Lebeda A4 mandolin from 2005 in excellent condition. It has that full and rich tone that Jiri is so good at, and plenty of volume, great bass without being tubby, complex mid range and clear 'n sweet trebles.

In spruce and beautifully flamed maple with a 1 1/8" nut, ebony bridge and fretboard and the original case. Its a very lot of mandolin for the money.

Lebeda A4 premium with McIntyre feather pickup installed by ourselves. With original case, in excellent condition. Fantastic rich and mellow tone with lots of punchy volume.

The standard from Rolfe has a mere strap button to hang it over your shoulder but it makes up for the strap hanger complex with amazing responsiveness. As is the Phoenix trademark it seems to get to the note before you do. Not quite as light as the neoclassical but still lighter than most giving it amazing resonance and projection. People often ask my about playability, I usually respond that it is different for different people, for me this is it, light and open. It has a very punchy sound with well defined bass, strong mids and very precise and clean trebles. I almost forgot to mention how great it looks, Rolfe told me this one has extra specially flamey maple, the photo doesn't do it justice but take a look anyways. With hardshell case.

Rosta is the man for getting great bass from a mandolin and that's what you want from an octave mandolin. This beauty in spruce and flamed maple with a twenty two and three quarters inch scale length has a very strong but controlled bass with fantastic warm and vibrant mids and clear ringing trebles. Many octave mandolins suffer from muddiness, not this one, the balance and projection is amazing and it plays like a dream and sounds fantastic acoustic and plugged in. With case.

In excellent condition with a few surface marks.

Lebeda A5 with original case, ebony armrest, custom inlay and in excellent condition. Built in 2000.

It has fantastic power and volume with a great chop, warm mids and clear trebles. Great for bluegrass and with the depth and fullnes of tone for other styles.

Spruce top and gorgeous quilted maple back and sides.

A beautiful octave mandolin from the Weber team. In the gorgeous honey and tortoise finish with Adirondack/red spruce top, ebony radiussed fretboard, ebony traditional Brekke bridge, it has a 20" scale and 1 15/32" nut width. It's a dream to play with incredible deep and warm basses, rich and sweet mids and clear/well defined trebles. With hard case.

Another beauty from Tom, this is my first from his new Standard range. You don't get his famous bevelled bindings and a few other extras such as the carved rear headstock that are standard features on the Signature range but you do get the same fantastic sound and one of the most beautiful headstocks I've seen... and you save around £2000!

This Legacy has unbelievable separation and definition from the low E all the way to the top, each note is clear and well defined. It also has great volume and a rich and deep tone, responding equally well to a pick or the gentlest fingerstyle, a very versatile guitar.

• Sitka top
• Wenge back and sides
• Arm bevel
• 14 frets to the body
• 25” scale
• 1.75” nut width
• 2.25” string spacing at saddle
• 15.5” lower bout
• Mahogany neck
• B/W/B purfling
• Ebony bindings
• Kostal inspired ebony/wenge headstock veneer
• Ebony rear headstock veneer
• MoP position markers (with side dots)
• Wenge with bevelled ebony binding rosette
• Ebony fretboard
• Wenge bridge
• Mini Gotoh 510 tuners
• Faux ebony tuner buttons
• Bone nut and saddle
• Ebony bridge pins
• No pickguard
• Cedar Creek case

With no bindings this Gallatin A looks great. It is an example of a mandolin where every penny has gone into the sound. With a solid hand carved spruce top, solid hand carved maple back and sides, solid cast tailpiece and Brekke bridge it's the least expensive US of A made A style mandolin around. The basic spec of course does not affect the sound, it has a classic A4 tone, solid, well defined bass with warm and rich mids and crisp ringing trebles. With hard case.

The one and only Dave Swarbrick (Swarb) of Fairport Convention had one of these.

Photos to follow.

This is an early Gibson A style mandolin with "pumpkin" top and Orville Gibson's picture on the label. The mandolin has the first version of the elevated pickguard but it is missing the clamp. The tailpiece cover is the earliest version that is a bit more ornate. The original bridge height is a full 3/4". The finish is great and the top is fully arched with no sinking. This a great playing antique instrument. Classic vintage Gibbo tone, lots of that wonderful deep and resonant bass, warm and sweet mids and clear trebles.

Gorgeous sunburst guitar bodied octave mandolin, 20.25" scale, ebony tailpiece, bound ebony pickguard, ebony bridge, Adirondack Spruce top and Red Maple back and sides, bound in ivoroid with black/white purfling, varnish finish, abalone and MoP headstock inlay and it comes in a custom Ameritage case.

The jazz guitar bodied octave mandolin seems to be the way to go, it has magical qualities, bass that I've not heard in other octaves, it is well defined and solid, if you like your octave mandolins jangly this is not for you. If you like a strong bass and lots of deep warm sound with great definition and projection it is perfect.

Fantastic rich and full sounding octave mandolin with 20" scale making it very easy to play. It has great resonance and warmth and depth of tone with excellent definition and projection from the lowest to highest notes.

A5 style octave mandolin with hand graduated spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides. 20" scale length and 1 3/8" nut with a traditional Brekke bridge (adjustable under tension). The top is bound, the fretboard is radiussed and bound ebony and it has a solid/cast stainless steel tailpiece, dual action truss rod, Grover tuners, Celtic knot and 'Weber' headstock design and a custom hard case.

This is unbelievably loud. If you are looking for the richness and depth of a great oval hole mandolin and volume and power to match any f holed mandolin, look no further. This beauty has all the resonance and warmth you would expect from an oval holed mandolin but with great volume and projection.

Add Collings' usual impeccable workmanship and beautiful woods and you have an amazing mandolin.

Select Englemann spruce top
Select figured maple back, sides and neck
X-bracing
Tortoise-style top binding
Tortoise rosette and bound soundhole
Satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Unbound "Haircut" headstock
13 Degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard
Mortise and tenon neck joint
22 frets, neck joins the body at the 13th fret
V shaped neck profile with 1 9/16" string spacing
7"-11 5/8" Compound fingerboard radius
1 3/16" Bone nut
13 7/8" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Custom adjustable floating ebony bridge
Collings original one-piece nickel tailpiece
Nickel or gold tuners with black or pearl buttons
Recommended string gauge - D'Addario J-74 (.011"-.040")
Collings deluxe hardshell case by TKL

'Modern' oval hole sound with all the depth and richness you would want from an oval holed mandolin but with great volume, clarity and projection. It even has a good bluegrass chop, rare in oval holed mandolin and It also has the gloss top upgrade.

Collings usual impeccable workmanship and beautiful woods, this is a stunning mandolin.

