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Collings Search~~~~120~7488~~ Collings Search |
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Dell 'Arte~John Kinnard in San Diego California is renowned for his Macafferri, Selmer and archtop Jazz guitars, they show superb craftsmanship. The finest tonewoods and fittings are combined by hand to create classic instruments. The attention to detail is as impeccable as the tone. Johns mandola and mandocello are two of the most beautiful mandolin family instruments I have seen. They sound amazing too. If you are looking for something that is a little different that looks incredible and sounds amazing look no further.~~~120~8927~~ Dell 'Arte |
Dell 'Arte Search~~~~120~8926~~ Dell 'Arte Search |
Eastman~I first saw these amazing mandolins in the states in 2003 and was very impressed. They are hand made by individual luthiers in China (see photos of my visit below). They are all hand carved form the finest solid tone woods, some of the flamed maple has as fine a figuring as you will see. Each one comes with solid cast tailpiece and a fitted light-weight violin style case.
After my visit to the Beijing factory I can confirm that all the work is by hand (tops and backs are hand carved from the solid piece, not even roughed out by CNC). The factory is well lit with plenty of room for the craftsmen and women with good working conditions.
Eastman model numbers.
5/6/8 at the beginning indicates specifications/model range, followed by:
04 A style, oval hole.
05 A style, F hole.
14 F style, oval hole.
15 F style F hole.
~~~120~9117~~ Eastman |
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Eastman Mandolins~~~~120~10790~~
Eastman Mandolins~~~~120~10789~~
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Eastman Mandolins~~~~120~10786~~
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Eastman Mandolins~~~~120~10794~~
Eastman Mandolins~~~~120~10793~~
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Eastman Search~~~~120~9118~~ Eastman Search |
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Flinthills Mandolins~Sole luthier bluegrass mandolins from £1295.
I'm not a gambling man but I took one here. One evening while surfing the web I chanced across the Flinthills Mandolins website, I was so taken with the quality of Mark Franzke's work we exchanged a few emails and had a phone conversation or two. I then took the plunge and ordered two mandolins. I had never heard his name before but figured that someone able to work to such high aesthetic standards might know a thing or two about tone. The gamble paid off, I think Flinthills is the best kept secret in the mandolin world today.. not for long... Mark works alone in his workshop in the flint hills of Kansas making these immaculate mandolins, get one before the prices go up.~~~120~6752~~ Flinthills Mandolins |
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Flinthills Search~~~~120~9340~~ Flinthills Search |
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Godin~Electric mandolins
Robert Godin is famous for his solid body and semi-acoustic guitars. His A series are renowned for the pure acoustic tone, the A8 mandolin is the only mandolin in the range. I haven’t come across a better electric mandolin.~~~120~7802~~ Godin |
Godin Search~~~~120~9924~~ Godin Search |
Heiden~Hand made, sole luthier mandolins, from £3500.
I had played a couple of Heidens over the years and thought them the best I had heard. Michael is rated alongside Gilchrist, Dudenbostel, Nugget and Monteleone. He is one the legendary mandolin luthiers of our time. There has been great excitement recently about John Reischman’s new Heiden mandolin.
I still can’t remember where I got the notion but I followed a hunch, took a chance and gave Michael a call. To my delight, amazement and astonishment he agreed to send three mandolins across the pond. He has made it clear that this is because he is keen to get some of his work over here and probably won’t be able to do it again as he doesn’t normally supply retailers, you would normally have to order from him and wait. Michael’s waiting list is over 3 years and growing…
They have arrived now and have surpassed expectations. They are priced to be the same as buying in the USA after import costs and they are available now…~~~120~10941~~ Heiden |
Heiden Search~~~~120~11168~~ Heiden Search |
Michael Kelly~We are no longer stockists for Michael Kelly mandolins.~~~120~12618~~ Michael Kelly |
Michael Kelly Search~~~~120~12617~~ Michael Kelly Search |
Kentucky~Chineese made bluegrass mandolins from £75
Kentucky mandolins are made in China and are widely recognised in the US to be among the best quality of the factory made mandolins. TAMCO are now buying these direct from the factory in quantity so even better prices but only the models listed will be available.~~~120~4522~~ Kentucky |
Kentucky Search~~~~120~572~~ Kentucky Search |
Kimble~You could have knocked me over with a feather when I was discussing my Kimble with Will and he offered to make an A5 for the shop. My A4 is the loudest oval hole mando I've ever heard. It seems to do the impossible and have qualities that would normaly be a trade off.. one or the other but not both. Its bright but has amazing bass, its has great separation and definition with warmth and resonance. That's what a luthier like Will can achieve. We discussed the desired sound for the A5, Will mentioned that he had an ideal f hole sound he had been working towards so I said lets go or that. Will has had mandolin god Lynn Dudenbostel as his mentor. Many are saying that Will's luthery is reaching the heavens... watch this space.~~~120~12965~~ Kimble |
Kimble Search~~~~120~12964~~ Kimble Search |
Lebeda~Hand made bluegrass mandolins from £1000
Jiri Lebeda (pronounced Yirji) is one of the most respected luthiers in the world of bluegrass mandolins. He was one of the first mandolins builders in the Czech Republic, starting in 1978, for a while he made instruments for Geoff Stelling before establishing his own name. These incredible mandolins are all hand made with the finest solid tonewoods. The voicing is perfect for bluegrass but also many other styles, an amazing complexity of tone combines with great projection and playability.
