Building a 4 string for a touring blues player
A touring player dropped off a well worn case early in the morning, the kind that has seen more stage […]
Customer Builds
Playing and Gigging
Hardshell vs gigbag for an electric mandolin
A player set his mandolin on the bench with a soft gigbag still half zipped, saying he had been thinking
Playing and Gigging
Stage ready: pickups, output jacks, and gigging reliability
A player stopped by the shop after a weekend gig where his mandolin cut out right in the middle of
Setup and Repair
Setting up a five string mandolin for blues and rock
A customer brought in a five string solid body mandolin a while back saying it felt close but never quite
Build Process
Mandolin scale length compared to common alternatives
A customer stood at the bench a while back holding one of my electric mandolins in one hand and a
Pickups and Electronics
Single coil vs humbucker on a 4 string mandolin
A player came into the shop with two pickup sets in a small box and a clear idea of what
Pickups and Electronics
Why I switched to handwound pickups for solid body mandolins
A player came into the shop with two solid body mandolins side by side on the bench, both set up
Setup and Repair
Bridge saddle adjustment and Loctite tips
A player came into the shop after noticing a saddle on his bridge had slowly drifted out of position over
Customer Builds
A 5 string in burst finish with EMG Select
I had a 5 string mandolin on the bench recently that came in halfway through a build conversation rather than
Setup and Repair
Caring for a maple-bodied mandolin in humid climates
A customer brought in a maple bodied mandolin after a stretch of humid summer weather and set it on the
Build Process
Choosing scale length for an electric mandolin
A customer stopped by the shop a while back with two electric mandolins in the truck. One felt stiff to
Wood Selection
Mahogany vs maple for solid body mandolins
A customer came into the shop not long ago with two very different ideas in his hands. One was a
Setup and Repair
Truss rod adjustment for new mandolin owners
A player came by the shop after a change in weather and set his mandolin on the bench without saying
Wood Selection
Choosing wood for an electric mandolin body
A customer brought in an instrument last week that had started to feel different in his hands after a few
Wood Selection
Why I prefer roasted maple necks
A neck blank came off the rack last week that had that familiar dry, slightly caramel look that roasted maple
Build Process
Notes from my first 50 builds
I remember standing at the bench late one evening with a neck blank clamped in place and a rasp in