Select Englemann spruce top
Select figured maple back, sides and neck
X-bracing
Tortoise-style top binding
Tortoise rosette and bound soundhole
Satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Unbound "Haircut" headstock
13 Degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard
Mortise and tenon neck joint
22 frets, neck joins the body at the 13th fret
V shaped neck profile with 1 9/16" string spacing
7"-11 5/8" Compound fingerboard radius
1 3/16" Bone nut
13 7/8" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Custom adjustable floating ebony bridge
Collings original one-piece nickel tailpiece
Nickel or gold tuners with black or pearl buttons
Recommended string gauge - D'Addario J-74 (.011"-.040")
Collings deluxe hardshell case by TKL

Another gorgeous octave mandolin from Jayson, this is my third, the first two sold very quickly.

It has unbelievable solid and well defined warm bass notes, fantastic rich and complex mids and full/clear trebles. None of that muddiness common to flat-top octave mandolins here, it has definition and projection a plenty and it plays beautifully.

Sitka top, rosewood back and sides, mahogany neck, 24" scale and a hardshell case.

I had been aware of Al Beardsell's amazing guitars for a while when I read the feature on him in the Fretboard Journal. I took a look at his website and was amazed to find this remarkable mandolin for sale.

It is one of the most stunning mandolins I have ever seen. The sound has incredible clarity and finesse, power when called for and depth and subtlety when asked.

It is in excellent condition with some very small marks. No previous owner, it was used by Al as a demonstration of his work, and was on loan to Mike Marshall for a few months and shown at his symposium summer 2010.

A big and full sound with the warmth and richness of mahogany and the clarity of sitka spruce this is a great guitar bodied octave mandolin (GoM) for playing melody lines or chords for rythm playing. It is very light and responsive.

Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, abalone rosette, and a hardshell case.

23” scale length, 13 5/8” lower bout.

This one has remarkable volume and projection for a small guitar bodied octave mandolin (GoM). It has all the luscious and deep bass notes you would expect from rosewood and superb clarity from the sitka spruce top. It has warm mids a bright trebles and plays beautifully in all fretboard positions.

Sitka spruce top, rosewood back and sides, abalone rosette, and a hardshell case.

21 3/8” scale length, 11 ¼” lower bout.

Rosewood and sitka spruce make for great depth and sustain along with great clarity. This guitar bodied octave mandolin (GoM) has has a big deep and resonant tone with well defined bass notes, warm mids and clear trebles. Great for everthing from heavy strumming and picking to sensitive melodies.

Sitka spruce top, rosewood back and sides, rope rosette, and a hardshell case.

23” scale length, 13 5/8” lower bout.

A gorgeous blonde top A4 from Tom. Its in Red (Adirondack) spruce and the most beautiful flamed red maple and has an ebony fretboard, pickguard and bridge, engraved James tailpiece, triple bound top, back and headstock, abalone inlay and logo, rope-style rosette and a TKL case.

The sound is everything a great oval hole mandolin should be, rich and resonant with deep and sonorous bass notes, sweet and complex mids and clear, sparkling trebles. And non of the boom that comes with some lesser oval holes.

A beautiful F4 style octave mandolin with hand graduated spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides. It as a 20" scale length and 1 3/8" nut with a traditional Brekke bridge giving excellent playability. The top is bound, the fretboard is radiussed and bound ebony and it has a solid/cast stainless steel tailpiece, dual action truss rod, Grover tuners, Celtic knot and 'Weber' headstock design and a custom hard case.

Wonderful deep and full tone, fantastic warmth and resonance with well defined basses, complex mids and clear, ringing trebles and with the 20" scale it plays very easily.

A beautiful F5 style octave mandolin with hand graduated spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides. It as a 20" scale length and 1 3/8" nut with a traditional Brekke bridge giving excellent playability. The top is bound, the fretboard is radiussed and bound ebony and it has a solid/cast stainless steel tailpiece, dual action truss rod, Grover tuners, Celtic knot and 'Weber' headstock design and a custom hard case.

It is tone bar braced so there is none of that floppiness common to flat top octave mandolins. It has great power and definition with plenty of character and depth of tone and excellent projection. With a 20" scale it is very easy to play.

This is Collings' entry level mandolin but it has everything you would expect from Collings. It has great volume with a fantastic and powerful bluegrass chop, strong bass notes, warm and complex mids and clear trebles. Its much more than a bluegrass cannon with a very full tone that is great for all styles.

Select Englemann spruce top
Select figured maple back, sides and neck
Parallel tone bar bracing
F-soundholes
Tortoise top binding
Satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Unbound "Haircut" headstock
13 Degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard
Mortise and tenon neck joint
22-frets, neck joins the body at the 15th fret
V shaped neck profile with 1 9/16" string spacing
5 1/2"-11 5/8" Compound fingerboard radius
1 1/8" Bone nut
13 7/8" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Custom adjustable floating ebony bridge
Collings original one-piece nickel tailpiece
Nickel tuners with black or pearl buttons
Recommended string gauge - D'Addario J-74 (.011"-.040")
Collings deluxe hardshell case by TKL

Free UK mainland delivery. £799, including pro set-up.

When I started TAMCO back in 2001, I never thought I would be able to offer a bluegrass mandolin (by this I mean carved top and back not F5) of this quality for such a price. All solid woods, hand carved top and back and solid cast tailpiece. It has lots of bass and sustain, with rich mids and clear trebles. With hardshell case. Classic finish.

A very rare opportunity to get a used big Mon in excellent condition. Save £1000 on the new price.

The Northfield Big Mon has been creating quite a stir. It has a big fat tone with fantastic volume and projection. Created as the ideal bluegrass hoss (or cannon if you prefer) it has great depth and richness of tone to take on pretty well any style, with great responsiveness from the lightest touch to the heaviest attack with a thick pick.

From the Northfield website. "Our "Big Mon" Mandolin is something we created in our shop. In an effort to try and create a little more mid range and bass response, with a nice airy sound, we developed this model to have a distinct voice. Here's what we did..

The "Big Mon" body style is just slightly different than the standard size. We've increased the width of the body, at its widest point, by 5mm. We've also adjusted the depth/width of the sides a little in a few places. Everything is in proportion to this change, so it results in a slightly larger body overall. It's not very noticeable unless you compare it directly to another standard size by lining them up back to back."

I like Collings cream top finish so much that I have ordered it for my custom mandola (and being greedy on a Girouard mandola as well). To use one of my favourite Clichés it sounds as good as it looks. Fantastic in all departments, rich, full and well defined in the bass department, sweet and warm in the mids and clear and rich trebles. A mandolin for all occasions and all styles.

