After listening to Avi Avital and Jacob Reuven recordings last year, and liking their sound more and more, I decided to have a go at making an Arik Kerman style of mandolin based on all the information I could glean. I made a few cosmetic changes, like the slotted headstock and custom tailpiece. Also, the top of mine has an induced arch, whereas his I believe are completely flat. And I think the internal soundboard in the Kerman is only attached at a few points, whereas mine is attached to the rim most of the way around. There were plenty of things I had to guess, like the depth of the top chamber and the bracing of the top (I used Graham McDonald's H bracing, which seems to work well).
I didn't really know what to expect from the sound, since I had no model to go from, but after a couple of days strung up I think it might be my new favourite mandolin. A strong, clear sound with plenty of volume, pretty even across the strings, plays well up the neck. It doesn't have a lot of overtones. I suspect the internal thingamy reduces them and leaves a 'cleaner' sound (that seemed to be the case with Tavy's experiment making one with and one without).
Anyway, here are some pics.
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