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trevor
May-12-2006, 12:25pm
Having been inspired by past glories I have asked the two Peters at Rigel to make me the most spectacular design they can think of!

Having had this idea then my mind went blank. There is a comet model waiting to be finished, it has spectacularly figured maple on the back so no opaque finishes that side.

Your ideas are sought, no guarantee that they will be used, we might go with one of our own designs. If we do use your idea I'm afraid there is no reward other than seeing your idea on a mando (and of course the opportunity to buy
it). If you feel that you want some other financial reward please keep your ideas to yourself.

mandroid
May-12-2006, 12:31pm
the round soundchamber is a given, right? seems thats how they're engineered.

trevor
May-12-2006, 12:57pm
I should have used the word design more carefully. There is a comet model, similar to the Q95, ready for finishing. The only thing to be designed is the 'paint job' I am working on the idea of a vertical oval hole, but this is not determined yet..

wsm
May-12-2006, 12:57pm
I would love to see them build a f hole model with this body shape.

http://www.edromanguitars.com/avail/guitar/alembic/ale_tributetop02.jpg

I imagine there are a few of you out there that recognize this axe..

dang
May-12-2006, 1:03pm
What could be more spectacular than the "suicide king" model! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

johnwalser
May-13-2006, 2:00am
I designed this several months ago. Kinda of a fun Rigel idea.
John

Pedal Steel Mike
May-13-2006, 7:26am
How abut these designs?

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/pedlstlplyr/coil.gif

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/pedlstlplyr/fractals.jpg

Pedal Steel Mike
May-13-2006, 7:27am
Or These?

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/pedlstlplyr/fan03.gif

http://i56.photobucket.com/albums/g194/pedlstlplyr/eyepool.gif

glauber
May-13-2006, 9:07am
Cool! Mando-brot fractals!

kvk
May-13-2006, 11:21am
Maybe this shape is encrouching on a G-110 a bit but Wolf is still my fave and a mando that shape would be cool--

http://www.dozin.com/jers/guitars/wolf/wolfe.jpg

Pedal Steel Mike
May-13-2006, 11:36am
Cool! Mando-brot fractals!
LOL. That's the best joke I've heard all week.

Jim MacDaniel
May-13-2006, 3:00pm
I would love to see an acoustic model shaped liked this Vox Mandoguitar-inspired Spicer...

Bill Snyder
May-13-2006, 9:36pm
...There is a comet model, similar to the Q95, ready for finishing. The only thing to be designed is the 'paint job' ...
Looks to me like the instrument is already built. Trevor is looking for ideas on a finish/color scheme - not a new instrument design.

trevor
May-14-2006, 4:53am
Bill,
That's right.

Jim,
If you go to the bottom of this page on Rigel's website there is a vaguely similar design, the I110
http://www.rigelinstruments.com/publish/article_132.shtml

Keith Miller
May-14-2006, 9:15am
Not being a great fan of fancy finish jobs why not leave it nice and simple and let the natural woods show ?

trevor
May-14-2006, 10:55am
Keith,
I am completely with you on the beauty of natural woods. I have a shop full (over 250 mandolins) of mandolins in standard finishes, though not too many blonds at the moment. An all blonde finish is not possible anyways on a Rigel due to the lack of binding and the difficulty of showing neat top/back/sides joins.

The idea of this one is to have some fun and create something as special as past wonders from Rigel such as the killer bee and suicide king. As I mentioned, given that it has very nice maple on the back I won’t be covering that up.

Dr.Tweak
May-14-2006, 11:09am
I'd like to see a Mandolin that is patterned after a D'Angelico New Yorker.

trevor
May-14-2006, 11:22am
Dr. Tweak,

Try Michael Lewis, he may be interested. http://www.michaellewisinstruments.com/old/mandolins.php

I repeat that this particular thread is about finish/color scheme. There have been many suggestions about different body styles, may I politlely suggest that someone starts a new discussion about that.

Pete Braccio
May-14-2006, 9:01pm
I usually lean toward a nice chocolate finish. Not too dark because I like to see the grain of the wood.

That said, this Old Wave back blew me away. This is based on Hillburn's finishes.

Pete

Pete Braccio
May-14-2006, 9:03pm
Here's a picture of a Heiden to give you some ideas on the chocolate color.

Pete

JEStanek
May-14-2006, 9:18pm
Ok. #Here's what came into my mind for the Rigel Finish options. #This thread (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=15;t=32169;hl=iv+and+electr ic)has a cool looking e-mando made by a board member. #The fine folks art Rigel have deffinately painted some off the wall stuff (Killer Bee, Spider Webs...) Something like this one may apeal to the Brighton sensabilities...

Jamie

steve V. johnson
May-15-2006, 8:20am
Trevor,
It's a cool idea to open this discussion for ideas!

But here is a bit of a tangent on this...

"Blonde finish is not possible anyways on a Rigel due to the lack of binding and the difficulty of showing neat top/back/sides joins."

That's interesting, I've wondered about the un-bound construction under the finishes. I once had a Les Paul guitar that didn't have squared-off binding, but the binding had been sanded smooth, rounded like the Rigel edges. It felt and looked great. We had a 'natural' (I suppose one could call it 'blonde') finish on it for a while, but then it was painted white, which made the round edge much more apparent. I love the rounded top edge of the Rigel mandos.