Select Englemann spruce top
Select figured maple back, sides and neck
Parallel tone bar bracing
F-soundholes
Ivoroid top binding

Satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish with gloss top
Unbound "Haircut" headstock
13 Degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard

Mortise and tenon neck joint
22-frets, neck joins the body at the 15th fret
V shaped neck profile with 1 9/16" string spacing
5 1/2"-11 5/8" Compound fingerboard radius
1 1/8" Bone nut

13 7/8" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Custom adjustable floating ebony bridge

Collings original one-piece nickel tailpiece
Nickel tuners with black or pearl buttons
Recommended string gauge - D'Addario J-74 (.011"-.040")
Collings deluxe hardshell case by TKL

Another stunning F5 from Michael, it has a red spruce top, beautiful one piece sugar maple back and sugar maple sides. Finished with a buffed varnish topcoat, abalone headstock inlay, ivoroid top and back binding and a radiussed Ebony fretboard that is twenty eight millimetres at the bone nut and has twenty one medium frets. Nickel James engraved tailpiece, Ebony finger rest/pick guard and an Ebony bridge. With hard case.

This is a true cannon. It has incredible volume, projection and clarity AND richness, depth and resonance. It takes a great luthier to get these qualities in the same instrument. It will chop and bark for the bluegrass player, howl for the blues man, sing sweet for the balladeer and respond willingly to any other style.

This is on consignment. The owner is looking for a quick sale so it has been reduced by 20% from £4960 to £3965.

Made in 2011. In excellent condition.

An incredibly beautiful guitar from Sergei, and incredible sound. Its warm and full with outstanding balance. As I keep saying only the very best luthiers can combine tonal qualities that to lesser mortals would be mutually exclusive. To get this level of warmth with great separation, clarity and attack is a remarkable achievement.

• Figured redwood top
• Figured bubinga back and sides
• 14” frets to the body
• 25.4” scale
• 1 ¾”nut width
• Round soundport
• 2 3/16”string spacing at saddle
• 15 ½” lower bout
• Honduras mahogany neck
• Padauk and maple purfling
• Ebony bindings
• Figured bubinga headstock veneer
• Figured bubinga rear headstock veneer
• backstrip
• No position markers (with side dots)
• Spalted box elder rosette
• Ebony fretboard
• Ebony bridge
• Schertler tuners
• Ebony tuner buttons
• Bone nut and saddle
• Bone bridge pins
• Clear pickguard
• TKL case

In fantastic condition and sounding marvellous. Plenty of the famous Goodall sparkle with strong well defined bass, rich and complex mids and clear bell-like trebles.

• Port Orford Cedar top
• Myrtle back and sides
• 14 frets to the body
• Soft cutaway
• 25 ½” scale
• 1 ¾” nut width
• 2 ¼” string spacing at saddle
• 16” lower bout
• Maple neck
• Abalone logo
• Rosewood bindings
• Ebony headstock veneer
• Rosewood backstrip
• Slotted diamond abalone position markers with dove inlay at the 12th fret (with side dots)
• Abalone rosette
• Ebony fretboard
• Ebony bridge with dove inlays
• Gotoh 510 tuners
• Ebony tuner buttons
• Bone nut and saddle
• Ebony bridge pins
• Clear pickguard
• Hardshell case

This beauty has the renowned Collings f hole sound, its very powerful with great chop and cut and a deep and warm resonant sound, only the best mandolins have both. It responds fantastically to a hard pick or the lightest touch, sweet and mellow or a bluegrass cannon, take your pick (pun intended).

Select Englemann spruce top
Select figured maple back, sides and neck
Parallel tone bar bracing
F-soundholes
Tortoise top binding
Satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish with gloss top
Unbound "Haircut" headstock
13 Degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard
Mortise and tenon neck joint
22-frets, neck joins the body at the 15th fret
V shaped neck profile with 1 9/16" string spacing
5 1/2"-11 5/8" Compound fingerboard radius
1 1/8" Bone nut
13 7/8" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Custom adjustable floating ebony bridge
Collings original one-piece nickel tailpiece
Nickel tuners with black or pearl buttons
Recommended string gauge - D'Addario J-74 (.011"-.040")
Collings deluxe hardshell case by TKL

This beauty has absolutely incredible tone! Its one of the best sounding mandolins I've ever played. It has remarkable volume and achieves that rare feat of having fantastic depth and resonance at the same time as clarity and cut (bluegrass players please note, the chop is outstanding).

No question here of what styles of playing it is suitable for, it will do everything from quiet and gentle to loud and aggressive.

Gorgeous blacktop from the team in Texas! This beauty has the renowned Collings f hole sound, its very powerful with great chop and cut and a deep and warm resonant tone, only the best mandolins have both. It responds fantastically to a hard pick or the lightest touch, sweet and mellow or a bluegrass cannon, take your pick (pun intended).

Select Englemann spruce top
Select figured maple back, sides and neck
Parallel tone bar bracing
F-soundholes
Ivoroid top binding
Satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish with gloss top
Unbound "Haircut" headstock
13 Degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard
Mortise and tenon neck joint
22-frets, neck joins the body at the 15th fret
V shaped neck profile with 1 9/16" string spacing
5 1/2"-11 5/8" Compound fingerboard radius
1 1/8" Bone nut
13 7/8" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Custom adjustable floating ebony bridge
Collings original one-piece nickel tailpiece
Nickel tuners with black or pearl buttons
Recommended string gauge - D'Addario J-74 (.011"-.040")
Collings deluxe hardshell case by TKL

Fine Resophonics mandolin made by Mike Lewis in as new condition with hard case. It has good volume with a smooth tone, great for playin' those blues.

Absolutely gorgeous Yellowstone A4 in the beautiful traditional finish with a hand graduated and tuned Adirondack/red spruce top, flamed maple back and sides, ebony veneered tapered A headstock, tortoiseshell/ivoroid bound with ebony and black/ivoroid side accent lines, tortoise bound soundhole, MOP "The Weber" Script and MOP white and gold flower pot inlay, tortoise bound ebony radiussed fingerboard with a 1 1/8 inch nut width, MOP buds fret markers, dual action/adjustable bridge, tortoise bound body with black/ivoroid side accent lines, cast Weber nickel tailpiece, nickel Grover tuners, traditional Brekke bridge and deluxe hardshell case.

It has rich and resonant basses with great sustain, warm complex mids and clear ringing trebles. A fantastic mandolin for folk and old time music with wonderful deep lows and enough volume to be heard.

Absolutely gorgeous Yellowstone A4 in the beautiful traditional sunburst finish with a hand graduated and tuned solid Adirondack/red spruce top, flamed maple back and sides, ebony veneered tapered A headstock, tortoiseshell/ivoroid bound with ebony and black/ivoroid side accent lines, tortoise bound soundhole, MOP "The Weber" Script and MOP white and gold flower pot inlay, tortoise bound ebony radiussed fingerboard with a 1 1/8 inch nut width, MOP buds fret markers, dual action/adjustable bridge, tortoise bound body with black/ivoroid side accent lines, cast Weber nickel tailpiece, nickel Grover tuners, traditional Brekke bridge and deluxe hardshell case.

