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Thread: New A4 Tribute mandolin

  1. #1
    Hester Mandolins Gail Hester's Avatar
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    I've wanted to build some A-style mandolins and although I have rebuilt/refurbished a bunch of old Gibson A-styles, I’ve been stuck in F-style rut, “The times they are a changing.” #I was excited to get this order for snakehead reproduction mandolin a few months ago as a nice break from the norm and to get started building an A-style mandolin, something I’ve wanted to do for awhile. #

    I call this one the “Tribute A4” and it is patterned after our 1924 Gibson snakehead. #The specifications are: Red Spruce top, figured Birch back and sides, Honduras Mahogany neck, bone nut, Macassar Ebony bridge, Schaller A-tuners with replacement ivoroid buttons, Allen TR2 tailpiece (with latest design improvements), Ebony fretboard with 12"
    radius, Ebony truss rod cover with vintage style Silver screws, oil varnish with shellac French polish.

    Here are some pictures. #The first one, “in the white.”



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    Gail Hester

  2. #2
    Hester Mandolins Gail Hester's Avatar
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    Full front.
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    Gail Hester

  3. #3
    Hester Mandolins Gail Hester's Avatar
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    Showing some side and some dog tail.



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    Gail Hester

  4. #4
    Hester Mandolins Gail Hester's Avatar
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    New inlay design, look close to see the snakehead.
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    Gail Hester

  5. #5
    Hester Mandolins Gail Hester's Avatar
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    The back.
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  6. #6
    Hester Mandolins Gail Hester's Avatar
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    Last one, with its oval litter mate.
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    Boo-Tee-Full! You keep this up, you might have to get serious about it!

    I Love the color graduations you've been doing. Very hard to beat!

    Ron
    My wife says I don't pay enough attention to what she says....
    (Or something like that...)

  8. #8
    Registered User swampstomper's Avatar
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    WOW!!! This awakens some **serious** MAS. Do you mind giving us a 'suggested retail price' of this gorgeous A4 tribute? So we can either dream or fuggedaboutit?

  9. #9
    Registered User cooper4205's Avatar
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    you nailed it. those look fantastic
    Wes
    "i gotta fever...and the only prescription is more cowbell!!"

    '87 Flatiron A5-JR/'25 Gibson A-JR

  10. #10
    _________________ grandmainger's Avatar
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    Gail, this looks great! Well done!

    Am I right in thinking that you replicated "on purpose" the off-center dovetail joint?
    If so,great move! One does not see it in the finished product, but it's kind of nice to know it's in there!

    Germain

  11. #11
    Kelley Mandolins Skip Kelley's Avatar
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    Beautiful!! Gail the mandolins look like new 1920"s mandolins! Wonderful work!!

  12. #12
    Registered User Brad Weiss's Avatar
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    WOW! The finish on these is so immaculate. #The birch back looks like it was carved in 1924-just a dead ringer for an old snakehead! #If you don't mind a gentle critique, the rosette seems a tad too pronounced. #Why don't you just let me take one of these off your hands while you perfect the model...

    You're a real craftsman!

  13. #13
    Registered User Tom C's Avatar
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    Beautiful. Does it sound like you expected it too? Is there any way to post a sound clip?

  14. #14
    Registered User amowry's Avatar
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    Wow, those are beautiful-- I love the color of both of them. It must be tricky to bend that piece of ivoroid in the middle of the rosettes and have it come out so clean?

  15. #15
    Registered User bradeinhorn's Avatar
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    add those to the archive dan
    www.bigdrawbluegrass.com

    Voight A-5
    Bayard GBOM

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    Very nice work. I especially like the accuracy of the color on the A-4 model. Is the rosette around the sound hole wider than a vintage Gibson?...Gary

  17. #17
    Formerly F5JOURNL Darryl Wolfe's Avatar
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    Lovely Gail. It needs a pickguard
    Darryl G. Wolfe, The F5 Journal
    www.f5journal.com

  18. #18
    Purveyor of Sunshine sgarrity's Avatar
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    And you just do this as a hobby??? Mighty fine lookin' instruments!

