Search:

I seem to recall Sharon Gilchrist talking about her own Gilchrist F5 needing a long “reawakening” period after some major repair. Maybe Steve is conducting his own A/B experiment!

I’ll just add:...

That’s a gorgeous mandolin. I’ve eyed a couple of those iced-tea bursts — and it’d be particularly nice for me, as the 1988 would be my birth-year model! If you ever feel like selling, keep me in...

So, I had an Eastman 515 first, and I was lusting after an old Gibson. So I bought a 1913 Gibson A in horrible, unplayable condition to restore and keep.

I now have two different great playing,...

I have my 1913 A in the lightweight gator. The fit and finish of the case leaves a little to be desired, but the fit of the instrument is stellar!
...

Related: A few months ago, my son warmed up some hide glue and drizzled it on a muffin, thinking it was the caramel sauce my wife had made the previous day.

He only took one bite, but it wasn’t a...

Gorgeous! And it sounds just like a mandolin, too ;)

Love that headstock veneer... reminds me of my own guitar #001. Can't wait to see the next one(s).

I think you can teach musicality, but I'm not sure it can be decoupled from technique. In other words, if you can't first play the notes, it doesn't matter how soulfully you pluck your strings or...

My wife surprised me with two of the X-Stiff large triangles for Father's Day. 1) She really knows her stuff, and 2) I like them a lot -- they feel and sound great and you can't beat the...

I’ve got more than one vintage instrument with painted-on binding (and fret markers and “pickguard”). Not the worst thing, IMO — it’d certainly be one of a kind on a Gibson mandolin!

Ditto!

Regarding the picks: No, for me, it is not worth it. I've tried several and they don't provide 10x the benefit of a Dunlop Primetone large triangle. I love trying new picks, and I'm not...

Probably the 1913 Gibson A that I brought back from the dead. The labor I have in it is easily double or triple its actual market value as a heavily restored & refinished mandolin, so for that reason...

Title says it. Went to the ER yesterday and had my appendix swiftly removed. Symptoms started Tuesday and never got that bad, to be honest. I’m glad I trusted my gut, despite my hesitation to visit a...

Mine went through this morning. Unfortunately there are no new mandolins in my future, but I can still browse the classifieds with interest.

I’m with John... I’ll be maybe the first in this thread to say that the existing repair doesn’t even look that bad. Sure, it’s not completely invisible, but if you had finished the instrument and...

I just moved three little 12" pines out of my "no grow" landscaped area and am looking forward to seeing if they can take somewhere more appropriate.

I planted our new maple over the footprint of...

I live in my childhood home, in a cul-de-sac that's mostly surrounded by trees. Over my 32 years I've seen us lose one maple tree to a storm, another to old age, two dogwoods to sewer / drainage...

Got mine in the mail Saturday from American Musical Supply. It was glassy smooth out of the package, but becomes a bit textured with some hand warmth. The tone is brighter than my normal Wegen. I...

I can't remember the story behind this one -- I think it was some kind of award or gift? -- but if you follow his Instagram, he fairly regularly showcases this one and his other instruments when he...

I learned an arrangement of it -- this Instagram link should be public:
https://www.instagram.com/p/BzO-1RcnLNc/

There's also a David Benedict tune by the same name, which I suggest checking...

I’ve been doing 12 Days of Christmas Tunes, on 12 different instruments. MAS? Nah, I’ve only got 5 mandolin-family instruments out of those. Here’s “Sleigh Ride” on a borrowed e-mando. Merry...

That’s one way to look at it. Another way is, Norman isn’t getting any younger and he has played and collected a huge number of instruments over the years. You can’t keep every instrument forever....

Because amber + tortoise binding is the best color scheme out there!

(sorry for the accidental hijack)

In my case, it was basically a do-over / afterthought / experiment -- I was decently pleased with my thin shellac finish but ended up wanting a tougher topcoat....

I chose a middle-ground option with a 1913 A that had been completely stripped and random hippie sanded. I wanted it to go from nasty dull brown to “well loved” pumpkin. I also had to re-color the...

Finally -- the album we didn't know we were waiting for!