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Thread: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

  1. #51
    Registered User Eric Platt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Interested in one of these for the times I may again be playing outside in winter. Going from mid 60's indoor temps to single digits to maybe teens is not great on wood instruments. Although one band mate used to put his Gibson A through that on a regular basis. Just tuning stability would be nice in those conditions.
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  2. #52
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Merry Christmas, Mandolin Folk!

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    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
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  4. #53
    🎶 Play Pretty 🎶 Greg Connor's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Quote Originally Posted by Steve Sorensen View Post
    Merry Christmas, Mandolin Folk!

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    Steve
    Beautiful

  5. #54
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    After more than a decade of doing French Polished finishes, the learning curve for getting an excellent sprayed clear coat on these Kevlar/Carbon Sprites has been quite steep. Finally, I'm consistently seeing the results I want to see in the new booth --

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    Ironically, the clear coat that is still legal in California goes on with much thinner layers than what is used elsewhere. Tone won't be buried under the finish with these sweet babies!

    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
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  7. #55

    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    It's pretty wild, with all of the talk of differing tonewoods and all of the minuscule nuances which are touted to be so important to the final tone of an instrument, that one from carbon fiber and epoxy can just "sound like a Sorensen".

  8. #56
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    R0gue,

    The key difference here is that no other carbon fiber builds include the complex three dimensional graduations of material which I have created during the development of my "Cold Forging" molding process.

    All other carbon fiber instruments include layers of bi-directional and uni-directional carbon fiber fabric in a vacuum infused resin ... which emulates the stiffness and variable flexibility of similar wooden instruments. Unfortunately, to my ear, the results are usually "similar" to similar sized instruments, but lacking in the complexity and nuance found in the best carved and arched wooden instruments.

    From the start, my goal was to create a composite system which blended the possibilities of the cool work done by Aristides solid body guitars with their "Airium" use of glass microspheres, the structural complexity of "Cold Forged" chopped carbon fiber molding, the weight and stiffness properties of molded composite wood materials (think particle board) WITH the variable stiffness and flexibility of both Kevlar/Carbon Fiber fabric and layers of uni-directional carbon.

    Finding a blend of all these materials, and developing a process which delivers consistent results which convey tone, power, complexity, and the warmth of my wooden builds was not easy. And, to be blunt, I would not have proceeded with the development process if the prototypes didn't deliver.

    I can't stress enough, this development process for this new Sprite ate through materials, time, and money! The first playable prototype which I actually dared show to players was version 28 or 29. And the result of that one was to go back and further tweak my molds, the composite blend, and the molding process.

    This video, with Patrick Sauber kindly running through its paces, was where we were at before the recent refinements --



    Even the finishing, which is an ESSENTIAL aspect of high-end instruments, has taken months to refine. The goal of a thin, flexible protective coat which also provides UV protection and a super-car level gloss was surprisingly challenging.

    I only post results and pictures here when I feel I have crossed the hurdle and hit my goal. The previous several months of finishing experimentation, sanded down finger nails, and aching hands, are left to your imagination.

    I look forward to setting up the current two prototype builds -- they feel really good.

    And, if I report back, it will only be if I am certain that I can deliver instruments that "sound like a Sorensen" ! ! !

    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
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  10. #57
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Stainless steel frets leveled, crowned, and polished. I think we are ready for some hardware here!

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    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
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  12. #58
    two t's and one hyphen fatt-dad's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    late to the thread. How interesting the video on the mold process!

    As I continued to read, I had genuine interest in the sound. (I find the engineering behind acoustic instruments interesting too!)

    Made sense how you adapted the thickness to the material. Made me wonder if any difference in modulus or anisotropy would be a factor?

    Listening to the sound samples from your opus 1, I was so impressed! Well done!

    f-d
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  13. #59

    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Quote Originally Posted by fatt-dad View Post
    Made sense how you adapted the thickness to the material. Made me wonder if any difference in modulus or anisotropy would be a factor?
    f-d
    I can't imagine they wouldn't. I'd expect higher modulus => brighter sound.
    I only base that off of the fact that a steel pipe makes a higher pitched sound when hit than an aluminum or brass one.
    That and stainless steel strings have a darker tone than nickel or bronze ones.

    Of course you can adjust the geometry to offset the difference and make it a more familiar tone.
    I guess I'll just stay right here, pick and sing a while...
    2022 Morris F5 #482, 1995 Flatiron 2MB, 2013 Don Kawalek flat top, 2004 Eastman 805

  14. #60
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Well, well, well ... Ain't that a sight for sore eyes!

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    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
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  16. #61
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Very cool with the green! This is all getting quite interesting. Hopeful that you’ll have one to sample at Grass Valley in June.

  17. #62
    Quietly Making Noise Dave Greenspoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Ok, I'm happy to be the first to say that color with that weave on that body style is perfection. Makes me think of the old, original, classic Jaguars.
    Axes: Eastman MD-515 & El Rey; Eastwood S Mandola
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  18. #63
    Quietly Making Noise Dave Greenspoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Ummm. Wanna trade? I got a great Rivera Clubster Royale Recording Head that's never left the house. That mandolin simply wows and it hasn't made a sound yet.
    Axes: Eastman MD-515 & El Rey; Eastwood S Mandola
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  19. #64
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    More smooth slick shiny stainless steel frets ready to facilitate flying fast fingers --

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  21. #65

    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Great work, Steve! Nice sound and beautiful to look at.

    I'm sure you are aware and maybe this has been discussed here before, but Carbon fiber is always presented as a brand new concept, but actually has been used in guitar manufacturing since the late 70's by Ovation with the Adamas guitar, using a laminated technique of sandwiching very thin wood between a top and bottom carbon fiber layer, FWIW. Ten years before that Ovation started making their synthetic bowl back instruments. The founder, Charles Kaman, was from the aerospace industry. Anyway, Wikipedia gives a pretty good summary of Ovation history, if anyone is interested. I've played several Adamas guitars and all have been exceptional sounding instruments, IMHO. NFI.

  22. #66
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Yep. I spent a good bit of the past year reading up on all previous and current design approaches.

    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
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  23. #67
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    For some reason, this shot of the Treble Work Zone just sums up the practical and aesthetic goals of the project --

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    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
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  25. #68
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    First time picking on this sweet baby.

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    Steve Sorensen
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  27. #69
    Enormous Member
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    That looks magnificent!

  28. #70
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Meanwhile, back at the ol' salt mine ...

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    Yep! That'll do for a quality start.

    Steve
    Steve Sorensen
    Sorensen Mandolin & Guitar Co.
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  30. #71
    Registered User Billy Packard's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Intriguing !!

    If only I could get my hands on them!!

    Billy
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  31. #72
    Registered User John Soper's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Looking good in the carbon-fiber neighborhood! Hope to see one or two of these in Raleigh come IBMA.

  32. #73
    Registered User Steve Sorensen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Another view --

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    Steve Sorensen
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  34. #74
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    I’m sure many love it, but the green one, meh. And even black snakeheads don’t float my boat. But the red one is very cool.

    Very nice work all around.
    Not all the clams are at the beach

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  35. #75

    Default Re: Are you ready for a new Carbon/Kevlar Sorensen mandolin?

    Love ‘em all. Now a blue one though… that would match my blue Morris… and I could play some blues…

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