It has rich and resonant basses with great sustain, warm complex mids and clear ringing trebles. A fantastic mandolin for folk and old time music with a wonderful deep low and enough volume to be heard.

With a 22" scale length this is a very easy playing octave mandolin. The tone is rich and full with great projection.

Here is what Northfield have to say about it.

In creating our octave mandolin, we’ve pulled together a variety of specs and influences to create something with a unique voice and aesthetic. We found inspiration in vintage archtop and tenor guitars.

The ergonomics and size of the instrument needed to be considered carefully to not only ensure incredible sound, but also be comfortable for a mandolin player—this was often overlooked when it came to guitar bodied octave mandolins. The scale length and fretting hand stretch is always a consideration with octave mandolins, but equally important for comfortable playing is how the right arm reaches around the body of the instrument. The dimensions and flat back of our octave mandolin body yield something quite different than what is found on the market today.

As a reference we looked at C2 and C4 Martin guitars from the 1930s—these instruments were archtop guitars based on the body frame of a flat top guitar. We were able to get our hands on two original tops which had been removed from these Martin models by our good friend Joe Konkoly, head of the world renowned Elderly Instruments repair shop. Joe is a master luthier specializing in large jobs like converting the 30’s era Martin archtops to flattops as desired by many modern day players. While the Martin archtops are largely overlooked amongst other vintage examples, we recognized some very unique and desirable design qualities. They had a very unusual geometry to the arching of the top as well as the graduation. This arching, particularly the high peak of the arch running down the center of the instrument, yields a vibrant high end frequency response quite suitable for the octave mandolin. Increasing the volume of the instrument while keeping the balance and the articulation across all the strings was very important to us.

ON HOLD. Another stunning mandolin from Tom. Adirondack top, flamed maple back and sides, triple bound top, back and pickguard, ebony fretboard, ebony bridge, engraved James tailpiece, abalone headstock inlay and a Superior case. The sound is delightful, loud and full with that incredible mid range that Tom is famous for. It is remarkably responsive and sweet and resonant with great projection and balance.

In excellent condition.

Another amazing octave mandolin from Bill. Colorado engelmann spruce top (milled 1997) with red spruce spruce x bracing, Vermont mamaple (milled 2006) 2 piece back, 16" radius macassar ebony fretboard, bridge, pickguard, and peghead veneer, ivoroid celluloid binding, abalone position dots and wave inlay, 1 3/8 bison bone nut, grover tuners, sunburst lacquer finish over shella, Mangan custom 48-34-23-13 strings, tweed hardshell case.

I have only ever owned two octave mandolins personally, both made by Mr. Bussmann.To use one of my favourite cliches again it sounds as good as it looks. Well defined bass (not a common feature on octave mandolins) with depth and resonance, warm and complex mids with clear and strong trebles... fantastic.

Gorgeous distressed finish Vintage A octave mandolin in excellent condition, 22" inch scale with original case. Hand graduated spruce top and solid flamed maple back and sides. The top, back, neck and headstock are bound, the fretboard is radiussed ebony and it has a solid/cast stainless steel tailpiece, dual action truss rod, Grover tuners, 'The Weber' and flowerpot headstock inlay.

From Acoustic reviewer Steve Bennett. "It has a very rich tone with fantastic clarity and beautiful sustain with that elusive vintage old time tone. Warmth and clarity in one package, hard to beat." With the K&K pickup it sounds just as good plugged in.

I am not expecting my fist mandolin from Joe until September 2017 so having this preview is fantastic.

I now know why Joe has gained such an incredible reputation, the Due model is his signature mandolin. It has remarkable presence and depth of tone with a richness that is quite stunning. This is a fantastic all-rounder with plenty of volume and a great chop for bluegrass players and great warmth and resonance for other styles.

With Waverly tuners, James tailpiece and Calton case. The new price will be over £7500.

In great condition with a few barely visible surface marks and £500 less than a new one. This Lovely A4 from Bill is a classic oval hole mando, lots of depth, resonance and sweetness with clear trebles.

With original TKL case.

Fantastic 1979 Gilchrist F4 in excellent condition. Steve is famous for his amazing tone and this beauty is no exception. It has a huge sound with strong and well defined bass notes, complex and rich mids and clear and full trebles.

Wit Calton case.

The famous Kentucky Dawg is a reproduction of the Monteleone Grand Artist. Made by the Sumi team in Japan in cooperation with John Monteleone. There was only 48 of these made.

Serial number 88402.

It has a full tone with a great chop and good volume. With hard case.

If has Lawrence's legendary craftsmanship and a very clear tone with fantastic definition and projection.

A fantastic Hoyer in great shape. I am told the original pickup works if you can find jack to fit. No case.

Wow! This is a real stunner. And it sounds even better that it looks. Great for all styles, plenty of power, punch and chop for bluegrass and lots of depth and warmth, making it very versatile, it responds beautifully to a heavy pick or a light touch.

Select Englemann spruce top
Select figured maple back, sides and neck
Parallel tone bar bracing
F-soundholes
Tortoise top binding
Satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish with gloss top
Unbound "Haircut" headstock
13 Degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay with inlaid Collings logo
Ebony fingerboard
Mortise and tenon neck joint
22-frets, neck joins the body at the 15th fret
V shaped neck profile with 1 9/16" string spacing
5 1/2"-11 5/8" Compound fingerboard radius
1 1/8" Bone nut
13 7/8" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Custom adjustable floating ebony bridge
Collings original one-piece nickel tailpiece
Nickel tuners with black or pearl buttons
Recommended string gauge - D'Addario J-74 (.011"-.040")
Collings deluxe hardshell case by TKL

This 1921 F4 is has been around to block a few times, but has a great tone. It has a pre 1922 neck with a truss-rod  installed and an adjustable bridge. The lower part of the pre 1922 flower pot inlay is covered by a nickel  truss-rod cover. It is all original except the bridge and it is structurally sound with no issues. Modern fiberglass case.

It plays beautifully and has great volume and the deep and resonant tone so beloved of these old Gibsons.

There has been a lot of excited talk about the Collings Waterloo mandolins, stateside and here.

You won't find better value. It has a fantastic rich and full tone with great looks.

From Collings:-

With origins dating back to the turn of the 20th century, flat-backed mandolins have long been a mainstay of Americana, country, blues, swing and a variety of other traditional styles. Thus, it should come as no surprise that the WL-M would eventually find its way into the Waterloo catalog! Featuring an elegant pear-shaped body and round soundhole, the WL-M has a clear and distinctive voice with ringing sustain, creamy mid-range, and enough front-end bite to cut through any ensemble mix.

The WL-M is constructed with all solid woods and in a ladder-braced design, which contributes to its dry and articulate vintage chime. Other key features that set the WL-M apart from other Depression-era mandolins are its fully-adjustable truss rod and compound fingerboard radius, allowing for modern day playability and setup flexibility over the life of the instrument. Whether you’re a devoted mandolinist or a guitar player simply looking to branch out into new sonic territory, the WL-M will not disappoint!

