Old Wave Mandolins

Old Wave Mandolins

Hand made bluegrass mandolins from £1900

Bill Bussmann (aka Old Wave mandolins) made my first custom instrument, a five course octave, a few years (decades..) ago. He's the man who gives a warranty to the original owner for the life of the maker, fortunately his luthery skills are as well developed as his sense of humour, if anyone saw a sprayed blue mandolin for sale on April first for $14 000 that was Bill (no Bill isn't a mandolin).

He really does live in the middle of nowhere, it reminds you of those cowboy movies with the cattle driving through the range with mountains in the background and not a town for hundreds of miles. Speaking of which the nearest town is called Truth or Consequences, named after the first TV quiz show, this is the Wild West! At the bottom of a small canyon with an intermittent stream there's a few houses and Bill working in an adobe hut the size of a garden shed.

I now have two Old Waves in my collection (the original 10 string and an octave mandolin) and a Melondolin (see photos). It took some persuasion to get him to make me one. Bill said that now he had perfected the sound (with his own Melondolin) he didn’t want to make more. It sounded so good and looked amazing, fitting very nicely into my collection of innovative mandolin designs, I twisted his arm, (but not so badly he couldn’t work).

Old Wave Great Wood Experiment

Old Wave A4 Colorado Engelmann spruce/red maple

Another amazing A4 from Bill, in Colorado Engelmann spruce and red maple, it's Adirondack spruce X braced with a carbon fibre truss rod and Elite tuners. In the Great Woods Experiment Dan Beimborn and Simon Mayor chose the maple mandolin for clarity and projection, see above for their views and a sound clip. Sound clip of this one to follow.

Please click to listen

£ 1,950.00
Old Wave A4 Colorado Engelmann spruce/New Mexico black walnut

Walnut did very well in the Great Woods Experiment, it was the favourite of Andy Irving and Dan Beimborn, check it out for a sound clip. Colorado Engelmann spruce top with New Mexico black walnut back, sides and neck, Adirondack X bracing, Ziricote 12" radiussed fretboard with carbon fibre truss rod and Elite tuners... With hard case.

Please click to listen

£ 1,950.00
Old Wave mandola

Stunning 'dola from Bill in Colorado Engelmann spruce top with red spruce x bracing, red maple 2 piece back, 16" radius, 16" scale ebony fretboard, abalone rosette, Steve Smith mandola bridge, ivoroid binding, 1 5/16" nut width, vintage red sunburst lacquer finish, grey hardshell case. It hums and purrs as great mandolas do, its deep and dark and mysterious. It is mandolas like this that make me give up the mandolin for a while...

£ 2,495.00
Old Wave Guitar bodied octave mandolin SOLD

I first played Bill's own GOM (guitar shaped octave mandolin) when I last visited him, I insisted he sell it to me. This is in the same spec as mine but even more beautiful; Colorado Engelmann spruce top with red spruce x bracing, red maple two piece back, 16" radius, 21.5" scale ebony fretboard, ebony pickguard, tailpiece, and bridge, tortoise binding, 1 3/8" nut width, dark cello amber lacquer finish, TKL tweed hardshell case. Many octave mandolins don't have a strong and well defined bass, this is truly awesome. It sounds as though it's a mandocello! I have never understood the appeal of the typical carved jazz guitar sound, I don't know why but a jazz guitar body on an octave mandolin is breathtaking. Sometimes adding two and two makes five. If anybody has an explanation let me know.

Out of stock
Old Wave octave mandolin Colorado Engelmann spruce/red maple - SOLD

An amazing octave from Bill, Colorado Engelmann spruce and red maple with Adirondack bracing, 21.5" scale, ebony tailpiece and fretboard with 16" radius. I have only ever owned two octave mandolins personally, both made by Mr. Bussmann. I would be very happy to add this to my collection but have run out of hands and space... 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. With hard case.

Out of stock
Old Wave A5 Colorado Englemann spruce/red maple SOLD

Colorado Engelmann spruce top with red spruce tone bar bracing red maple 1 piece back, 12" radius ebony fretboard and bridge, ivoroid binding 1 1/8" nut width, medium sunburst lacquer finish, TKL tweed hardshell case. I loved Bill’s last A5 so much I asked him to make me some more (I have one on order for myself). This is just as impressive, very loud and strong with very rich and vibrant mid range, it's a very versatile mandolin, it will bark for bluegrass and whisper for the gentle stuff, and everything in between.

Out of stock
Old Wave A5 wide neck Colorado Englemann spruce/red maple SOLD

Bill made this one to the same specs as Simon Mayor’s signature Vanden. I am often asked for a mandolin with a wider nut width, they don’t come much finer than this, it has the kind of f hole sound I go for, very punchy but with lots of depth. Colorado Engelmann spruce top with red spruce tone bar bracing red maple 1 piece back, 12" radius ebony fretboard and bridge, ivoroid binding 1 3/16" nut width, medium sunburst lacquer finish, TKL tweed hardshell case.

Out of stock