One thing I like to do – spend several years on a design, then go back to what I used to do, to see if I can apply what I’ve learned to old designs. And that’s what I’ve done with this little mandolin. I say little, it’s a bit bigger than a Gibson A model but much small than my regular Celtic O model. Its more like the size of a regular Sobell mandolin. Though the soundhole is a little bigger.
There is a lightweight maple bridge on for now, but I’ll try a couple more variations to see what the results are like. So far, this seems like a great little experiment.
The body construction looks conventional but isn’t. The sides are “double sides.” Maple on the outside, New Guinea rosewood on the inside. The back is a sandwich of maple, with western red cedar in the middle. I’ve shifted the bridge a little higher than normal to squeeze a few extra frets out.
When I’ve decided on the bridge design and given her a final set up, she’ll be for sale, but that won’t be for a few weeks yet.
If you’re thinking of getting a mandolin from me, this years’ batch will probably start around July/August. There are two spots left.
