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I play mine as my main gigging instrument, then flip to mandolin for fiddle tunes. Lots of sonic fun!

My music buddy and I go down to Sylvan Music in Santa Cruz every so often and pay a welfare check on all of their mandolins. We tune up and play a bunch, and the Sylvan guys understand why we do it....

I'm MarcusCA's mando buddy, and yes, the Ellis at Gryphon was stellar. Big, strong voice throughout, easy to play, perfect fit/finish. I also just bought Pava #262 from Sylvan Music two weeks ago....

I've been a Girouard mandola guy since 2013. My wife and I did an east coast visit last summer and had a chance to catch up with Max and Lori for a workshop visit and lunch. They are really great...

Like josh, I went in 2017 (Hey Josh!). I took the John Reischman old time class, the Celtic class with David Surette, and the Matt Flinner newgrass class. All three were excellent teachers, but very...

Jill, that looks superb! You will love your Girouard.

I've been playing my Girouard mandola as my main instrument for the last 5 years. It's really useful in a jam or gig where there will be a good amount of singing, for example. I also play in a couple...

A few years ago I took Marla Fibish’s Irish class in SF. She previewed all of the songs via sound files, and then we’d come to the class and crank it up. No charts or tabs...just your ears. Swannanoa...

Hi,

As a lefty, I play right handed. It's not a big deal. Your right hand will learn rhythm, and your dominant hand will learn intricate chord shapes. I kind of think we have an advantage that...

I was there at the 'wall jam.' Matt Flinner on banjo, playing crazy licks. Mike Marshall adding, filling, punctuating...stellar. Then, Robin Bullock, like a musical green man, emerged from the...

Swannanoa was an amazing, transformative week. WWC in the hills of Asheville was a great place to be. So much music, good vibes, jams, one of a kind moments...I will be going back!

I took a mandola lesson with Mike Compton, and that has made all the difference.

I play a Girouard mandola and use J72s most of the time, then occasionally switch to J76, just to see if I notice a difference.

I saw him perform with that one. I sure hope he left a few notes in it for you to play!

Allen tailpieces and others with the pitched pins pose a bit of a tuning problem until you learn how to coax the loop to the bottom of the pin while tuning.

Very beautiful. I'm curious, a luthier told me once that the more inlay on the body, the less tone. Have you found whether your inlay on the back affects the response, resonance, or tone of the back...

So, i'm in year 5 of my mandolin journey, and pick direction is a continuing area of focus. For me, my hands and ears are much better connected in many ways, especially when I get 'upside down' on my...

I was once told that your left hand is your vocabulary, but your right hand is your voice. I'm taking that seriously.

I just played 3 PAVAs today at Sylvan in Santa Cruz, but for the money I'd stay with my Girouard, hands down. They are easy to work with, and you can get Max and Lauri to dial in your tone and finish...

That's 'Whiskey Before Breakfast'.

Iron Horse - Fade to Bluegrass - a fantastic tribute to Metallica.

I've been playing mandolin for 4 years, having picked it up at the tender age of 46. Before that I was a strummer. Believe me, it is never too late to start playing music.

After a bit of personal research, I've come to the conclusion that the 1.8 is a little to big and thick for me. I prefer the 1.4 or even the 1.2.

I'm also a recent convert to the mandola and the Girouard in particular. I'm drawn to the slightly longer scale (15.9"), but not too long (like the 17" of the Weber or similar). Mary and I have...

Beautiful! Congrats!!