Anyway... what I'm concerned with here is that now I have the idea that the edges of the Rigel are ... ugly... and so can't be shown, have to be obscured by some dark finish... Is that right? It doesn't seem so, but I would like to see what that top/side joint looks like ... To see how nasty it really is.

I like the notion of a Union Jack Rigel, too. Bullet holes optional... <GGG>

stv

JEStanek
May-15-2006, 8:29am
Steve look here (Q-dola side view) (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=15;t=34604;hl=mandohack)or Rigel Shop tour... (http://www.rigelinstruments.com/publish/tour.shtml)

Maybe some owners will post a pic. I doubt they're ugly.
Jamie

trevor
May-15-2006, 8:52am
Jamie,
I dont think they are 'ugly' they are neat but I think would show a line if completely blonde.

Jamie,
Thanks for that I had noticed these different color top and sides recently.

I have asked Peter Mix if he could join in and clarify the situition.

Re, Union Jacks that have been mentioned by a few people now. Sorry I'm not much of a flag waver so won't be going with that.

Peter Mix
May-15-2006, 9:56am
Due to the remarkable construction of our carved & radiused maple rim, the top and back are set into that rim about 1/4" in from the "edge" of the radius. It certainly isn't an ugly seam, just not what the eye expects. Most of us are accustomed to bent-side instruments with their squared edges, whether bound or unbound.
# In the photo, you can see how the asymetrical top sits in the unfinished rim of a CT-110. Once the rim is radiused, we prefer to use a sunburst finish to hide the join. We have done a number of blonde instruments and have inlaid the seam with ebony or pearl on occasion. We have also utilized a blonde finish in the center and masked the seam with a very light opaque color coat that creates the impression of a full blonde finish without actually being so. Beauty is all in the eye of the beholder.

Keith Miller
May-15-2006, 10:52am
Peter, blonde with ebony inlay sounds like it would have been my perfect mando http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif, any pictures around of that one ?
Keith.

Ted Eschliman
May-15-2006, 11:04am
I recently sold a custom "Blonde-burst" Gypsy Q to a kidney surgeon, who also added a lovely inlay of a Glomerulus (look that up in your medical dictionary...) on the headstock face and an ebony veneer on the back of the headstock. The result was quite stunning, our very first (and likely only) "Kidney Q."

As Peter mentioned, the seam can be magically masked with a transparent center finish burst into a bit of opaque blonde at the seam. The effect is breathtaking, and convincing.

Peter Mix
May-15-2006, 1:12pm
Here's the blonde with ebony inlay.....

Keith Miller
May-15-2006, 4:57pm
Peter that's great, have you one of the front ?
Keith

jefflester
May-15-2006, 6:47pm
There's pix of a blonde at FOTW:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page5123.htm

jefflester
May-15-2006, 6:48pm
Here's the blonde with ebony inlay.....
The headless mando of sleepy hollow. :-)

Keith Miller
May-15-2006, 7:07pm
[QUOTE]There's pix of a blonde at FOTW:
http://www.folkofthewood.com/page5123.htm
Not much chance of anyone from this board risking trying to buy it though http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Keith

Michael Lewis
May-16-2006, 2:15am
Trevor, just an idea, but I once saw a sunburst that was really striking. The outside started as sky blue and faded into black, and then into the traditional sunburst on the inside of the black. This was on a guitar but it would work on a mandolin. There was a pic posted on mimf.com several years ago, I don't know if it is still there but think it should be, as it was in a discussion on finishing.

trevor
May-16-2006, 2:33am
Michael,
Thanks, that sounds intersting, I had a look on their archives but couldn't find it. Complete archives are only available to members.

Pete Braccio
May-16-2006, 11:11am
Hi Michael,

Is this the guitar you were talking about?

Pete

Joel Glassman
May-16-2006, 11:39am
This is probably an over-the-top idea, but I've seen some
amazingly subtle work done with paint finishes:
sponging, ragging, streaking etc.
The worst of this style [ie: "faux" finishes] is awful,
so you'd need a good artist...

Michael Lewis
May-17-2006, 12:25am
Pete, no, that isn't the one but it is along the same idea, and pretty attractive. The one I remember had about an inch of sky blue before it faded into the black.

Pete Braccio
May-17-2006, 1:28am
Well, back to the search engine on MIFI then. I'm curious to see what that looked like.

Pete

trevor
May-17-2006, 12:45pm
Thanks to everybody for their ideas so far. I am working with Pete and Peter on an idea where the oval soundhole is set at an angle and becomes the comet with a fiery tail trailing off to the fin on the treble side. This would be set on a black top and either burgundy back and sides or a color from the 'tail' or a repetition of that theme...

We will start serious design work next week so if anyone has any ideas, related to the above or not, please get them to us by Monday..

JEStanek
May-17-2006, 2:12pm
Trevor. That's a good idea. Just as long as they make more than one every 75 years!

Jamie

trevor
May-23-2006, 10:58am
Time is up...

We are going with the comet's tail idea.

TOP. Black background with subtle metalflake to suggest stars. Angled oval soundhole to be the comet with tail in darkishreds/orange/yellow from outside in swooping to the comet point on the treble side.

BACK. Midnight blue burst.

I am very excited and a little trepidatious (is that a word?).

When we have work in progress photos I will post them.