# Instruments and Equipment > Videos, Pictures & Sound Files >  Headstocks...

## TeleMark

Guys:

Looking for some ideas for a new mando. I'm interested in old, new, traditional, crazy... Show me what ya got!

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## Mark Franzke

I went with something fairly simple on this one.

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## Bill Snyder

Try this thread.

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## Lefty&French

French one.

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## LeonEvans

Here's my Holst C-5

Leon

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## Daniel Nestlerode

Got my recent design ideas from a cruise through Dan B's Mandolin Archive. Have a look.

Daniel

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## F5G WIZ

AN original inlay on My new POE by Andy Poe.

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## kww

From www.girlbrand.com:

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## JimRichter

Kimble A5 #10 (based after the Nikora Dude)

Jim

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## kww

More inspiration (from www.evropashop.com)

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## Gavin Baird

This is the "Sun Flower" series of head stocks...Gavin

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## Jim Garber

1902 Martin Style 6

Jim

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## AlanN

Man, that Poe headstock rocks!

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## Jim M.

My Arches F4 #2 --

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## cooper4205

here's a fern inlay on one of will parson's new mandolins

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## Lane Pryce

Here is my Mowry A peghead with Andrew's flower inlay. MOP stem and leaves with abalone petals. Lp

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## amowry

Wow, that Arches is spectacular.

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## Gail Hester

This one is on a dola with Macassar Ebony.

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## Gail Hester

Here is a simple new design for my A-style mandolins.

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## kyblue

Some great stuff here.

Jim, Will's art deco stuff is really special. 

Gavin's sunflower is one of my favorites.

Gail, some nice stuff from you. I like it.

Chris's flower is another I've seen before and liked.

It's all good!

Paula

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## berkeleymando

The headstock on Arches F4 #1.

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## Arnt

> Wow, that Arches is spectacular.


Well, your headstock deosn't look too bad either # !

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## otterly2k

Gail-- I really like your designs! Very tasteful and unique... traditional-ish, but not traditional.

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## Bob DeVellis

Here's a Howe-Orme from about 1898 or so.



.

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## JEStanek

This thread could become a heck of a coffee table book.

Jamie

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## Mteresko



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## Gibson A5

On my First Built.

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## Jim Hilburn

This one is in the works. Trying my hand at engraving and it's just not as easy as it looks. It's one thing to do leafy viney stuff, but quite another to get the right look to animate objects.
 But you can't learn if you don't try.
By the way, the dot on the "i" is also an engraving trick. I leave the "i" real tall and then engrave away the area between. A lot easier than trying to make a dot. I used to do the "L" and "B" loops that way, but I came to my senses and started doing it the Gibson way which is much easier.

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## mandopete

One of my all time favorites (from some company in Michigan I think)...

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## Gibsonman

How about this ?

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## Yellowmandolin

Nice, John. Who made that? I really like the veneer on that one.

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## Gibsonman

That,s my 1981 Stan Miller. That,s Rosewood.

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## ira

simple.... rosewood headstock with ebony truss cover, sun is made of recycled piano ivory- kennaquhair p2 mandolin

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## Keith Newell

My Mermaid...she ain't cheap and definately not easy.
 Keith

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## Yonkle

Headstock of my #5 F5.  Working on #6 now Yonkle

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## Bertram Henze

the truss rod cover looks quite bright & bulky to me, intersecting with the fine inlay. How about a black/symmetric one?

Bertram

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## Tim333

nothing fancy, my Summit.....

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## mandomood

BRW #58 I'll have more to share about this mando in another post...quite an amazing evolution from BRW # 28 which I previously owned...

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## JonT

Here's a beauty, I think. This is on a banjo - an early Bart Reiter Professional. Strings are off onaccounta I'm waiting for a new tailpiece to arrive from Elderly.
Peace - Jon

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## Bob DeVellis

In a similar vein:


.

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## Jim Hilburn

Love those old engraved inlays. That's a direction I want go in.
 But in the meantime, here's one I just finished binding. The inlay is yet another re-arrangement of other stolen, I mean borrowed idea's. I'd be in real trouble trying to create something on my own.

