# Octaves, Zouks, Citterns, Tenors and Electrics > Four, Five and Eight-String Electrics >  E.F.Elliott Custom Electric Mandolins, Now Taking Orders!

## Eddy Mando

Hey Guys and Gals,
Eddy Elliott here, Well it's been about 10 years sence I've built any of my Custom  Electric Mandolins. The past several years I've been building custom Mosrite Ventures
style guitars for a dealer in Japan. I worked as a master Guitar Builder for Semie Moseley at Mosrite Guitars in the 70s and early 80s and as superviser at Ernie Ball Music Man in the late 80s and then had a Custom Guitar shop in the Bakersfield, California area.
  But I've desided to return to my first love, building electric mandolins full time.
I'm going to be offering my original signature Scroll model like the one
I built for Dixie Chick Martie Maguire back in 2000 and my carved top 2 point.
Here soon I'll be offing A custom boutique version of  early Fender Mando Casters
with a bunch of custom colors and even a Paisley finish.
I can be contacted at.

efelliottguitars@aol.com 
www.efelliottguitars.com

Thanks!
Eddy Elliott

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## Ben Milne

Sweet...  great looking mandos Eddy.
Welcome back to the world of Emandos and welcome to the Cafe (1st after being here a year?!)

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## Elliot Luber

Nice designs!

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## Eddy Mando

Thanks Guys!
 I really appreciate your comments. I did have tons of photos of my mandos , but when my old computer crashed I lost them all. I did find a photo that Ted Eschiliman took
of the 2 point 8-string he bought from me about 10 years ago.

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## Soundfarmer Pete

Lovely lookers!
What kind of "1/2 a P" pickup do you use?

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## Eddy Mando

Hey Pete, Thanks for your Qustion!
I've always liked the look of the smooth top P-bass pickup cover on  e-mandos. But on P-bass pickups the magnetic field is much to narrow for my liking and with the low(ohms) amount of windings they sound kind of harsh. I buy smooth P-bass covers and then completely custom make the pickup. My pickups are more like small, extra hot P-90s, 9.5-10 thousand ohms with
2 alnicoV bar magnets, gives the mando a nice warm sound with bell like tones. If you get a chance google
Elliott Mosrite Pickups, Ive been making replacement pickups for Mosrite Guitars for 30
years. Got a lot of happy pickup customers out there. Also I make all my Tail Pieces from scratch.

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## Soundfarmer Pete

AH!......
A man after my own heart... although a lot of e-mando folks seem to dismiss the need for a bridge pickup, I reckon a nice overwound bridge pickup can still sound warm enough and cut through the mix for chord work - what`s the point in having to resort to pedals etc. to try and boost treble when a passive tone control is a treble cut!!!!!!
Any issues with string to string balance (weak E)?
Cheers
Pete

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## Eddy Mando

Hey Pete,

No problems with a weak "E", on request I do offer my pickups with adjustable pole piece
screws and all my mandos come with a 2 pickup option.

Cheers!

Eddy

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## delsbrother

How about a Mosrite emando/emandola? I have a mini-Mosrite (Eastwood import from Japan) - was this one of yours?

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## Jim MacDaniel

> ...But I've desided to return to my first love, building electric mandolins full time.
> I'm going to be offering my original signature Scroll model like the one
> I built for Dixie Chick Martie Maguire back in 2000 and my carved top 2 point...


Nice work Eddy!  :Mandosmiley: 




> How about a Mosrite emando/emandola? I have a mini-Mosrite (Eastwood import from Japan) - was this one of yours?


Or maybe a guitar/mandolin or CBOM/mandolin version of this baby?  :Wink:

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## Eddy Mando

Hey Jim,
 No problem building a Double Neck Guitar with a 4-5 or 8 string Mandolin
the photo you posted is the guitar my ol' friend Semie Moseley built
for Barbara Mandrell in 1979. I have a pattern for that same double-neck. Check this out if you get a chance, some shots
of my shop and me doing some Instrument building. http://www.mosriteforum.com/forum/vi...hp?f=20&t=1581

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## Jim MacDaniel

Cool axe, but do you have any idea why Barbara wanted the octave guitar on that double-neck, instead of a mandolin, mando-guitar, or other short scale option?

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## delsbrother

> Cool axe, but do you have any idea why Barbara wanted the octave guitar on that double-neck, instead of a mandolin, mando-guitar, or other short scale option?


What's the difference between a mando-guitar, short scale guitar, and octave guitar?