Hardshell TKL case included.

Collings' top of the range A model, stunning woods, immaculate workmanship and oh that Collings tone. It has a very clear sound with great depth, balance and one of the loudest chops I've heard. It has that amazing combination of warmth/resonance and projection, great for bluegrass and almost anything else.

Select Adirondack spruce top
Premium figured maple back, sides and neck
Parallel tone bar bracing
F-soundholes
Grained ivoroid top/back/neck & peghead binding
Black/white purflings
Full high-gloss nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Bound "Haircut" headstock
13 Degree headstock angle
Ebony peghead overlay w/Collings logo and flourish inlay
Ebony fingerboard
Mortise and tenon neck joint
22-frets, neck joins the body at the 15th fret
V shaped neck profile with 1 9/16" string spacing
5 1/2"-11 5/8" Compound fingerboard radius
1 1/8" Bone nut
13 7/8" Scale length
Medium 18% nickel-silver fretwire
Mother of pearl dot fingerboard inlays
Fully adjustable truss rod
Custom adjustable floating ebony bridge
Collings original one-piece nickel or gold tailpiece
Nickel or gold tuners with black or pearl buttons
Recommended string gauge - D'Addario J-74 (.011"-.040")
Collings deluxe hardshell case by TKL

1915 Gibson F4 with the wonderful Handel tuners. Red sunburst finish, bound 2-point body, carved spruce top, oval soundhole, triple ring rosette, fantastic one piece flamed maple back and sides, bridge (with later insert instead of the individual pieces) and later bone nut (the original pearl nut is in the case), original tailpiece and cover, pickguard and clamp and case.

This one is in very fine condition with no issues whatsoever, ready and willing to go on for another century or two. It has the typical teens Gibson oval hole tone with very deep and rich bass notes, warm and full mids and clear/ringing trebles.. magic. And with the current pound/dollar exchange rate it is at a very good price.

Free UK mainland delivery. £749, including pro set-up.

Classic Eastman tone and build quality with a satin finish, solid-cast tailpiece and a gigbag. It has a 21" scale length and plays beautifully.

Unbelievable value, solid spruce, hand carved top, solid maple (hand carved) back and sides, unbound back. Great tone, solid bass notes, rich mids, clear trebles.

1912 Gibson F4 with the wonderful Handel tuners. Red sunburst finish, bound 2-point body, carved spruce top, oval soundhole, triple ring rosette, fantastic flamed maple back and sides, later, adjustable ebony bridge, original tailpiece and cover and original case.

This is a LOUD one and with mojo a plenty, similar to the one I sold to Peggy of the Fairports (see above). It has the classic F4 teens sound with amazing depth and resonance and lots of that full and warm tone. All present and correct, no issues. It plays beautifully all the way up the neck with low action.

Free UK mainland delivery. £775, including pro set-up.

The usual Eastman build quality and tone but with a satin finish, pressed tailpiece and a gigbag.

Unbelievable value, solid spruce, hand carved top, solid maple (hand carved) back and sides, and pressed tailpiece, unbound back. Great oval hole tone with good resonance and deep basses, warm mids and clear trebles.

This is a little beauty, it punches above its weight with a very punchy tone, great for melody lines and being heard above you know what. It also has a strong chord sound for rhythm and back-up.

Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, rope rosette, and a hardshell case.

21 3/8” scale length, 11 ¼” lower bout.

The last one! The Gallatin range is no longer available in the natural finish.

I first played a Gallatin in the States in the mid nineteen nineties and remember it still. This is an example of where every cent has gone into the sound. With no bindings and satin varnish it looks great.

It has a solid hand carved spruce top, solid hand carved maple back and sides, solid cast tailpiece and Brekke traditional bridge. The basic spec of course does not affect the sound. It plays beautifully with a very warm and full tone with deep and well defined bass notes, rich mids and clear trebles.

With custom hardshell case.

This is truly gorgeous! And it sounds great too, whether playing chords or melody lines it it has a bright and clear tone with good depth and resonance, warm bass notes, rich mids and clear trebles. A great GoM in a small package.

Sitka spruce top, mahogany back and sides, abalone rosette, and a hardshell case.

21 3/8” scale length, 11 ¼” lower bout.

Wow! This beauty has a huge sound. It has the deep and well defined bass notes typical of rosewood and characteristic sitka spruce clarity, the mids are rich and full and the trebles very clear and well defined.

Sitka spruce top, rosewood back and sides, abalone rosette, and a hardshell case.

23” scale length, 13 5/8"” lower bout.

Big Mon with Engelmann Spruce top, violin varnish neck, engraved Bill James tailpiece.

The Northfield Big Mon has been creating quite a stir. It has a big fat tone with fantastic volume and projection. Created as the ideal bluegrass hoss (or cannon if you prefer) it has an amazing chop and great depth and richness of tone to take on pretty well any style, with great responsiveness from the lightest touch to the heaviest attack with a thick pick it is fantastic for all types of playing.

From the Northfield website. "Our "Big Mon" Mandolin is something we created in our shop. In an effort to try and create a little more mid range and bass response, with a nice airy sound, we developed this model to have a distinct voice. Here's what we did..

The "Big Mon" body style is just slightly different than the standard size. We've increased the width of the body, at its widest point, by 5mm. We've also adjusted the depth/width of the sides a little in a few places. Everything is in proportion to this change, so it results in a slightly larger body overall. It's not very noticeable unless you compare it directly to another standard size by lining them up back to back."

It is great news that Pava has turned her hand to oval hole mandolins. This is an incredible A4 with the depth and warmth you would expect from Tom Ellis' stable. It also has great volume with fantastic clarity and projection so you get the resonance of an A4 with the power of an A5. It responds equally well to a gentle caress and a 3mm pick with a heavy hand, deep, rich and resonant tones with some oooomph if you need it. Awesome!

Awesome! This is one of finest mandocellos I have played. The late and much lamented Stan Jay famously described the mandocello sound as being like a deep growl from the jungle. This one is coming from somewhere much deeper, the very bowels of the earth. But unlike some cellos it doesn’t lack clarity and definition, it has it all, and it looks incredible. A mandocello for the connoisseur.

It features a hand graduated and tuned solid spruce top, flamed maple back and sides, ivoroid bound ebony with black/ivoroid side accent lines headstock veneer, ‘The Weber’ script and MoP white and gold headstock inlay, ebony fretboard and traditional Brekke bridge. It has a 24 3/4” scale length and 1 5/8”nut width, dual action adjustable truss rod, cast Weber tailpiece, Grover tuners and a deluxe hard case.

