It goes by many names.
I am curious if anyone has seen a carved top?
The body style is classic as a flat top, but I was wondering if anyone has seen a carved top with a little more arc than a typical flat braced top.
It goes by many names.
I am curious if anyone has seen a carved top?
The body style is classic as a flat top, but I was wondering if anyone has seen a carved top with a little more arc than a typical flat braced top.
The specs for my Sawchyn Beavertail flattie listed it as domed and when I asked Peter Sawchyn about his reply was 'Hi, the tops on our BeaverTails are solid Sitka and have a fifteen inch radius in them, not carved. This helps with sound and projection and top sag.'
So not carved but maybe not exactly flat either?
Rob
"Carved top pancake Flatiron" seems like an oxymoron. There were a few Flatiron "pancakes" made with f-holes, I believe, but not with carved tops. One of the f-hole "Flatties" is depicted in this thread; look at the 2018 posts.
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Yes, the arch adds a lot to the original in terms of strength and projection. I was just wondering if any builder has tried a carved top. The design of the Army/Navy is a classic, and it would be interesting to see if a carved top would improve it or not.
Oxymoron...yes. I was thinking more along the line of the nice body style of an Arm/Navy. And if a carved top has been tried.
That style of mandolin is used in the Celtic tradition. Graham Macdonald provides building instructions for one in his book "The Mandolin Project". And tho it is not a true "Flat Iron" body, there is no reason one can't be built.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
Well, you could be the first! If you pursue it keep us up to date.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
Thanks Charley,
I think it would make a great crossover mandolin, for a lot of music styles
I started way back with a flat, round, shallow Army/Navy style mandolin, then went to a deeper cittern-type body shape with a slightly domed top. No carving there. But I seem to recall Brian Dean maybe 15 years ago using the phrase "wee-bit carved" in advertising one of his flat-top models. Sounded interesting, but I never heard any details about the process. Does anyone here know anything about those instruments?
That looks interesting but I would definitely go with a round vs oval sound hole and a rosette for more of a traditional "Army-Navy" look. I would also use a light X-brace for the carved top.
It might be fun to build a flat top and an arched top using the same materials and compare them when done.
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
David, I think you are on the right track, run with it!
Charley
A bunch of stuff with four strings
I think it would visually work better without the recurve and just a convex curve side to side. You can always thin what would be the recurve area on the inside to maintain a thicker binding edge. Perhaps a lower arch and a low bridge and less neck angle to find a sound between a fully carved and a arched over braces flattop.
http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com
The Mandolin Project on building mandolins
The Mandolin-a history
The Ukulele on building ukuleles
Thanks Graham. Good suggestions for an Army-Navy style. I am finishing up on the Celtic from your book. It has been an invaluable source of information. I appreciate not only the "how to do it" but also the "why" to do it. Thank you for putting it together. I skipped the recurve to simplify the design. For an Army-Navy, I think I will also skip the "hump" under the fret board end.
https://larkinthemorning.com/collect...34426398572712
Here's another example of a carved a/n style I just saw. I actually really like the look of this one with all its fancy appointments.
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https://youtube.com/@zachwilson54?si=iGum4xPlSj0pbcjj
I decided to go ahead and build a carved top Army Navy...AN for short. You can follow my progress in the builder's section under the title "Building the carved top Army Navy. Thanks for all the info and suggestions in this thread.
A Friend had an Original Olive Drab painted Army/Navy Gibson Mandolin, It's Top was quite Flat, as I Recall .
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Last edited by Tukanu; Dec-27-2021 at 5:34pm.
It is a surprise to me too. One of the defining characteristics of the Army Navy and really all "pancake" mandolins is that they are flat tops. To many folks the Army Navy would be the go-to flattop.
But ok, creativity sometimes involves pushing boundaries. Someone had to be the first take a perfectly good hamburger and try and make it a BLT.
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