Sole UK Dealer~~~120~4523~~ Lebeda |
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Jiri Lebeda~~~~120~3937~~
Lebeda - F Bodies~~~~120~3939~~
Lebeda - F Sides~~~~120~3940~~
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Lebeda Search~~~~120~776~~ Lebeda Search |
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Moon Mandolins~Hand made folk mandolin family from £475, guitars on guitar pages
Hand Made by Jimmy Moon and Co in Glasgow these are beautiful hand made instruments at very competitive prices. All solid woods hand selected for their tone and figure.~~~120~4636~~ Moon Mandolins |
Moon Mandolins Search~~~~120~4635~~ Moon Mandolins Search |
Nugget Mandolins~Mike Kemnitzer, also known as Nugget mandolins, is one of the legendary modern mandolin luthiers. Mike, Steve Gilchrist, Lynn Dudenbostel and John Monteleone are the four gods of the contemporary mandolin world. My first conversation with Mike came about by chance. I was talking with a guy in the states about a vintage F4 he had for sale. We were discussing the finish when he said he was about to go and visit Mike. He would take the F4 and why didn't I phone and ask if Mike thought the finish was all original? I was a little nervous to call someone I held in such high esteem but did it anyways. To cut a long story short Mike offered to make me a mandolin and by the end of the conversation I had ordered a Nugget for my self. I knew I couldn't afford it but I couldn't refuse an offer like that!
Over the coming weeks as we talked and emailed Mike expressed his keenness to get some of his work this side of the Atlantic, so we discussed the details. My Nugget A5 should be here towards the end of 2008. It will be available for anyone to play but not kept at the shop so let me know if you are visiting TAMCO and want to give it a whirl. Mike is going to send photos as it progresses which I will add below. About six months later there will be another A5 for sale and about six months after that an F5.
By 1997 the number of orders for Nugget Mandolins had grown so numerous that Mike stopped taking new orders. All inquiries since then have been added to a list from which Mike now plans to build with occasional instruments for the The Acoustic Music Co and his U.S. distributor, Sandy Munro (former owner of The Great Divide Music). Mike also collaborates with Collings Guitars on a very limited number of Tim O'Brien Model Mandolins.~~~120~13053~~
Nugget Mandolins Search~~~~120~13052~~ Nugget Mandolins Search |
Old Wave Mandolins~Hand made bluegrass mandolins from £1700
Bill Bussman (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 intermitent 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) on order. 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).~~~120~4528~~ Old Wave Mandolins |
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Old Wave Mandolins~~~~120~12143~~
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Old Wave Mandolins~~~~120~12139~~
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Old Wave Mandolins Search~~~~120~4060~~ Old Wave Mandolins Search |
Pavlu~Hand made bluegrass mandolins from £750
Hynek Pavlu studied in the Czech instrument makers school in Luby in the early 1990s. He's been making mandolins since 1996. Not being as well established as Rosta Capek or Jiri Lebeda his mandolins offer excellent value for money. These are well finished mandolins with excellent sound.~~~120~8553~~ Pavlu |
Pavlu Search~~~~120~8552~~ Pavlu Search |
Phoenix~Hand made bluegrass mandolins from £1995
Rolfe Gerhardt is a legend in mandolin making, from the early days of Unicorn mandolins to the Phoenix's of today he has spent thirty years dedicated to making the finest mandolins. A man after my own heart he believes that the scroll of the F5 is an expensive strap hanger, certainly not necessary to get the bluegrass sound.
Using a fixed graphite truss rod, these are some of the lightest mandolins around, and light weight leads to increased resonance and tone when its done properly. Rolfe gets that illusive depth and breadth of tone from f hole mandolins that few can achieve. The neo-classical mandolins are even lighter, built for light strings they lack noting in volume and have an incredible warmth and richness of tone. I am delighted to be the only European stockist of these fantastic mandolins.
