Artist Model Mandolin

Artist Mandolin, front view
The Artist Model has a smooth, comfortable lower body contour, art deco styling, a peghead that is slightly smaller and has a little less ornate inlay than that of the Deluxe, using A-style straight tuning machines. It has a curly maple back, sides and neck, spruce top, arched ebony fingerboard with dot inlay, the fine SL-8 tailpiece, gold plated hardware, hand-shaded sunburst, hand-rubbed lacquer finish, multiple binding, f-holes, ebony bridge and a handmade mother of pearl truss rod cover graces the ebony peghead overlay. As on all my mandolins, it has my X-bracing that crosses between the bridge and the neck, with the braces passing directly under the bridge feet for most efficient sound transfer and quick response. This top was cut from Sitka spruce that was submerged in the icy waters off the Alaskan coast for 75 to 100 years, and this mandolin sounds like it was made in 1925! I also have other top woods, including Engelmann spruce, Adirondack and Appalachian red spruce, western red cedar and Douglas fir; for the back, sides and neck, maple from Tennessee, West Virginia, Michigan, and the Pacific Northwest. I have had some really lovely tone results from Oregon myrtle in neck, back and sides. Some slab-cut, one-piece maple backs are available if desired. Prices start at $2600 Options include Calton case, select fancy wood, varnish finish.

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