F5 quilted kelley

[Skip Kelley]

Here are some pics of an F model I finished a few months ago. It has bigleaf quilted back and sides and a hard maple neck. The top is made from fir that is over 50 years old. Nice and dry and it has a great woody tone. Tight grain with some areas around 25 lines per inch. The fretboard, peghead overlay and bridge are all made from cocobola. I colored this mandolin to compliment the beautiful colors in the cocobola. The varnish aged the binding to a nice amber color. It makes the mandolin look older.

[Chris Travers]

What pics?

[Skip Kelley]

Sorry my computer crashed!

[cooper4205]

nice job, Skip.

[Skip Kelley]

Here's the back...

[Skip Kelley]

The side...

[Skip Kelley]

The peghead...

[Skip Kelley]

The bridge...

[Skip Kelley]

Back and sides...

[John Hill]

Very nice Skip! That is a wild pattern on the back.

[woodwizard]

Wow! That is some wood! VERY NICE JOB

[bradeinhorn]

well done skip. baby got back.

[JEStanek]

Very Nice, Skip. I really like the woodgrain on the back too. Very warm looking mando with the reds/oranges and the binding. Even the overlay on the peghead has a great warmth to it. The bridgewood looks like it came from the same stuff as the overlay on the peghead, yes?

Well done! Someone's going to be happy.

Jamie

[Gail Hester]

Bravo Skip, it's very beautiful. I love the quilt, the clean fretboard and that cocobola is fantastic. I have some cocobola waiting for a project and yours inspires me to do something with it. I have not used any fir but I've heard a couple mandolins with fir tops and they sounded great as I'm sure yours does.

[Bill Snyder]

...#The bridgewood looks like it came from the same stuff as the overlay on the peghead, yes?

From the original post:
"The fretboard, peghead overlay and bridge are all made from cocobola. I colored this mandolin to compliment the beautiful colors in the cocobola"

[mandolirius]

On the back there is a pattern of what looks like three inverted V-shapes, each one larger than the previous one. Did you do that, or was it just in the wood?

[JEStanek]

... The bridgewood looks like it came from the same stuff as the overlay on the peghead, yes?

From the original post:
"The fretboard, peghead overlay and bridge are all made from cocobola. I colored this mandolin to compliment the beautiful colors in the cocobola"

Smacks head... Duuuuuh, Jamie. Thanks Bill, Now I know.



Jamie

[Skip Kelley]

The cocobola is all the same piece of wood. The figure in the quilted back was just that way. It is an unusual piece. Thanks for all the compliments!

[neangler]

If it sounds as good as it looks, then it's a killer!

[Chris Baird]

Congratulations Skip, Looks great!

[sunburst]

Finally came back to this thread enough times for the pictures to load (@#$% dial-up!)
Fine job, Skip. That "flying V" back wood is something else!
(Still Winter there too, huh?)

[Ivan Kelsall]

That's a beautiful Mandolin by any standard plus NO position dots on the fingerboard - I like !,
Saska:D

[Joel Spaulding]

Beautiful work, Skip ! As Jamie said - very warm aesthetic. The peghead, fingerboard and bridge really add to the beauty and warmth of this instrument's look.
How does the cocoola compare tonally with "traditional" bridge materials ? .... on my way to the search function now #

[AlanN]

Love to give that one a spin, Skip!

[Skip Kelley]

John, Yes it is still winter here. We finally had some warmer temperature so I took a few pics. drmole, the rosewoods used for bridges usually give the mandolin a warmer tone. Thanks to all for the kind words!