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Thread: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

  1. #1
    Barn Cat Mandolins Bob Clark's Avatar
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    Default Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Here are the latest Piccolo (Sopranino) flat-top mandolins off my bench (Barn Cat Mandolins Kitten model). One has local cherry back/sides and the other local Black Walnut backs/sides. Both have Adirondack Spruce tops and Maple necks. The Asian Pear overlay shown is on the Cherry mandolin, and is from a branch crotch cut from one of my orchards. Next I am building two short-scale mandolins (Moggy model) as matches for these two piccolos. I hope you enjoy the pictures!
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Name:	A. Kitten Cherry side front.jpg 
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Name:	B. Kitten Bl Walnut Front side.jpg 
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Name:	C. Kittens Both Backs Sides.jpg 
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Name:	D. Kitten Cherry Back Closeup.jpg 
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  3. #2
    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Wow, Bob, those are beautiful! I love that you are using local resources. I bet they sound great!

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    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Lovely fotoz! What's the tuning on these little guys? Scale length?

    Billy
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  7. #4
    Barn Cat Mandolins Bob Clark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Quote Originally Posted by Billy Packard View Post
    Lovely fotoz! What's the tuning on these little guys? Scale length?

    Billy
    Hi Billy,

    These are tuned Cgda, a fourth above a mandolin, an octave above a mandola. The scale length is 10.35". They are small and a lot of fun to play. Sort of like driving a two seat roadster compared to a regular car!
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    Worlds ok-ist mando playr Zach Wilson's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Neato! I like the Walnut backed one

    I beat they sound just as good as they look!

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  10. #6
    Barn Cat Mandolins Bob Clark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    I had trouble uploading the photo of the headstock overlay on the Cherry mandolin, and I just figured out the problem and fixed it. I needed to shrink it a bit. So, here it is. It looks a bit more dramatic in person.

    This overlay is from a pruned out scaffold limb crotch from an Asian Pear tree in one of my orchards. The training of these trees results in tortured grain patterns that I figured would look good as overlays. I hope others here like it as well as I do. I managed to get a few overlays out of this one crotch and will put one on the cherry mandolin I will next build to match this piccolo.
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Those are both very cool, and the pear overlay is great. I am totally loving that walnut.

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    Registered User Sue Rieter's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    That headstock with the pear overlay is just awesome. Thanks for showing the closeup.

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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Bob, I’ll bet you remember when Weber made piccolo carved top mandolins. They were a neat idea, but one of the first things that went when Two Old Hippies took over and started cutting things from their line up.
    Don

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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Beautiful ! Would love to hear one !

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  20. #11
    Barn Cat Mandolins Bob Clark's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Quote Originally Posted by multidon View Post
    Bob, I’ll bet you remember when Weber made piccolo carved top mandolins. They were a neat idea, but one of the first things that went when Two Old Hippies took over and started cutting things from their line up.
    I sure do, Don, that's what started me down this path. I think they called theirs a Sopranolin and I was immediately smitten. Eva Holbrook recorded a Bach piece on one and it was just so cool I had to give one a try. Mike Black made an A4 style piccolo for me and it's great. I view my flat tops as a gateway drug for the Piccolo curious.
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  21. #12
    Jo Dusepo, luthier Dusepo's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    Great work!
    I am a luthier specialising in historical and world stringed instruments. You can see more info at my website.

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  23. #13
    Mandolin Player trodgers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Two more Piccolo Mandolins- Cherry and Black Walnut

    I love the color on that cherry! Great work.
    “Like winds and sunsets, wild things were taken for granted until progress began to do away with them. Now we face the question whether a still higher ‘standard of living’ is worth its cost in things natural, wild and free.” -- Aldo Leopold

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