Another stunning mandolin from Tom. Adirondack top, flamed maple back and sides, triple bound top, back and pickguard, ebony fretboard with 28.5 mm nut width, ebony bridge, engraved James tailpiece, abalone headstock inlay and a TKL case. The sound is incredible, loud and full with that incredible mid range pop that only the best f hole mandolins have. It is remarkably responsive, one of the loudest chops I've heard but sweet and resonant when asked.

In excellent condition with some light playing marks.

John Monteleone is one of the legends of contemporary mandolin luthiery and at last I have found out why. This is a truly outstanding mandolin in excellent condition. Its very loud and has tremendous clarity and projection with warmth and depth a plenty. Great for playing anything on, I wish I could keep it.

This beautiful Traditional OM from James has a non standard Adirodack top. James has exceeded his usual standards with this one. It has a depth of tone that shouldn't come out of a relatively small body, rich and sweet but well balanced with good definition and plenty of volume.

In excellent condition.

With Baggs Anthem pickup.

Body Width 15"
Body Depth 4-1/4"
Neck Width 1-3/4"
Bracing X-Brace
Number of Frets 20
Neck Material Honduran Mahogany
Neck Finish Satin Urethane
Body Finish Glossy Urethane
Brand of Strings Elixir Phosphor Bronze
Pickguard Tor-Tis Pattern
Back/Side Wood Indian Rosewood
Top Wood Adirondack spruce
Binding Maple
Edge Trim Herringbone Ebony/Maple
Peghead Overlay Ebony
Fretboard Wood Ebony
Fretboard Binding Maple
Bridge Pins Blacklip MOP Inlaid Boxwood
Tuners Waverly Vintage Nickel
Tuner Buttons Ivoroid
Peghead Inlay Blacklip MOP Logo
Fretboard Inlay Notched MOP Squares
Rosette Material Herringbone Wood Marquetry
Nut/Saddle Bone
Backstrip Style Chevron Wood Marquetry
Cedar Creek Case

A beautiful F4 from Rosta. If you like a mandolin to have rich, strong sweet bass that makes it sound like a mandola, then look no further, if you like sweet clear trebles, look no further.

Built in 2003. In excellent condition.

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A chance to get Rolfe's awesome Bluegrass mandolin at an amazing price. It's in great condition and has everything you could want from a mandolin, from great pop to richness, depth, subtlety and volume, fantastic for Bluegrass and much, much more with great versatility. Buy it before I take it home... With rectangular hard case.

Now with solid ebony bridge and great action.

In very good condition. Built in 2000.

£2079, free UK mainland delivery, including pro set-up.

Oval or f hole for a mandocello? It would seem logical that a cello would be better with oval holes given that bass and resonance is the point of a cello. I was surprised when I visited Bill Bussmann to hear the incredible bass from his jazz guitar bodied, f hole, octave mandolin, so surprised that I insisted he sell it to me! Not being a jazz fan I have never understood the sound of a jazz guitar, I just don't get it or particularly like it. It's the last thing I would have thought would produce a bassy and resonant larger mandolin family instrument, but is does! ... end of long story.... This Eastman cello proves the theory that somehow a jazz guitar body produces a deep and resonant sound. It has incredible warm and dark basses with rich and thick resonance, it plays easily and is a very fine mandocello. Comes with hardshell case.

A classic mandolin for classical players and much more. This one is in excellent shape with the much coveted tailpiece and cover and the original case. Made for Washburn (it has Lyon and Healy on the tailpiece, Washburn on the label) in 1936 it is all original including the case.

The tone is very rich and sweet with great subtlety and depth and character and it plays beautifully.

From the Mandolin Cafe. "...some of their [Lyon and Healy] better quality instruments bore the Washburn brand name which was a division of Lyon and Healy.

This beauty has a very even sound from the lowest G all the way up the fretboard, not biased towards the bass notes like so many oval holed mandolins. The tone is very full and sweet with great individual note definition, fantastic for folk/old time and many more styles.

Top Engelmann Spruce
Back/Sides Red Maple
Neck Maple
Fretboard Ebony
Inlay Reconstituted Stone
Bindings Maple/bloodwood/maple
Truss rod Fixed double carbon fiber
Tailpiece James engraved
Bridge Bill James
Tuners Golden Age
Finish French polished Spirit Varnish
Frets Gold EVO
Case Guardian molded

1995 Bozeman, Montana made Flatiron F5-SB signed by Bruce Weber.

From the very desirable and classic period at Flatiron, an amazing rich and warm mandolin signed by Bruce and in very good to excellent condition.

One of my favourite Rigels ever is back (probably briefly). This beauty used to be Ted Eschliman's, from jazzmando. It is in excellent condition and has the classic CT-110 sound, there is an amazing depth and richness to the tone, complex but well defined... its very hard to describe the tone of such a fantastic mandolin. Sounds great plugged in too.

Its one of a kind and comes with the original Rigel tweed rectangular case.

Signed 29th October 1990 by Steve Carlson. It is in almost unplayed original condition in original hardshell case.
I am selling for the original owner who has the original receipts, purchased and imported from Mandolin Brothers, USA.


Plays easily with 'the bluegrass' sound.. great chop and plenty of resonance, solid bass with clear trebles. A fantastic combination of depth of tone, sweetness, and clarity.

Weber's top of the range F5, Adirondack/red spruce top, beautiful fern headstock inlay, spectacular flamed maple back and sides, radiussed fretboard, tone bar braced and a Weber hard case. Recently re-finished by Weber.

It has lovely dark bass and warm middles with clear trebles, a very full and rich tone with great playability and fantastic response from the lightest touch to a heavy pick. Plenty of cut and chop for bluegrass players and others wanting to be heard with depth and complexity making it great for anything from folk to classical. A superb all-round mandolin.

Only two numbers from 'Dude #5' made famous by Chris Thile. People often ask me how they can sound like Chris, this beauty would help plus a few thousand hours of practice!

It sounds like heaven in the mandolin world with amazing depth of tone with huge warm and well defined bass notes, full and complex mids and fat, clear and full trebles.. bliss.

The playability is wonderful with sweet tones from the lightest touch and great bark and chop from a more robust approach.

With Waverly tunes and a Pegasus case.

Max and Lauri pull it off again, a stunning A5 with spectacular quilted maple back and sides and fantastic tone. Lots of the signature Girouard sound, thick and full with great bass, warm mids and clear bell-like trebles, plus plenty of volume and cut for the bluegrassers out there. A very fine mandolin for all styles.

Sitka spruce top, quilted maple back and sides, bone nut, radiused macassar ebony fretboard, macassar ebony headstock veneer, Cumberland Acoustics ebony bridge, Grover tuners and a Travelite case.

In excellent condition.

