Black finish !

[Ivan Kelsall]

Apart from the black top,there's plenty of 'natural' wood showing on the sides & the back.Most of the time we don't see the top of the Mandolin except when it's in it's case. I think black tops are very smart looking,a bit like a shiny black limmo. - 'classy',
Ivan

[billkilpatrick]

def-o ... black is beautiful

[Jill McAuley]

I love a black top mandolin, but will say (as someone else has already mentioned) that they really absorb heat if you're playing them outdoors in direct sunlight - I did a lot of busking with mine and would always have to find a shady pitch to set up in. That said I try to do that with any mandolin I'm playing, but even on a mild day when the sun didn't appear to be giving off a lot of heat, my blacktop Pomeroy would get quite warm.

Cheers,
Jill

[Ed Goist]

The final coat of varnish has been applied.
Soon to be rubbed-out and polished.
Then after another week, she'll be strung-up and test driven...

[Larry S Sherman]

Ed, you're gonna have a real looker there when it's done!

Larry

[Ed Goist]

Thanks Larry!

[grassrootphilosopher]

If anything happens to the top of your mandolin and you need it repaired, the top repair will most likesy show a lot more on a black top mandolin since it is so difficult to make the reapair invisible due to the difficult finish.

[Michael Lewis]

Olaf, if the finish is colored with commercial dyes or tints I would agree, but if the black comes from lamp black it should match pretty well, especially if the finish is shellac. I repaired a couple old Martin guitars from the 1880s with black necks, and the repairs were effectively invisible as the original finish was shellac with lamp black, so that is what I used. I was quite pleased with the result, as was the owner.