Sole UK Dealer~~~120~4529~~ Phoenix |
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Phoenix - Out to dry~~~~120~5166~~
Phoenix - Rolfe with Ultra~~~~120~5165~~
Phoenix - The production line!~~~~120~5164~~
Phoenix - Trevor with Unicorn~~~~120~5163~~
Phoenix - Unicorn Mandolin~~~~120~5168~~
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Phoenix Search~~~~120~574~~ Phoenix Search |
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Ratliff Mandolins~Hand made bluegrass mandolins from £1250
Audey Ratliff is one of the longest established and most respected small builders in the USA. Audey has been making fine bluegrass mandolins in Church Hill, in the shadow of the Smoky Mountains in North Eastern Tennessee since 1982. All of his amazing mandolins are completely hand crafted from the finest materials, solid spruce and flamed maple, ebony fingerboards and bridges, limited numbers are available. In an article in September 2007 Bluegrass Unlimited, Adam Steffey, who was a pupil of Audey's and has owned several of his mandolins said "I think he's still probably the most unrecognised talent at what he does as anybody in the world." Now I've played a Ratliff I couldn't agree more.~~~120~11823~~ Ratliff Mandolins |
Ratliff Mandolins~~~~120~11822~~ Ratliff Mandolins |
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Rigel~Unfortunately Rigel mandolins are no longer in business
Rigel's Peter Langdell (see picture) has reinvented the wheel, or the mandolin to be more precise! There was a lot of resistance to his ideas at first but these mandolins speak for themselves, enough to impress the likes of Chris Thile and Radim Zenkle. So what’s so different? The sides are not a strip of wood bent round but carved from a solid block. This means that the back and neck can be attached and the top clamped in place then the instrument strung up and played. The top can be removed as many times as desired to be tuned to the required sound. And believe me Peter can carve the top and braces to recreate an amazing range of sounds.
All Rigels (except the A natural) come with their own on built in pickup which is one of the finest around for pure sound reproduction. The look and finish is remarkable, from a kind of traditional A model to the radical electric guitar-like G110 they are immaculately finished and have been present at many a banjo massacre. The Acoustic Music Company is the only European dealership for these fantastic instruments.
Sole UK Dealer~~~120~4531~~ Rigel |
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Rigel - Out to dry~~~~120~5159~~
Rigel - Bodies~~~~120~5160~~
Rigel - Peter with R100~~~~120~5158~~
Rigel - Three AS~~~~120~5157~~
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Rigel Search~~~~120~576~~ Rigel Search |
TAMCO: The Acoustic Music Co.~~~~120~4534~~ TAMCO: The Acoustic Music Co. |
TAMCO Search~~~~120~1122~~ TAMCO Search |
Trinity College~Great value all solid woods folk/celtic mandolin family instruments from the Kentucky stable. These are a great way of starting in the wonderful world of the mandolin and its relatives (see mandolin family pages for more details) with an all solid wood instrument but without breaking the bank. We do a full set-up on each one, the sound is as good as you would expect from solid woods and more than you could expect at these prices. All come with hard cases.~~~120~4535~~ Trinity College |
Trinity Search~~~~120~578~~ Trinity Search |
Weber~Hand made mandolins from £250
Weber mandolins have a pedigree unrivalled in mandolin making. Bruce Weber and his fellow luthiers worked at the Flatiron factory in Montana, which had been bought out by Gibson. Bruce was in charge of production making Flatiron and Gibson mandolins. When Gibson moved mandolin production to Nashville they decided to stay in Montana and set up Weber mandolins. From faithful reproductions of classic instruments to new ideas, from travel mandolin to mandocello the range is unrivalled. Customer service is legendary as is the finish and tone of their instruments.
Each mandolin spends 8 to 12 hours being hand finished after being hand built, the only machinery here is doing the jobs that machines do best, removing excess wood, cutting fretboards and the like. I've never met such a nice and dedicated bunch of folk, watching them work is inspiring. I promise you that they are all as dedicated to fine mandolins as you and me. With Bruce Weber and Verne Brekke (designer of the revolutionary Brekke bridge) at the helm the best of tradition and new ideas combines to produce outstanding instruments. I am delighted to be the only UK dealer for these fine mandolins.
Sole UK Dealer~~~120~4537~~ Weber |
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Weber - Carving Scroll~~~~120~5149~~
Weber - Custom Inlay~~~~120~5148~~
Weber - Drying~~~~120~5147~~
Weber - F Top Sides~~~~120~5153~~
Weber - Finish~~~~120~5152~~
Weber - Top Carving~~~~120~5151~~
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