Adirondack (red) spruce top, stunningly flamed sugar maple back and sides, sugar maple neck, finished with French polish topcoat on top of varnish, all applied by hand. Abalone logo, abalone and mother of pearl headstock inlay, triple bound ivoroid top back, fretboard and headstock binding, radiussed Ebony fretboard with twenty two medium frets, shaped and scalloped at the end. It has a twenty eight millimetre neck width, bone nut, silver James engraved tailpiece, silver Waverly tuners with Pearl buttons, triple bound Ebony finger rest/pick guard and an Ebony bridge. With Calton case.

The sound is awesome, full and rich with with fantastic projection and volume. A great bluegrass mandolin with barrel loads of chop that responds beautifully and sweetly to a lighter touch and all styles of playing.

With an Adirondack spruce top and Pete's great pickup this custom comet sounds great, acoustic and plugged in. It has Rigel's legendary playability and a rectangular tweed hardshell case. It looks ... fill in the space... I know I am going to get lots of grief about this from the purists but the purest of purists (glad I'm writing not saying this) don't like Rigels anyways.

It all started with an idea to post on various mandolin websites the opportunity for folk to design their own Rigel. The response was not what I and Pete and Peter had hoped for so I was left with the design job to do myself. Being a literal and unimaginative kind of person the obvious design for Rigel's new Comet model was to make the tail one end of a comet's tail and angle the soundhole for the comet. The guys at Rigel contributed the hot rod car flame and the black top with distant star sparkle and midnight blue back and sides and here we are. I think it's wonderful, if you agree please let me know, if you hate it, please tell somebody else.

In excellent condition, was £3795.

This is Weber's top of the line A mandolin. Its a stunner and features a hand graduated and tuned solid Red Spruce/Adirondack top, hand scalloped spruce tone bars, flamed maple back and sides, "The Weber" script in MOP and Fern inlay in Abalone, cast Weber gold tailpiece, gold Grover tuners, Traditional Brekke Bridge and comes in a deluxe rectangular case.

Its a Fern F5 without the strap hanger and around three grand less but has 'the sound', its punchy with enough chop to lay low a few ban*os, with a sweet and sublime power. A gentler approach yields a very sweet, rich and warm sound with great separation and balance. This is a truly outstanding all-rounder.

Whether hunting ban*oes or serenading, this beauty will be a faithful and willing accomplice.

This one has been around the block a few times but its all sound and plays well with low action and no issues. The back seem has an old cleated repair and there is a repaired crack.

It has the much sought after and gorgeous Handel inlaid tuners, original pineapple tailpiece, some top flattening and an adjustable bridge. The case is also original but has seen better times (see photo).

The sound is on the brighter side for an A4, it has some of the clarity of the snakehead sound. A great player, at this price it won't be around long.

Colorado Engelmann spruce top with red spruce x bracing, quilted maple 2 piece back, 12" radius ebony fretboard and bridge, ivoroid binding, pearl position dots and wave inlay, abalone rosette, quilted peghead veneer and cabernet lacquer finish, TKL black hardshell case.

Another fantastic and beautiful A4 from Bill, very rich and full with strong and well defined bass, sweet and complex mids and clear, ringing trebles.

Its hard to tell the difference tonally between these two beauties. Both are very loud with strong, well defined and warm bass notes, rich and full mids and clear/precise trebles. Its fantastic to have that wonderful oval hole sound with great definition and projection. The birdseye is gorgeous but so is the Vermont maple... I wouldn't want to have to choose between the two.


Colorado Engelmann spruce top with red spruce x bracing Varnum Estate (c.1980) birdseye maple sides/1 piece back/neck, 12" radius ziricote fretboard and peghead veneer, tortoise celluloid binding, abalone position dots, rosette, and wave inlay, 1 3/16 bison bone nut, Grover tuners golden/amber lacquer finish, D'Addario J74 strings, TKL black hardshell case

Double bound body, red sunburst on spruce top, bound oval soundhole, 3 ring rosette, mahogany neck, bound ebony fretboard, dot inlays, 24 frets (professional re-fret), original tailpiece cover and bridge, fleur-de-lis and logo inlays, 4-on-a-plate tuners with Handel inlaid tuner buttons. In excellent condition with low action.

It sounds fantastic, lots of that great vintage gibbo tone with solid bases, sweet mids and clear trebles.

With original case (not the modern one shown in the photos).

1915 Gibson A4 blackface in great shape with the original gorgeous Handel inlaid tuners, original tailpiece, pickguard and clamp and period case with replacement handle, (note, the photo is not of the case that comes with it).

There is some of the side bulging common to this period of Gibsons, all solid and sound.

It plays easily and sounds wonderful, rich and full with remarkable bass, warm mids and clear trebles.

This beauty has fantastic depth and warmth with very full and rich mids and trebles and clear, ringing trebles. Great for folk, old time and many more styles.

Colorado Engelmann spruce top with red spruce x bracing, Varnum estate (c.1980) curly maple sides/ back/neck, 12" radius ebony fretboard, peghead veneer and bridge, ivoroid binding, abalone position dots, rosette and wave inlay, 1 3/16” bison bone nut, Cumberland acoustic bridge, Grover tuners, sunburst lacquer finish TKL black hardshell case.

Isn't this a stunner? It has a little more brightness than the sunburst A4 that it came in with but still with plenty of warmth and depth, just a little more projection and clarity. Its strokes for folks time...

Colorado Engelmann spruce top with red spruce x bracing, quilted maple sides/neck back, 12" radius ebony fretboard and bridge, quilted maple peghead veneer, tortoise binding, abalone position dots, rosette and wave inlay, 1 3/16” bison bone nut, Cumberland acoustic bridge, Grover tuners, golden amber lacquer finish, TKL black hardshell case.

Beautiful A4 Bitterroot with flame maple back and sides, spruce top, bound soundhole, radiussed ebony fretboard and Brekke bridge, 1 1/8" nut width, cast Weber stainless steel tailpiece, nickel Grover tuners, dual action adjustable truss rod and custom hard case.

Fantastic full and rich sound with warm and deep bass notes, sweet mids and clear trebles. The Bitterroot range represent great value from Weber and always have a very sweet and mellow tone, not Ideal for bluegrass but perfect for everything else.

In excellent condition with original case.

Gibson A-4 snakehead 1924, sunburst finish, two-piece back of gorgeous American maple with beautiful figure, adjustable truss-rod, adjustable bridge, Virzi Tone Producer, completely original, overall excellent condition but for one repaired hairline top crack from bridge to binding, original hard case.

This beauty is one of the best snakes I've heard, as loud as an F5 and with the oval hole sound but pumped up with fantastic clarity and separation. The A2Z snakehead is widely regarded as best of the snakeheads for tone but the A4 snakehead has all the pop of an A2Z but with more depth and resonance.

Beautiful A4 Bitterroot with flame maple back and sides, spruce top, bound soundhole, radiussed ebony fretboard and Brekke bridge, 1 1/8" nut width, cast Weber stainless steel tailpiece, nickel Grover tuners, dual action adjustable truss rod and custom hard case.

