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Thread: Guitar Bodied Mandola

  1. #1
    Registered User Matt Harris's Avatar
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    Default Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Folks, I'm pretty excited.

    Over the last decade or so I've built about a half dozen instruments. But all electric guitars and basses and whatnot. They were really cool, and fun projects, but the problem is I mostly play acoustic. And I'd been itching to build an acoustic instrument...

    I started this a couple of years ago, but got sidetracked by life. Today I finally got it strung up in the white, which is a huge moment, because, finish or not, it's a real instrument now!

    It's a rare bird. There's not very many guitar bodied mandolas on the planet. And there may not be another one with a Monteleone style scroll. And this one has a redwood top and locally milled cherry for the back and sides.

    Honestly I'm shocked with how well it plays and sounds with no setup or tweaking. Here's a quick video, pardon my playing!



    ** Quick note, yes it's missing a C string. The string loop came off the post, and I cut it too short before I noticed...
    Last edited by Matt Harris; Feb-06-2020 at 1:36am.
    1918 Gibson F4
    2016 Northfield NF-5S
    2017 Black Guitar Bodied Octave Mandolin #42

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  3. #2

    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Very nice! I love seeing designs different from the norm.

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  5. #3

    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    That is so cool! Stellar work. I love it.

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  7. #4
    Registered User Rick Jones's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Looks fantastic - I also have a thing about guitar-shaped mandolins, as shown in my avatar.
    All my life I wanted to be somebody, now I realize I should have been more specific.

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  9. #5
    Registered User Steve Lavelle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Rick Jones- can You share who made the mandolin in your avatar? Doesn't look like an Apitius, and that's the only option I know of. Guitar bodied mandolins are the only thing that gets my MAS going!
    Steve Lavelle
    '93 Flatiron Performer F
    Customized Eastwood Mandocaster (8str)

  10. #6
    I may be old but I'm ugly billhay4's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Nice design and nice work.
    Bill
    IM(NS)HO

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  12. #7
    Kelley Mandolins Skip Kelley's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Nice work Matt and it's a really cool looking mandola!

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  14. #8
    Registered User John Soper's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Really nice design. Will love to hear it when finished, set up, and with all strings aboard.

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  16. #9
    Registered User Matt Harris's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Quote Originally Posted by John Soper View Post
    Really nice design. Will love to hear it when finished, set up, and with all strings aboard.
    Absolutely! I put the other C string on yesterday, and it's a noticeably louder and fuller sound! Really really happy with it!

    I've got a buddy at work who won Winfield many years ago, and I plan to have him do a much better video of him playing it when I get the finish on it.

    Also, a quick thanks to Marty Jacobson for helping me with info and sound files to get the top carved correctly!
    1918 Gibson F4
    2016 Northfield NF-5S
    2017 Black Guitar Bodied Octave Mandolin #42

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  18. #10
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Looks great and sounds great too...

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  20. #11
    Registered User Rick Jones's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Lavelle View Post
    Rick Jones- can You share who made the mandolin in your avatar? Doesn't look like an Apitius, and that's the only option I know of. Guitar bodied mandolins are the only thing that gets my MAS going!
    Steve - This mandolin is one of two I built about 12 years ago. Basic shape is from Bob Benedetto's archtop guitar blueprint, size is reduced to something like 64% so the body meets the neck at the 12th fret. I lessened the depth of the cutaway a bit to avoid a really tight bend. Tone bar bracing following F5 blueprints. Standard 13-7/8 scale length. Both have Englemann tops, maple backs and sides.
    All my life I wanted to be somebody, now I realize I should have been more specific.

  21. #12
    Registered User bbcee's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar Bodied Mandola

    +1 what @burt50 said. Sounds balanced across all the strings.

    Nice to see more mandola content lately!

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