For all you followers of Girouard mandolins and their excellent instruments. I am sharing this photo. I have a quartet on order not only of the same style but the exact same woods. By "exact" I mean same tree. Alaskan Yellow Cedar on top and Sapele for the body.
I played this combination of woods on an experimental mando that Max built and loved the sound. If you are not familiar with Sapele it is like mahogany on steroids. Woody but with much richer overtones. On the mandocello, remember the best vintage D18 you have ever heard. It is bigger than that but still clear as bell. Cedar is typically used on classical guitar tops. Overall it gives a rounder more balanced sound than spruce but is not as bright.
The mandocello arrived today after an 18 month wait! It was worth it. The matching mandola and octave will be built this year.
I have only positive things to say about the builders, the communication, picking the details etc. The whole process was smooth and enjoyable. And... the result, this mandocello, it is just amazing in both sound and feel AND it is a 10 day old instrument that will only get better. I would highly recommend to anyone to do a custom build with Girouard.
Regards, Dan...
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