Muleskinner mandolins. Anyone owning or having played one of these care to offer their impressions?
    Big Muddy EM8 solid body (Mike Dulak's final EM8 build)
    Kentucky KM-950
    Weber Gallatin A Mandola "D hole"
    Rogue 100A (current campfire tool & emergency canoe paddle)

  2. #2
    Pittsburgh Bill
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    Played 5 examples yesterday. Nice balanced tone and excellent playability. Wishing I had my Collings with me for comparison. A Stiver and Ken Ratcliff would make the comparison better as I develop my short list.
    Better yet, I win one in a raffle I entered!
    Big Muddy EM8 solid body (Mike Dulak's final EM8 build)
    Kentucky KM-950
    Weber Gallatin A Mandola "D hole"
    Rogue 100A (current campfire tool & emergency canoe paddle)

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  4. #3
    Dan Sampson mando_dan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    Yup, I too entered the raffle for the mandolin at the Green Mountain Bluegrass and Roots festival. And DIDN'T win. Outrageous. I'd love to have heard the instrument more- the other models all sounded pretty good and the sycamore backs looked great.
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  5. #4
    Pittsburgh Bill
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    The sycamore back mandolin he had on display was my pick of the bunch. All his Mandos are A styles of which I am partial to.
    Big Muddy EM8 solid body (Mike Dulak's final EM8 build)
    Kentucky KM-950
    Weber Gallatin A Mandola "D hole"
    Rogue 100A (current campfire tool & emergency canoe paddle)

  6. #5
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    Hey all, Brian here. I am a good friend and bandmate of Andy and he has built me a slightly smaller scaled dread style guitar. The guitar he built for me is unlike anything I have ever played. Its perfectly balanced, cuts when needs, but is also a hell of a good strummer.

    But we ain't here to talk guitars I guess. The sycamore mandolin is something I had lusted over since I first saw the tone wood before it had any shape resembling any sort of instrument.

    I have been lucky enough to play (probably) all of the mandolins coming out of Andy's shop. He has a deep knowledge and vast appreciation of tonewoods and what he is going after tonewise in using a combo of addy and maple vs birch vs walnut. That being said, he is also totally unafraid to experiment and see how things come out which has lead to some pretty amazing outcomes in terms of tone (see: that sycamore beauty!).

    His oval holes are sweet, full and ring like a bell, the f-holed a styles with walnut have been really full and with a lot of punch and his spruce/maple mandolins have been a bluegrass dream.

    He is currently building me a guitar bodied octave as well. I cannot wait to see how that turns out!

    One of the finest luthiers out there and I am sure that they will be up there with some of the current "top of the heap" builders once more of these get out into the world.
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  7. #6
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    Also, if you go to Andy's website you can see recent stuff from the shop and instruments that have sold and are for sale currently...

    https://www.muleskinnerinstruments.com/

    And also video (and sound) clips of instruments on his Youtube page

    https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzB...orFLA09zIk4P5Q

  8. #7
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    Just for folks' information. Andy has donated another mandolin to a raffle. 10 dollars a ticket. Its for an oval hole birch mandolin...I believe he had this mandolin last year at Green Mountain Bluegrass & Roots.

    Link below:

    https://www.chandler-arts.org/raffle

  9. #8
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    One of Andy's mandolins just popped up in the classifieds. Another mando picker from Vermont is the current owner. Black top, with a nice looking tobacco stain on the maple back and sides.

    https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/155405#155405

  10. #9
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    That black top and an absolutely gorgeous American Sycamore mandolin (mentioned above) are listed for sale on Andy's site.

    NFI, but I just love looking at these creations...even if I won't be buying!

    https://muleskinnerinstruments.com/?page_id=120

  11. #10
    My Florida is scooped pheffernan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mule skinner Mandolin info?

    Quote Originally Posted by redlineroots View Post
    That black top and an absolutely gorgeous American Sycamore mandolin (mentioned above) are listed for sale on Andy's site.
    The blacktop is also listed in the classifieds: https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/156111#156111
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