Fantastic full and rich sound with warm and deep bass notes, sweet mids and clear trebles. The Bitterroot range represent great value from Weber and always have a very sweet and mellow tone, not Ideal for bluegrass but perfect for everything else.

This A4 form Max and Lauri is very loud with fantastic depth and richness of tone. It has great response and volume. Gorgeous in looks and sound and it plays beautifully.

Top Wood: Red Spruce
Back, Side, Neck Wood: Red Maple
Scale Length: 13.875
Fretboard and Peghead overlay Wood: Macassar
Fretboard Radius: Compound (7.25 at nut - 12 at bridge)
Nut Type: Bone
Fret Size: 043 x 080
Fret Type: EVO Gold
Fretboard Dots: MOP
Neck Reinforcement: Truss Rod
Neck Shape: Soft V shape
Tailpiece: Stamped Engraved
Tuners: Rubner
Hardware Color: Silver
Strap Button: None
End Pin: Black screw in type
Binding: Ivoroid top bound
Pickguard: None
Bridge: Girouard bridge
Inlay: Girouard Script
Strings: Curt Mangan
Action height: low (0.060 bass 0.055 treble)
Case: Superior

A beautiful Yellowstone A5 in the traditional sunburst finish. It features an Adirondack/red spruce top, gorgeous flamed maple back and sides, tone bar bracing, ebony radiussed fretboard and bound top, back, fretboard and headstock. It has a one and one eighth nut width, dual action adjustable truss rod and gloss finish. This is a fantastic Bluegrass mandolin (if the Bluegrass police don't catch you without the scroll...) but also great for any other style of playing. With hardshell case.

Used F5 special made by Mark Franzke before he changed the name to Franzke mandolins. Gorgeous Autumn brown gloss sunburst, single bound top and back, solid cast Allen tailpiece, tight tiger striped flamed maple back and sides and mother of pearl logo and headstok inlay. Its loud with powerful mids giving a great 'woof' of air from a chop chord, solid and woody bases and clear, well defined sharp trebles. Great for bluegrass, as mentioned, but it also has a richness in tone to make it a very versatile mandolin. With TKL case.

It has some honest play wear but is structurally sound with no issues. Hence the amazing price, this is one heck of a lot of F5 for a tad under two grand.

The Rigel Q95 is also known as the Gypsy Q. It was designed by Ted Eschliman of JazzMando.com. They were voiced by Pete to have the sweet sound of vintage oval-hole mandolins. This is the "Espresso con Pana," cream top with ‘Petite Bouche’ sound hole. It is a wrench to let it go from my collection but sometimes needs must. It is carved from select, highly-figured Vermont rock maple and Adirondack spruce with a maple neck with graphite reinforced truss rod, radiused ebony fingerboard, gold Grover tuners and Rigel tailpiece, abalone diamond-pattern inlays’ internal piezo pickup and hardshell case.

Weber's top of the range F5, Adirondack/red spruce top, spirit varnish finish, beautiful fern headstock inlay, spectacular flamed maple back and sides, radiussed fretboard, tone bar braced and a Weber hard case.

It has lovely dark bass and warm middles with clear trebles, a very full and rich tone with great playability and fantastic response from the lightest touch to a heavy pick. Plenty of cut and chop for bluegrass players and others wanting to be heard with depth and complexity making it great for anything from folk to classical. A superb all-round mandolin.

Another amazing mandolin from Max and Lauri. It has a fantastic chop for bluegrassers with great volume and lots of depth and warmth in the basses and mids, making it a great all-rounder, fantastic for anything from classical to old time music and bluegrass.

Red (Adirondack) spruce top, red maple back/sides/neck, Macassar ebony fretboard and peghead overlay, compound radius fretboard, evo gold fretwire, bone nut, Girouard ebony bridge Rubner tuners and TKL hardshell case.

Phoenix mandolins are always very light and responsive, you can feel them resonating as you get them out of the case!

It has a very full tone with fantastic volume and complexity. It has plenty of oomph for the bluegrass players with a deep and full, loud chop and responds excellently to the heaviest pick or the lightest touch. It barks or sings sweetly, doing whatever you ask of it. A very versatile and wonderful mandolin.

Red (Adirondack) spruce top, red maple back and sides and a Hiscox case.

Signed by Rolfe Gerhardt, in excellent condition, made in 2015. Save £600 on the new price.

The legendary snakehead, made during the tenure on Mr Lloyd Loar. Known for an oval hole sound with cut and volume this is a fine example with strong and deep oval hole sound and great volume but with more clarity and projection than other oval hole mandolins.

Original tuners, tailpiece and compensated bridge, old case.

1921 H4 in amazing condition. It has the original tuners and buttons, tailpiece and cover, one-piece maple back and case with new handle. The bridge is a replica made by Steve Smith at Cumberland Acoustics.

This is an exceptional mandola! It is lush and deep and warm with that fantastic mellow sound you can only get in wonderful peice of history like this. And its LOUD.

I hope I look this good at 99!

Gibson H1 mandola 1917 pumpkin top in incredible condition apart from the ding on the top and a few other very minor scuffs it looks new, its as shiny as a new pin! All original; tuners, tuner pegs, pickguard and clamp, tailpiece and cover, bridge and case.

Ooodles of that wonderful deep and dark tone, there is nothing that sounds quite like one of these old Gibbo mandolas, the resonance just keeps going and going and going….

Still shiny after all these years! Amazing condition 1924 Gibson H1 mandola. All original; tuners, tuner pegs, pickguard and clamp, tailpiece and cover, bridge and case.

And most importantly of all the tone! It looks like it hasn't been played much but it sounds like it has been played daily. Lots of that incredible deep and rich tone with endless sustain.

Excellent condition 1921 H2 mandola, still with the original shine. All original; tuners, tuner pegs, pickguard and clamp, tailpiece and cover and bridge with a modern case.

This one has that amazing vintage Gibson mandola tone, lots of deep and resonant bases with full mids and trebles and a little extra sparkle and crispness giving it very good projection.

Steve is so busy he isn't having time to supply many dealer orders. I am not expecting another from him this year so grab this outstanding mandolin while you can.

Another absolutely stunning mandolin from Steve. It has everything you could want in the tone (and looks) department, its very full and rich with great warmth and complexity, fantastic definition and note separation and a chop for the bluegrassers up with the very best. It responds beautifully to the lightest touch and the heaviest pick.

Top Wood One-piece Sitka Spruce / Red Spruce tone bars
Back and Side Wood Crinkly Curl Two-Piece Sugar maple
Finishing Hand Rubbed Oil Varnish with Shellac French Polish
Frets - Jescar Gold EVO
Tuners - Rubner Gold with black buttons
Tailpiece - Gold James Traditional with Sorensen logo
Bobelock "Arrow" fiberglass case with Dog Cover