Amazing wood for a Girouard oval hole

[LKinser]

WOW, that wood is gorgeous, I can't wait to see it finished.

[dschonbrun]

How do you like this maple? That 2 tone maple is going to be amazing with a natural finish. The other piece is my second choice--love the little beauty mark.

Max won't be able to start till the late fall, but boy is it exciting to see the wood! This is just run through a planer and not joined or anything. Just the raw state. My new wallpaper!



If you haven't worked with Max and Lauri, they are two of the nicest people you'd ever want to work with on a build. And they are building some amazing instruments these days.

Max and Lauri do great work. The beauty mark may well be chiseled away given the position, and I really like the registration of the quilt and balance across the join. The contrasting wood is really nice too, but the assymetry of it in the current join doesn't make sense to my eye.

Personal preference, and you should pick the one you like.

[dschonbrun]

I had to delay it, but we decided to put the dark wood in the middle so we get more of it. Max will start on it soon.

I prefer this option to the other 2. Nice job working through it.

[Mandobar]

Progress. The inlay around the soundhole has some blotchy glue that will be sanded off. Using some of Spruce's bog cedar for the top. Points and binding are/will be walnut.

Maybe Beegs can be on the label.

I think that's Bunny.

[Don Grieser]

Cedar top is bound with walnut and a black stripe to set it off. The walnut color will go nicely with the 2 tone back. Neck is roughed out. Max says it should all go together next week.

[Don Grieser]

More progress. Back is on and almost ready for binding. Neck is on. It's going to look so cool.

[Glassweb]

More progress. Back is on and almost ready for binding. Neck is on. It's going to look so cool.

very nice Don... you're gettin' thick with mandos my man! good on ya!

[sgarrity]

Look forward to seeing this when it's done!

[Don Grieser]

very nice Don... you're gettin' thick with mandos my man! good on ya!

I've got a Heiden A5 and a Passernig F5. A Girouard mandola and soon this Girouard oval. Also an Old Wave A body oval octave.

So this oval hole will be the last one unless I get a mandocello again, but I can't hardly play those beasts. Not an outrageous number of mando things.

[Spruce]

This is really going to pop with some finish on 'er...

[Don Grieser]

Here's the start of finish on the twin to mine. Hmmm....



I think they are taking it to the March Mandolin Festival somewhere on the East Coast.

[soliver]

Absolutely beautiful... period

[Al Trujillo]

My keyboard is rusting from all the drool since you started this thread. How much longer?????

[Don Grieser]

OK, Al, throw a tarp over your keyboard. Here's the latest update from Max. The back is looking mighty fine and it's strung up in the white and has the Max seal of approval tone-wise. That's good enough for me.

I went with no fretboard dots (dots on the side only), going to have a bit of orange on the top to go with that bog red cedar from Spruce, and a bit of amber on the back and sides. Bound in walnut with a black line to separate it all. Max thought the walnut would match the dark tones on the back. How could I refuse that?

Hope I can play it more than look at it. So elegant....

[Charles E.]

Don,that is looking fine indeed! I am with you on the 'no dots' on the fingerboard, I like the no frills -clean look. Can't wait to hear it .

[Don Grieser]

Here's 3 Max and Lauri took to the Concord Mando Fest this weekend. That's the twin to my 2 pt. They'll start the finish on mine next week.

[Don Grieser]

Please, Mr. Postman, hurry that thing to me!

[guidoStow]

What a looker!

[Charles E.]

Don, that looks fantastic! I was in touch with Max and he was telling me about their Lyon and Healy line they are developing. Very cool.

[mtucker]

Please, Mr. Postman, hurry that thing to me!

Well...did ya get it?

[Timbofood]

Enjoy it!

[Don Grieser]

It's here and it's spectacular. Pics don't do it justice, especially the back wood. At certain angles the 3D effect looks 3 inches deep or more. I've never seen anything like it.

The top is the last of the bog cedar from Spruce, and I'm so happy to have this mando and a mandola from this wood. Max really gets the best from this cedar and he knocked it out of the park tone-wise. Bound in walnut with an ebony black line to set it off.

The other thing Max did was make the most amazing slim shallow neck for it. I've had some left hand issues and just can't play the average neck without causing myself problems. This neck is a dream.

Lauri's finish on it really sets it off. It's just the coolest mando. I know some people prefer the short neck oval sound, but this mando pleases my ears and that's all the matters.

I really like clear, defined notes with no mud/tubby stuff in it. This thing has it in spades. Here's a video of Bright Days (my days with this mando) by Norman Blake so you can hear it. Recorded with a Kodak Zi8 video camera using the internal mic. The only processing was normalizing.

[Nathan Kellstadt]

Congrats, Don. Wonderful playing as always.

[Jim Roberts]

That's a dandy, Don! Thanks for sharing and enjoy.

[Gary Alter]

Don, you done Norman proud and the Girouard sounds fantastic!