From a certain viewpoint, is a yew two-point a yew-point?
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)
I recently completed a pair of two points. The first (oval soundhole) was made in collaboration with a family member who works in the logging industry. The woods are western redcedar (Thuja plicata) and Pacific yew (Taxus brevifolia), all gathered/harvested by either him or myself, and all from NW Oregon. He also provided the bone for the nut and side dots, from an elk he caught several years ago. Very local, all-in-the-family, and all-conifer, this was a really fun project.
The second mandolin is made from the same western redcedar billet, along with sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) I obtained when I used to live in North Carolina. It represents an attempt--only partly successful--to integrate F-hole-like soundholes with a bent top/cant. I say partly successful because those soundholes are in a region that the bent-top construction puts under particular stress. I had to repair and stabilize some cracks as I went, and I almost abandoned the project. I have ideas to mitigate this problem were I to try again--but I am not sure that I will try again.
The yew mandolin has a fairly even response across all strings and up and down the fingerboard, and has a tone that I think of as bright and happy. The sycamore mandolin seems to emphasize one octave in particular, has a more percussive response, and features a dryer, perhaps simpler tone.
I'm curious to hear what y'all think. Let me know if you have any questions.
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