Lockdown Mandolin...

[McCreed]

I'm still impressed with the build.
I'm not a mando guy, but I appreciate any effort made into making an acoustic instrument.
Not sure I'm up to the task.

Now, just think how much easier the second one will be after what you've learnt!

[JimC]

Not sure I'm up to the task.

You'd be surprised. Especially as so far I've made centre block instruments with 2mm plywood sides, which means that there are no issues with dealing with string tension and not much problem bending the sides. A true acoustic is more of a challenge.

[blinddrew]

Well if you ever decide to do a relic you now know that the stain-on-spruce is a perfect starting point! I actually rather like the look but I'm guessing junk-shop-chic isn't what you were aiming for.

[JimC]

Headstock logo... I have some transfers for my JC logo (thanks Simon) but black, even with bordered in yellow doesn't work on the sapele headstock. I also have some test prints on white background. Experience suggests that attempting to cut a narrow white border from the transfer is doomed to fail with my level of dexterity, but I do have a fabric cutter that does circles. A whole circle isn't going to look right with my very minimally scrolled headstoc, but I thought a half circle worth a try. What does the panel think?



Overall the project has been delayed by waiting for tru oil to really cure well and by fretting. I was trying to avoid spending too much money on tools, but lockdown combined with domestic circumstances meant I didn't feel I could take up Simon's offer of using his kit in his garden, so I've given up and ordered a fret hammer. Levelling/crowning tools, well we'll see...

[Later] Better with the tuners in place I think...

[JimC]

Been a bit of a hitch. Due to lack of tools/facilities/confidence/inclination I decided to outsource getting the slots cut on the fingerboard to a local luthier. So I got it back, trimmed it to size etc but didn't really look at it until I came to do the frets.
And I looked, and thought, that looks odd. Well, anyone can have a bad day, and he certainly had one when he cut my board, because it was awful! So I'm currently waiting for him to send me a replacement.
In the meantime here's a couple of photos out in the sun. It needs all the dust specs polished off etc and burnishing, which will have to wait for the tru oil to really cure, but I'm not unhappy.



You may notice the transfer from the previous is missing. Decided I didn't like it. I'll see what it looks like with strings on before making too many decisions.

[fender3x]

It's a very cool build. I suspect it will look best with no logo. Sort of in keeping with traditional styling.

[Woltz]

Nice job Jim. Looking really good.

[impala59]

+1 on no logo, just looks classier. Am getting inspired to repair my Mandola which was attacked by a mentally challenged greyhound a few years back. It’s been sitting around, unloved since

[JimC]

Thanks everyone.
FWIW
The headstock is Sapele.
The neck and body centre block are Sapele/Maple/Sapele sandwich
The back and sides are 2mm Okoume plywood, dyed with a mixture of "walnut" and "red mahogany" stain to approximate the Sapele. The back has a rather interesting figure which is a sort of negative bookmatch in the outer strips of veneer. That was on the ply as it shipped, and I just lined up the join in the veneer with the centreline.
There's a laminated in place unidirectional carbon reinforcement running from the tailblock right into the headstock
The soundboard is European Spruce
The fretboard is TBC!

[JimC]

Well, I have my replacement fretboard and have banged in some frets. At the moment its initial setup time with a whole two strings. The bridge and nut are purely temporary, cut out of chopping board plastic to let me get a feel of dimensions. The hope is that I can work out correct intonation for each string with the plastic bridge and then build a maple bridge with the same dimensions.


I didn't like the look of cheap tailpieces, or the price of the good ones, especially those nice cast ones, so I am experimenting with this. Two strings per pin, which I may come to regret, we shall see. The strings on there at the moment were made from some ultra light mandolin/banjo strings, which were long enough that I got just enough for very top and very bottom out of the pieces cut off. That's why the very crudely wound loops. The pins are 4.6mm stainless steel sailboat rigging pins with the ends filed off and waisted, and turned down to 4.5mm. The waisting of the pins was required by the wound strings, which seem to have smaller loops than plain ones. As can be seen tuning down stainless steel pins with a power drill and a file is not, in my hands, a precision exercise. The pins are long enough to go down into the tail block, so it should be plenty strong enough. The actual piece is rosewood, as is the fingerboard.