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

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

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

Customised for TAMCO to my specifications, with incredible quilted maple back and sides, this is a very special mandola.

All the depth and warmth you would expect from a great mandola but with the legendary Collings definition and projection. Yes you can have it all, resonance and clarity in one package. Mandolas don't get any better than this.

Select Adirondack spruce top
Select figured maple back, sides and neck
Parallel tone bar bracing
F-soundholes
Ivoroid binding
Satin nitrocellulose lacquer finish
Bound "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 11/16" Bone nut
15.9" 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
Collings deluxe hardshell case

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.

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.

A beautiful custom Bitterroot A5 octave built in 2016 with maple back and sides and Rawhide burst finish, in excellent condition and a great price Photos to follow.

Fantastic rich and full sounding octave mandolin with 22" scale. 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. 22" 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Pava's mandolins sell as quickly as I can get them and there is a very good reason, they are incredible, immaculate fit and finish, the best tonewoods available and fantastic tone.

This absolutely gorgeous Player A5 with the unbeatable James tailpiece has great volume with an immense chop and great depth and warmth. It plays beautifully and responds equally well to the gentlest touch or going for it with a heavy pick. Pick your style from bluegrass to classical, this is a mandolin for everyone.

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.

Beautiful A5 Bitterroot with flame maple back and sides, spruce top, radiussed ebony fretboard and Brekke bridge, tone bar braced, 1 1/8" nut width, cast Weber stainless steel tailpiece, nickel Grover tuners, dual action adjustable truss rod and custom hard case. The Bitterroot is our best selling F5 and this gem sounds just as good for quite a lot less, lacking what the Americans call a thousand dollar strap hanger but nothing else, it has huge volume and clarity making it a bluegrass monster, but with depth and subtlety too for other styles, a great sounding and looking mandolin at a great price.

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.

Awesome! Impeccable workmanship, unbeatable traditional looks and sound to die for. Red spruce (Adirondack) top, flamed sugar maple back and sides, Waverly tuners, radiussed ebony fretboard with 28mm nut width, ebony bridge, raised pickguard and abalone and mother of pearl headstock inlay.

The sound is very deep, full and rich with great volume and projection. It responds to the most aggressive bluegrass or the gentlest caress, mandolins don't get any better than this.

With an exceptional Travelite case.

Pava not only makes great mandolins but has wonderful consistency too. The first two sold in a jiffy so don't hang around if you fancy this one.

Playing and describing so many great mandolins sometimes its hard to know what to say so my approach is to start with what strikes me first after a few minutes playing. In this case it was the sweetness of the chop. Some chop chords are dry and percussive, at the other end of the scale they can be sweet and not very good for cutting though against the villain of the piece in the jam (no name but you know which instrument I mean). Occasionally I come across one that in my view is the 'best of all possible worlds' what I think of as a musical chop, loud and with great cut but warm and not dry, this is one of the best examples of this I have come across.

This a VERY versatile mandolin with plenty of the aforementioned chop and cut for the bluegrass player and wonderful depth and richness of tone for other styles. It takes a great luthier to combine clarity and definition and warmth and resonance, Pava has achieved that in this beautiful mandolin.

Please note the photos are not of the one in stock. New photos to come.

Great for blues and generally getting that wonderful resonator tone, National ResoPhonic mandolins are also fantastic for their unbelievable volume. I can still remember the first time I tuned one up and did my usual quick and hard three chord run to check tuning, my ears hurt. If you want to be heard in the pub in that noisy jam there is nothing better.

The tone is nothing like those cheap n' nasty resonators you hear around and about, it is the true mandolin sound with the resonator feel.

Back and sides walnut
Tuners Gotoh Open Gear
Nut Material Bone
Fretboard Ebony
Fretboard Binding Ivoroid
Fretboard Markers Mother of Pearl
Fretwire W-.053 H.031
Resonator 9.5" Hand Spun
Bridge Type Maple Biscuit
Neck Material Maple
Top Material Maple
Lower Bout Width 11.5"
Width at Nut 1.25"
Scale Length 14"
Hardshell Case

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."

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

This beauty 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.

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

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.

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.

Free UK mainland delivery. £529, including pro set-up.

Unbelievable value, solid spruce, hand carved top, solid maple (hand carved) back and sides, and solid cast tailpiece, bound top, unbound back. Classic oval sound hole tone, with lots of deep basses, resonant mids and clear trebles. With gigbag.

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 tone, good resonance and plenty of the bluegrass bark and chop, great for bluegrass and other playing styles. With gigbag.

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.

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.

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….

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.