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## ledmandlin

This one's coming to my door tomorrow.  

 Bruce

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## fiddlinfool



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## fiddlinfool



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## DryBones

ok, I have seen flower inlays but has anybody ever seen a fish? I know it sounds crazy but I would someday love to have a custom mando with a smallmouth bass doing a tail-dance on the headstock. match that up with some of that tiger striped flame on tha back in a smallmouth bass-like color and oh boy, my MAS would be cured FOREVER.

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## F5G WIZ

Ask an ye shall receive! Not a bass but I'm sure Andy could do it for you. Another Andy Poe creation. Taken from his web page.

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## DryBones

another reason to go Poe! (sound like an ad slogan)

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## danb

> One of my all time favorites (from some company in Michigan I think)...


I'm with you..

More Torch & Wire

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## Dan Adams

The Fisch head. Not real intricate, but different. Dan

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## kww

I like the Andy Poe Driftwood fish one and the mermaid the best. One thing that strikes me on the use of inlay is that the inlay that nearly everyone uses is designed to be mass-manufacturable ... not dependent on using different colors, no requirement for highly precise boundaries within the inlay, etc. It seems to me that when someone is spending so much on a custom, highly decorative mandolin, the inlay shouldn't look like a mass-market job.

That said, you can find a few more nice ones like this at Windy Hill



Or this one at Greven Guitars

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## danb

Stephen Owsley Smith:

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## danb



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## danb



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## danb



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## amowry

He is my hero!

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## barry k

we are working right now on this... our newest inlay ( custom order )

http://www.bulldog-instruments.com

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## Bob DeVellis

Smith's stuff is incredible. Even before I read the caption, I recognized it as his, as I'm sure many people did. His imagination and skill of execution are really remarkable. Some of the other examples in this thread have been really terrific, also -- true works of art.

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## barry k

one of the latest from my talented wife and building partner....hope you like. ( she told me to say all that)

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## Michael Lewis

Wow! S.O. Smith sure has an eye for design. Makes me a bit reticent to put mine up here, . . . . but I will anyway.

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## Bertram Henze

No need for reticence - I like a straightforward harmonic design better than any fancy airbrush stuff. Quality can afford to look beautifully simple - or simply beautiful.

Bertram

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## Hans

Less is more!

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## JEStanek

Very tasteful, Michael. Plus that beautiful headstock wood doesn't need fancy flash.

Jamie

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## testore

Michael, I'll second what Hans said. Crazy that yours is less cuz it looks like plenty to me. These inlay wizards like Stephen Smith are from another planet and should have their own thread here anyway.

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## Ken Sager

Here's the headstock on my new Arches F5. It isn't bound, by the way, the headstock has a maple strip inlayed to look like binding. Less is more, as said above.

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## mandolooter

I love the Lewis on this page...sweet work Michael!
I can't believe you think yours aren't up there with the best in the world...they definitely are in my book!!! Pure class!

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## George R. Lane

Not too fancy but it looks great on my custom Gallatin.

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## Darryl Wolfe

Fabulous Michael Lewis. Is "Lewis" engraved or shaded..looks 3D/drop shadow in the pic

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## Michael Lewis

Thanks folks. Darryl, just a couple of engraved lines to make the S look like it goes over the i. I love the illusion of depth in designs, not showing so much here but on more involved designs it really is nice.

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## Tim333

This is not mine, but it is great headstock built by Audie Ratliff.

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## kyblue

Ken,

That Arches headstock is awesome. That maple strips adds so much!

Very classy.

Paula

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## bush-man

Wow! Headstock sex!

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## G. Fisher

Vine, name, name & vine.

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## DryBones

ahh yes....the snow leopard on a lefty &lt;sigh&gt;

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## Bob Denton

Backside:

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## Bertram Henze

A b... - Ok, what kind of DNA sample is that on one of the knobs?

