New Stanley A Style Build

**pjlama** · Oct-17-2012, 11:40pm

This past Spring I finally found 'The One', it's Stanley #63. Since finding true love I've sold off everything I owned. At some point I decided having a second mandolin would be a good idea so I called Chris Stanley for another one. For the second go round I thought it would be a good idea to have something that is a change of pace to my V5. I thought about what would be a good change of pace and something that would be truly useful to me. So I decided to go with an A, it's not an F so that's a start plus I like the budget friendly nature of the A style. I also wanted something that had a jazz vibe as I intend to put flat wounds on it and use it for more jazz playing.

When thinking about wood choices I just could't take a risk. Chris Stanley makes an unbelievable sounding mandolin and he (to the best of my knowledge) always uses red spruce and red maple. Chris just knows how to get THE sound out of that wood combination so far be it for me to mess with success. I did want to go with a radius fingerboard and larger fret wire since I tend to play differently when I play an easier set-up, I'm more fluid or slippery, not better just different. Chris offered a compound radius so I thought so much the better. That left just aesthetic choices and tuner so I wanted Waverlys of course and went a little different of the overall look. That look for me is going to be block inlays, tortoise binding and red burst finish. Other fun stuff is one piece back and I asked Chris to come up with something less traditional for the headstock shape and fingerboard extension. It's turning out very nicely as Chris sent these progress picture over the last few days. Enjoy...

**Mike Bunting** · Oct-17-2012, 11:47pm

That looks great. It'g good to see the Stanley getting it's props. I'm totally happy with my V5 but the notion of adding an A to my collection sometimes crosses my mind. I love the sound and feel of mine.

**pjlama** · Oct-18-2012, 12:07am

Thanks Mike, I just couldn't see going with anybody else at this point. I was talking to Chris last week and told him it's very weird to have lost my desire for mandolins. For the last 5 - 6 years MAS has been a part of my life and it's completely gone. I can see literally anything in the classifieds and just think "That's nice but I have no desire for it". I don't even really need this A but I just felt that having a second instrument was a good idea. I intend to play the frets off my V5 over the next year and need a back-up for when it goes home to Chris for a visit. A real benefit is that Chris's A style are very affordable relative to what a great mandolin costs and his are great. Another upside was being able to go another direction in playability and look. I don't want to change the Stanley tone and vibe, it's perfect, I just want to experience another aspect of his work. What Chris does is exactly what I want to hear in a mandolin. Of course I'll post up more progress as Chris sends updates and when it comes I'll do the full video review. I gotta say since getting the first pics yesterday I'm getting pretty excited

**Mike Bunting** · Oct-18-2012, 12:16am

I was at a mando geek gathering a short while ago and we sampled each others mandos. There were two Wiens, a Red Diamond, a Kimble and a Collings, and while clearly these are all great sounding instruments, like you, none made me want them. The same thing has happened to me when trying out a local Ellis and Heiden.

**pjlama** · Oct-18-2012, 12:27am

It's a pretty strange phenomenon, total mandolin satisfaction.

**Steve-o** · Oct-18-2012, 6:13am

Originally Posted by pjlama

It's a pretty strange phenomenon, total mandolin satisfaction.

Great looking vibe on that Stanley A.

**dcoventry** · Oct-18-2012, 7:23am

Originally Posted by pjlama

It's a pretty strange phenomenon, total mandolin satisfaction.

Oh dear. That's almost like a jinx or something! Knock on wood, toss salt, curse a banjo, throw 10 hail mary's....do SOMEHTING!

**Jim Garber** · Oct-18-2012, 7:32am

Originally Posted by pjlama

It's a pretty strange phenomenon, total mandolin satisfaction.

Yes, that is a quote that may come back to haunt you some time in the future.

**doc holiday** · Oct-18-2012, 7:53am

She's a real beauty PJ, A brace of Stanleys is a beautiful thing!

**Jim Garber** · Oct-18-2012, 8:06am

I A-B'ed a Stanley F5 with another high-end maker's mandolin at a guitar show some time ago and was quite impressed with the Stanley. If i was in the market for a bluegrass sounding mandolin I would definitely consider one of Chris'.

**pjlama** · Oct-18-2012, 10:40am

"read my lips", total mandolin satisfaction

**fatt-dad** · Oct-18-2012, 11:57am

I've recently been basking in the glow of total mandolin satisfaction.

f-d

**pjlama** · Oct-18-2012, 12:22pm

Originally Posted by fatt-dad

I've recently been basking in the glow of total mandolin satisfaction.

f-d

You had a big year, you should be very satisfied.

**Chip Booth** · Oct-18-2012, 12:30pm

Looks great PJ. I have yet to play a Stanley but would sure like to.

My problem with reaching mandolin satisfaction lies mainly not in being satisfied with one mandolin, but being interested in all of the other mandolin voices: mandola, octave, cello...

**pjlama** · Oct-18-2012, 1:04pm

I have a dola' and zook and emando but always play the regular old mandolin. I can see the attraction to the other voices but with the exception of the OM where I used it in a bass and drum trio I only play them once in a very great while.

**Jim Roberts** · Oct-18-2012, 6:12pm

Looks like a Jim Hilburn A5 mandolin headstock...

**Rosemary Philips** · Oct-18-2012, 6:44pm

Very exciting!

**pjlama** · Oct-18-2012, 6:49pm

Originally Posted by Jim Roberts

Looks like a Jim Hilburn A5 mandolin headstock...

Now that you mention it... The finish will look like one of Austins so... The saying goes, there's nothing new under the sun.

**robert.najlis** · Oct-18-2012, 7:33pm

I'm looking forward to seeing - and hearing it when its done. Will it be carved / made for a different sound from his regular mandos, or is it just that you will put flatwounds on it - plus of course give it a different look

Also - I can't wait to try out one of his mandos. Mainly I am just waiting for my startup to take off

**pjlama** · Oct-18-2012, 8:47pm

The carving is slightly different on this one. It'll be very cool to see how it sounds. I'm confident it will sound great, that's why I chose to stay with Chris.

**Mike Bunting** · Oct-19-2012, 4:20pm

A great recorded example of a Stanley V5 in the hands of Adam Tanner. It's on everything except Lorene and Valley of Peace

http://www.amazon.com/Trail-Time-Twi...e+broadcasters

Here's the web page http://www.twilitebroadcasters.com/listen.htm

**Wilbur James** · Oct-19-2012, 5:53pm

I did a workshop with Adam, great guy, and I was really impressed with his Stanley, and he does record with it on some of the Twilight Broadcasters recordings.

**Mike Bunting** · Oct-19-2012, 6:23pm

Originally Posted by Wilbur James

I did a workshop with Adam, great guy, and I was really impressed with his Stanley, and he does record with it on some of the Twilight Broadcasters recordings.

As I pointed out in my post with the links, he uses it on all tunes but the two mentioned above. I spoke with him this afternoon. There is a new recording in the works as well.

**Wilbur James** · Oct-19-2012, 6:45pm

Originally Posted by Mike Bunting

As I pointed out in my post with the links, he uses it on all tunes but the two mentioned above. I spoke with him this afternoon. There is a new recording in the works as well.

I look forward to the new recording, great energy in their music, thanks for pointing it out in your original post.