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## Eddy Mando

Hey delsbrother and Jim Mac Daniel,

I think Barbara chose the 6-string octive because it was the standard thing on custom
Mosrite double necks, Barbara's mentor Country Super Picker Joe Maphis' Mosrite guitar had this combonation also Brian Lombeck, Barbara's very first lead guitar picker had a Mosrite with the same set up.
 In the early 50's when Les Paul and Mary Ford were burning up the charts, Les did this
recording trick, speeding up his solos, which sounded a lot like a tiny guitar being played
lightning fast, Semie Moseley wanted to get this sound in live performances so he made
himself a tripple neck, standard 6-string, 6-string octive and 8-string mandolin.Semie showed this guitar to Joe Maphis but the tripple neck was more that Joe wanted, but he liked the idea of a double neck with the 6-string octive, witch sometimes he tuned in 5ths and played it like a mandolin. The Mosrite octive necks are 13 7/8 scale so it could be call a mando-guitar but when I think of short scale guitar necks I think of the old Fender Musicmasters and Duo-Sonics.
Mosrite made several double necks with 8-string mandolins and even a few tripple necks with 8-string Mandos. I think the're all really cool!

All the Best!
Eddy

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## jlsmandolin1952

Beautiful work Ed! Love your designs. Glad to see another creative builder coming back. 
                                                   John
www.jlsmithmandolins.com

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## Eddy Mando

Hey e-mando Guys and Gays,

I'm needing some imput. In my new mando line I thinking about building 5 string
just like Tiny Moores(because I think they look so cool) Made out of 5A Birdseye,
Flamed or Quilted Mapleand some custom colors like jet black, pearl white, sea foam
green and sonic blue ect.And making the hardware exactly like the originals.
My question, is there a market for some like this around 1500 bucks with a deluxe
hard shell case???
Question 2, Should I build the Paul Bigsby or the Jay Roberts version???
Any input would be appreciated.
Thanks for your help!
Eddy

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## djweiss

Eddy...Yes, and build the Bigsby version.

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## djweiss

Eddy,

As a follow-up, if you go the Bigsby route, you may want to talk to a steel builder up in Oregon named Todd Clinesmith...Big Bigbsy fan and very knowledgeable on Bigsby pickups/etc.

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## delsbrother

Can you elaborate on what you feel the differences are between the Bigsby and Roberts? I have read that the original Bigsbys were semihollow - is that what you mean? As a fan of both Tiny AND Bigsby, I would pay more for a more exact replica of a Bigsby, w/ a natural finish vs. colors. 

Hmm.. I guess if you made solidbodies in different colors they would be more exact replicas of a Roberts..

Would the current owners of the Bisgby brand have any say in whether you could do this? I know they currently make replica guitars in addition to the vibratos.

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## rico mando

The replica idea sounds good. another area that is open would be a stylized econo acoustic 4-5 string mandos done in something other than a or f style,with optional full 2 pickup and controls  (think the acoustic for the die hard emando person).here's the clinch for under $1000 . i understand though it would be hard to do this and make a living,its just i seldom see any for under $3000. just a suggestion as its seems you maybe looking for a niche .i am sure you will be so busy making instruments for people that you will have to raise your rates too slow down all the orders you will get.

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## Eddy Mando

Hey guys,
Boy, it was hot today here in Oklahoma.
I was spraying a sunburst and the lacquer was 
drying almost before it reached the mandolin.
I've got a 4 string mando with a story, all my mandolins
in the past have been 8-stringers, I've always been interested
in 4 & 5 stringers and even started building a 4 string back in
1999 but the project got put on the back burner, then completly
forgoten. A few days ago I found it in a box on a shelf, I 
decided it was time to finish this one. Here's some photos I shot
today.
<Solicitation for sale removed by Moderator as per Posting Guidelines>

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## Eddy Mando

Hey Guys,
Starting a new 8 string e-mando this week, I'll have some photos up soon.
Eddy

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## djweiss

Eddy, any more thoughts on the Tiny Moore repro?

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## Charlieshafer

And the doubleneck that Paul Buskirk used to play? Huh?? How about it?? (Do I sound like a spoiled kid in a candystore?)

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## Eddy Mando

For the time being I'm going to stick to my 2 original designs, my 2 point and my scroll models.
I'm planning on displaying at the Guitar Show at the end of March in Austin, Texas, I'm going to 
start a batch of 10 here soon. I've got a new 2 point that's really cool ,Quilted, Flamed or Birdseye
maple tops "your choice" Checkered binding, like on Rickenbacker guitars and Korina (White Limba)
backs(Great tone wood),a Bunch of translucent colors and bursts, Flame maple Necks and my own
handwound Humbuckers. 
E.F.Elliott

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## Eddy Mando

Hi Guys,
Just started 2 Custom Fender Mandocaster style mandos.
ones going to be Paisley pink and the other Paisely blue.
I'm working on a bunch of diffrent paisley colored finishes.
Photos coming soon.
Ed Elliott

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## Ed Goist

Very nice. I look forward to seeing these!
Is the blue one for Prince?

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## dcoventry

Ed,

I think PURPLE paisley is Prince's speed, no?

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## Ed Goist

Yes, I think you're right...Maybe the blue one is for Brad Paisley?

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## Eddy Mando

Nope,

I'm doing a Black Paisley mandolin for Brad. :Grin: 
Eddy

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