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## Ken Sager

> A b... - #Ok, what kind of DNA sample is that on one of the knobs?


Don't ask, don't tell.

The more appropriate question is this: 
What kind of 4-string mandolin is that?

Thanks for the chuckle.
Ken

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## alespa

I have this on my other post, but hey, it's a headstock shot. Still in progress as you can tell.

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## Brian Baker

Here's my new (to me) 2002 Gibson Steffey. As McDonalds would say, I'm lovin it!

Brian

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## dstretch

Here's My Aniane #3 peghead.

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## Stephanie Reiser

V-e-r-y nice, Danny.
Looks as if you are "hitting your stride" as a builder.
Is this one a scratch-build? or another S-M?
Either way, really nice.

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## oldwave maker

Teds electrodola peghead, grover locking minis with wd gold pearl buttons

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## Gail Hester

Bill, that looks fantastic but you've shorted the A to the G string.

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## mandroid

wouldn't that be C to D string ? {d'oh! la}

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## Gail Hester

Oops, that's what I get for trying to be a smart a.. #

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## ajh

Subtle, eh?

Tony

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## dstretch

> V-e-r-y nice, Danny.
> Looks as if you are "hitting your stride" as a builder.
> Is this one a scratch-build? or another S-M?
> Either way, really nice.


Hey Amanda Lyn

Thank you for the compliment. This was a scratch built. It was my #3, it now resides in Georgia, with my friend Mandopluker. I started #4, and also started and LMI guitar kit. I think I have some sort of illness, because I just can't stop thinking about being in my shop, building something.

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## Yonkle

JD #6 just done. Dec 06

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## alespa

Here's Clark #14 finished:

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## Yonkle

Looks high and tight Austin!

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## G. Fisher

2006 Henderson

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## squirrelabama

old and new, but both tasty!

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## Jim Hilburn

Trying something new on this one.

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## JEStanek

Finest kind Jim, finest kind!
Jamie

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## Jason Kessler

That W. C. Henderson is the most beautiful headstock I've ever seen. Different, understated, elegant.

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## squirrelabama

newest edition.......

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## Amandalyn

Here's Poe #8 HS- custom design.

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## squirrelabama

Your's parts her hair on the other side, but equally as beautiful!!

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## Rick Banuelos

I know that these aren't mandos, but this woman is my hero:
Judy Threet



I have not failed to be blown away by any of her work, whether it be in the headstock or fingerboard. She's done an inlay of Water Droplets that blows my mind every time I see it. Magnificently inventive...

Go see her web page, and look at the photo gallery. Very cool.

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## mandolooter

wow...and quite the webpage too! Thanks for that link Rick

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## barry k

... our newest inlays

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## barry k

... a different style flowerpot ...

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## buckhorn

my first try with mop..

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## buckhorn

profile of my last peghead...

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## red7flag

Lebeda AM4 Mandola Headstock

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## red7flag

Pomeroy F4 Headstock
Tony

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## Troy Harris

I finished up the inlay work on my current F5. This is my own design; inspired and influenced by the early torch & wire and double flowerpot inlays, as well as the inlay design of Mike Kemnitzer. I would be interested to learn more about the early Gibson inlay designs. I remember hearing that Gibson imported inlays from Germany. Any historical information would be appreciated.

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## Troy Harris

One more

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## JeffD

Awesome work

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## John Sawatzky

This is the headstock on my GWK. More photos of this fine F5 are in Post a picture of your mandolin.

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## Brad Weiss

My Mowry's pretty cool, if I do say so myself...

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## pickinNgrinnin

Hogan F5 by Adrian Minarovic. Eagle is Scrimshawed Pearl and it's chest is inlaid Burl.

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## pickinNgrinnin

Close up shot

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## bradeinhorn

sully

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## bluegrassforme

La Diabla, Darren Craig Flamed Custom

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## John Hill

BRW #59:

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## jimbob

These are blooming in Texas. 
Good season with all the rain.

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## James P

John Sullivan 1987

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## Gibson A5

Bill P.

