custom mandola

[sunburst]

It's been a while since I finished an instrument of the mandolin family, and this one is different enough from the usual around here that I decided to post some photos. The customer was operating on what he called the "50 foot rule". Decoration is intended to be seen from 50 feet, and close up details are not important. To that end, He wanted a white face and ivoroid pick guard, inspired by the looks of an A-3, block inlays, and basics otherwise. Simple ebony body bindings and no fingerboard or peghead binding.
This is a mandola with a short (under 16") scale. My mandolas have all been 17" scale before this, so I was trying to figure out how I was going to get the bridge to center between the f-hole points when I remembered something I had been wanting to try. Some of the designs of Jimmy DaQuisto are among my favorite instrument designs, and I had been wanting to try using DaQuisto "f"-holes, so I asked the customer if it would be OK to use them on this mandola. He liked the design, so I got my chance to try using this hole shape, and in the bargain got to ignore the tradition of centering the bridge between the f-holes!
For those interested, the top is engelmann spruce (I got to use one of the tops I have with dark streaks of color (thanks, Bruce)), the back, sides and neck are sugar maple, the bindings and peghead overlays are ebony, and the fingerboard is African blackwood.
So, 'without further adieu', the pictures:

[sunburst]

a few more:

[F-2 Dave]

That's beautiful John. I read the post before looking at the photos and couldn't imagine the block inlays looking good, but it was definitely the right call.

[Kevin Stueve]

Stunning

[Gail Hester]

Very, very cool John.

[trevor]

Incredible!

[Tavy]

Nice! I'm always a sucker for block inlay

Looks good from 3000 miles here...

[tree]

I'm a sucker for block inlay too. The thing that struck me was how you've changed the headstock inlay - now Hamlett reads frontward and backward (sorry, I can't remember the word for that).

[Dale Ludewig]

Beautiful, John.

[lenf12]

The thing that struck me was how you've changed the headstock inlay - now Hamlett reads frontward and backward (sorry, I can't remember the word for that).

Palindrome is the word you're looking for. That is a great looking 'dola John. I don't think you need to step back 50 feet to admire this one. I'd like to test drive it from right behind the box.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[sunburst]

I'm a sucker for block inlay too. The thing that struck me was how you've changed the headstock inlay - now Hamlett reads frontward and backward (sorry, I can't remember the word for that).

The customer wanted an alternate logo, and it took me a while to come up with this one. I don't know what that's called either, I don't think it's a palindrome because you can't actually read it backwards without flipping it over (and then reading it forwards).
This logo fits with this design better, IMO, than my usual logo, but it doesn't work well (IMO) with the F-5 and other designs.

[lenf12]

True, strictly speaking your name doesn't read the same backwards and forward, but your design is so skillful it looks like a palindrome. It is very well done!! I don't know the word either.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Bertram Henze]

The thing that struck me was how you've changed the headstock inlay - now Hamlett reads frontward and backward (sorry, I can't remember the word for that).

Palindrome is the word you're looking for.

Palindrome would be symmetrical equal letters in normal orientation (e.g. "step on no pets"). Palindrome works independent of font type. This, OTOH, is 180 degrees rotational symmetry on a graphical level (like the yin&yang symbol), with groups of letters made to look like other letters (the H is the tt and so on). Very cool.

[DougC]

I like the consecutive pattern within the block inlay. And the underside of the fretboard extension seems pretty white like the top. What determined the choice of colors?

[sunburst]

...What determined the choice of colors?

The customer wanted the white top and ivoriod pick guard. I chose the A/F-4 inspired red for the rest of the instrument (with the customer's approval), the ebony was a joint decision also. As for the fingerboard extender being the same color as the top, I concluded that the white color had to have a boundary, and I decided that the boundary would be the ebony top binding and the ebony "cross piece". That meant the extender was on the paint side of the boundary, so it's white! The top started out much whiter but the varnish I used over the color darkened it quite a bit.

[Marty Jacobson]

The logo figure is called an ambigram. Looks awesome, and so does the instrument. Very nice design and execution, but we didn't expect anything less. :-)

[CWRoyds]

Stunning instrument!!!
I love the design.
It is beautiful in its simplicity and sharpness.
I think the wood on the back is absolutely beautiful.
Congrats on a wonderful creation.

[DougC]

I wonder about the size of the sound holes. Do they create a more open sound than one with "f"holes? They seem larger in the pictures.
Also is there a different sound from your other mandolas at this shorter scale length?

[sunburst]

Both good questions, Doug. There is not another of my mandolas within 400 miles of here, so I can't get a direct sound comparison, and furthermore, only one has f-holes, so that's not a very big sample size for comparison anyway.
The short scale is working better than I expected, with some pretty hefty strings on it (still, only a "medium" set). I'm not quite curious enough to measure the area of the holes, but I don't imagine that it is a lot more than the area of f-holes, and with the body size and depth, I don't think they are even approaching too big. Perhaps even bigger would work well.
The sound seems to balance well all the way to the open C note, so I consider the sound to be a success. I haven't really heard it played yet, but the owner is on his way to come pick it up, so by later this evening I should know more about the sound and how it compares to the owners expectations.

[Pete Braccio]

It's the night for photos of fantastic instruments on the Cafe. Very nicely done! I think that the mandola has a great Art Deco vibe to it.

Pete

[Bertram Henze]

This ambigram thing has raised my curiosity - there is even an automatic ambigram designer on the web. I can see that in the near future you can sit everywhere in a jam or session and easily read who made your fellow musician's instrument.

[lenf12]

The logo figure is called an ambigram.

Thank you Marty for a new (to me) word to add to the vocabulary.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[GarY Nava]

Lovely work John.
Cheers Gary

[boatman]

Not too shabby, John. Give me an update, at your leisure, as to when you want this mandola out yonder.

[Jim Garber]

My first Gibson was a white A3 and I still miss it since it was made the same year as my dad's birth year. I love your modernized design, John. Excellent.

What kind of bracing did you use? And do you need to string it with a custom (heavier?) gauged set to work with the shorter scale?