New Lawrence Smart

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

I was finally able to put it down long enough to get a camera, learn to use it, then learn to post pictures. Voila!

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

cool binding treatment

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

This shot is a little dark, but the color should look a bit more like the front.

[Spruce]

This might help....

[WJF]

Congratulations! As the proud owner of two of Lawrence's mandolins I can tell you that without a doubt you will grow to love your mandolin more and appreciate Lawrence's artistry with every passing day. They are truly amazing and inspirational instruments!!!

Best of luck with it!

Wayne

[danb]

Nice looking mandolin Bruce! How's it sound?

[Scotti Adams]

..very nice...if she sounds as good as she looks then youve got it made...

[Spruce]

It ain't mine, Dan...

I was just brightening up the picture for onlyagibsonisgoodenuff
so we could see the maple..

Gotta be able to see that maple...

Onlyagibsonisgoodenuff--is that red maple?

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

I don't really know much about wood, so I couldn't tell you. The picture of the back isn't much lighter than my picture of it, certainly not as light as the second pic. It's a great sounding mando, being as it's x-braced it sounds great sooner than perhaps a tone-bar mandolin. I will have to play it a lot, though so I'll get maximum enjoyment from it before it goes muddy!

[WJF]

Lawrence uses a modified x-brace that is really more of a cross between x-bracing and the tone bar approach. I can't speak with any authority about whether or not a true x-braced mandolin truly gets "muddy" sounding over time but I can tell you that neither of my two Smarts sound the least bit muddy. Both have opened up beautifully and really sing. They are spectacular instruments in every sense of the word! I think you're in for a very long, very happy ride with your new ALS!

Best,
Wayne

[mandopete]

........aparently not only a Gibson is good enough!

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

Actually, of the three F-5's I have, only one is a Gibson. But it's a good one.

[mandopete]

Of the three F-5's I have, one is a Lawrence Smart and it's a good one too!

[joshags03]

beautiful mandolin... I love that color and sunburst.

how is that pickguard mounted?

[Jonathan James]

Looks like mine, which is an abbreviated pickguard that mounts with two small pins in the side of the fretboard. No mounting brackets.

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

how is that pickguard mounted?

If you look real close, you can see a little screw just under the pickguard. There is another one about an inch in back of that one.

[SternART]

My Smart's aren't F's....... but two points.......and they sound fabulous!
Check 'em out: http://www.smithfowler.org/music/mandolin/smart/

[Tom C]

Wow, Nice mandos SternART

[ethanopia]

I like the binding treatment, what would you call that double pin-striped?

Top and side?

anyway it looks great...

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

Lawrence refers to the binding as "mitered binding". I've never seen binding that comes up to the point, goes across it and then back the other way, forming a box on each side of the points. Also, the binding on the fingerboard has the stripes on the top edge, rather than on the sides of the fingerboard. All, in all, Lawrence builds some pretty cool instruments which have his ingenious trademarks, yet remain very traditional to the casual observer!