Very lovely instrument. I like the design more than all the inlay, and it's terrific. But the design does it for me.
Bill
Printable View
Very lovely instrument. I like the design more than all the inlay, and it's terrific. But the design does it for me.
Bill
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vcM_...=DaveyHarrison
Here's a video from the two-point flower pot mandolin mentioned above!!
Way back in the Plasticine Era, 1979 when I was a young fella, I spent five weeks in Elkins WV taking a luthiery course at Augusta, taught mainly by Paul Reisler. In that length of time our group of neophytes each completed, from raw lumber, a hammered dulcimer and an open-back banjo. No shortcuts. That was a get-it-done (right) course. When our banjos we’re about done, Paul explained to us one day: “my friend Doug is going to show you techniques for inlay and engraving. Also, he’s going to educate you about taste and aesthetics. I know you all think you have excellent taste, but actually you all don’t.” Tough love in that course. So Doug Unger literally rolls in. He’s driving a little sports car, maybe an MGB, you know the luggage racks on the trunk? He’s got his custom travelling toolbox mounted on that rack—this guy is the professor who is too cool for school! He spent a couple of days showing us how to decorate our banjos and talking aesthetics. I don’t remember too many specifics but in discussing the artistic merits of mandolins I asked him to comment about F4s. He expressed his opinion that a 3/4 view (whatever that is) of a classic F4 is the most aesthetically pleasing sight of a human made artifact in the known universe. And yeah, he showed us how to do nice, simple engraving and inlay on our fretboards and pegheads. And told some bad jokes. The whole experience was kinda surreal. I wish I still had that banjo. It hung on my wall for 25 years, I never did really get a feel for 5-strings.
I'm not surprised he still has a “cult following”, I would dearly love to try a few of his instruments.
Attachment 202540
1984 Doug Unger F4 style mandolin