  19. #19
    Hester Mandolins Gail Hester's Avatar
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    Darryl, I agree and as the owner of one of your fantastic reproduction guards it would be perfect for this mandolin. I sent this one off this week to a good home and the buyer opted not to have a pickguard or I would have already been bugging you about it. That F4 sure could use one though…

    The rosette is a little wider than the old ones (although they vary) since I used a standard size ivoroid binding. I like the way it looks, little bolder, but I’ll probably not do that again since it was very difficult to bend the wider stuff. I used thinner celluloid for the F4.
    Gail Hester

  20. #20
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    Wow, those are beautiful! I've loved seeing your restoration work too. How about a Loar A5 reproduction? I'd buy one.
    Fiddles
    Arches F4 / Newson F5
    Crump B1 / Old Wave GOM

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    Smile

    I am the very fortunate owner of Gail's Tribute A4 pictured here--just received it yesterday. In answer to Tom C's inquiry about the sound, it would be hard for me to say which is more phenomenal: the looks or the performance. Right out of the oven it already has a distinctive big voice. It has a sweet ringing in the highs, and the bass is firm and deep, but not booming. The neck is very comfortable and smooth. The top is alive, and the mandolin has immense volume even with the light DR strings 10-36 that it has on it. It has a radiused fretboard and very responsive low action. As the cliche goes, it plays so easily that it seems to be playing itself. I would post a soundbite if I were a more skilled player, but I couldn't do the mandolin justice.

    Gail put in an amazing amount of work on this instrument, but in addition to all her diligent effort, she clearly has a gift. Her husband Chuck is a highly skilled player who helps guide that gift, and there's magic in what the two of them come up with together.

    I can't say enough good things about the mandolin, nor about Gail and Chuck as people. I had the good fortune to visit them and see their shop, and they were wonderfully gracious and generous with their time and hospitality. They were totally accomodating in being willing to provide what I wanted in the mandolin, but they were also very helpful in guiding me in making decisions about it, and they turned out always to be right.

    I have owned several mandolins, including a Gibson F9, a Weber Yellowstone, a Flatiron Performer A, and a 1918 Gibson A. I've also spent some time playing Collings A's and F's. All these instruments had their strong points, but IMHO none of them could hold a candle to the Hester F's that I played at her house nor to the Hester A4 that I now own. I don't know if I'll ever feel the need to buy another mandolin, but if I do, I hope that Gail will build it for me. If you're considering having a mandolin custom made, IMO it would be very hard for you to find a more expert luthier or higher quality people to deal with than Gail and Chuck.

    I've been writing this too long--time to go play!

  23. #23
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    In Gail's third picture, the reflections give a great account of the arching and graduations to her soundboard. Beautiful! Also mentioned in that post is something about a dog's tail, then it was ignored.

    Looks very French to me! Izzat pooches name "Fifi"?

    Ron



    My wife says I don't pay enough attention to what she says....
    (Or something like that...)

  24. #24
    Closet Mandolin Player Mark Walker's Avatar
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    Gail - that's just BEAUTIFUL. #I am so impressed with both your and Laura Ratcliff's mandolins. #You two must be about the only women out there building such wonderful instruments! # #

    For a guy who can't cut a 2x4 straight, I tip my hat to you for being such a wonderful luthier! #Keep up the GREAT work! #



    "The more I learn, the more I realize how ignorant I truly am..."

  25. #25
    Gilchrist (pick) Owner! jasona's Avatar
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    As someone above said, you nailed it! Beautiful work!
    Jason Anderson

    "...while a great mandolin is a wonderful treat, I would venture to say that there is always more each of us can do with the tools we have available at hand. The biggest limiting factors belong to us not the instruments." Paul Glasse

    Stumbling Towards Competence

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