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Standard Peghead Mandolin
This is my standard peghead mandolin. While most customers usually like to change things from the standard instrument, my base mandolin includes the following. The top is red spruce sourced from the same people who supply companies like Collings as well as small, high end luthier’s like Steve Gilchrist. Backs, sides, and necks are usually, but not always, made from Red Maple, also sourced from the industry’s top supplier. If asked to build an instrument from something other than maple, like Claro walnut, I’ll often make the neck from vertical grain mahogony. The fretboards are ebony as well as the end graft, head plate, and edge binding. While it adds to the build time and subsequent cost, many people opt for paying a bit more for purfled binding. I prefer Waverly tuners as I’ve seen nothing but the highest quality from them with every set, but I’m happy to accomodate a cutomer if they specify something else. The tailpiece is a cast Monteleone model. This instrument has mother of pearl or abalone position dots for the side and face of the fretboard. If the instrument is going to be taken out of the country, minerals or wood replace the MOP. New laws prevent items made with shell to exit the country. The cost of my base model is $4,200 as of Spring, 2016. As wood availability changes, costs also fluctuate to a small extent and so, my prices may change slightly over time. This model presents many opportunities for being personilized, like heel carving, and fine inlay. One of my greatest pleasures is working with someone on making an instrument that is truly their own by incorporating decorative elements that are personally meaningful.
Scroll Head Mandolin
Usually more highly ornamented, my scroll peghead mandolin is modeled after the Lyon and Healey mandolins made just after the turn of the last century. The asymetrical body points work well with the assymetrical peghead scroll. The woods used for this model are the same as used in my standard peghead model, however, I find myself deviating from the woods I normally use a lot when building this instrument. The big difference in the cost of this instrument above the standard peghead is just that, the peghead. Carving a scroll and remaking standard modern tuners to fit into a non-standard and non modern mandolin adds a lot of time to a build. The base price for this instrument is $5,200.