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## DSDarr

2005 Fletcher Brock (#84). Not a particularly good photo,
I'm still a novice at mando photography. 

-David

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## Dave Gumbart

Well, since this same photo has recently been my own desktop wallpaper photo at work, here's a Mowry F5.

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## Joe Parker

I opted for a Fern inlay on this recent Duff.

JPP

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## carleshicks

here is one. and oldie but goldie

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## Bing Cullen

I'm not very good at inlay..but wish I was. I put my dog on the back of my A style headstock.

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## Bing Cullen

This one will have a doggy too

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## Bing Cullen

If you can't do inlay, try an optical illusion

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## Jim Nollman

how about a 3 dimensional headstock:

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## Jim Nollman

and another.

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## Pete Braccio

Here's my Bulldog.

Pete

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## Fliss

My Phil Davidson flat top

Fliss

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## Jim Garber

> how about a 3 dimensional headstock:


Here's another from my 1931 octave mandola by A. Puccinelli, Chicago. [sorry for the low quality of the photo]

Jim

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## cooper4205

reminds ya' of one of those "Dimebag" Darrell electric guitars by Dean

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## squirrelabama

Yah, I'll bet that mando was made for Dime's granny, Nicklebag Nancy. She had a beard too!

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## Gibson A5

From the bottom Up, my #1,#6,#3 Peg Head.
Bill P.

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## Stephanie Reiser

Jeepers Bill, that bottom one was your first?
Goodness. 
Great work.

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## Gibson A5

Thanks Stephanie and Yes since it was my first, I kind of went crazy, I had no idea I'd build more so I tried to do everything on that one. It really suprised me it sounded great and has only improved with age.
Bill P.

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## cbarry

My Big Muddy.
Keepin' it simple.

Chuck

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## daveb

Here is a little South Louisiana flair.....

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## James P

That's right, I'm a Moony.

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## oldwave maker

#410 with Spruces old quilted maple peghead veneer, and my latest restoration project-'the cheney', a $1 yard sale late '40s harmony 000 that had been shot up. After rebracing with forward martin adirondack X and neck reset, its a 'killer'! yes, Dick, those are inlaid BBs......

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## mandopete

Bill, that kinda reminds of that song by Aerosmith, you know...*Cheney's Got A Gun*

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## sgarrity

Now that's funny, I don't care who ya are!

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## Gavin Baird

A pair of Peter Ostroushko A,s showing Dave Nickols art of hand cutting. I think some one on the Cafe said they looked like ****. Any way there was absolutely no refining to the cut and the hardest part was getting them off of the sticky tape..Gavin

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## Gavin Baird

2nd.

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## jmkatcher

Both of those are lovely.

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## sean parker

I agree with jmkatcher, both are lovely gavin. reminds me a little of the flowering headstocks of '30's epiphone archtop guitars like the deluxe and emperor. superb. the logo is great too.

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## JEStanek

Bill, that's funny! I tip my hat to you, sir!

Jamie

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## Jim Roberts

I had the opportunity to play this fantastic new Nugget A #266 with Mike's new logo...

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## mandroid

Coffee table book?

Fender offers some headstock outline coffee tables .
so there is that option too .
F5 headstock tables , watch out for the point !

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## danb

Wiens

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## jhbaylor

Passernig #34

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## Daniel Nestlerode

My 9 month old Vessel headstock.

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## Dan Voight

My #4.

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## Dan Voight

And a close-up at my attempt at engraving.

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## red7flag

One of the reasons I bought this White Dove was the different shape of the headstock and the feather inlay, is pearl and abalone.
Tony

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## Peakbagr

Or go here for more:

http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin....;t=1587

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## danb

Here's a cool new archive submission, latest Nugget peghead:

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## Steve-o

My new Poe #16. Better pics here.

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## Jonathan Peck

Not a mandolin, but a good example of the possibilities

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## bropete

Here is one of my recent F-styles.

  Thanks,
  Pete

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## bropete

And here is the one before it.

     Thanks again,
       Pete

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