Mando Venture
The search for the perfect instrument
The Prize
I love the gentle burst effect. I wanted a more organic effect that hinted at wear, not a purely geometric effect. Here you can see the tailpiece design echoed in the fingerboard ends. The bridges are close enough together that I won't have to adjust my picking hand much as I switch necks.
Here's a view of the birdseye back. Notice the heart-like pattern towards the bottom. The patterning really flares and deepens when you move it around in the light.
I love how the finish evolved. I was surprised to discover that it is very close to the coloration on my violin.
The birds-eye sides really look great. Also, notice the bridges. They are Richard's custom design. He rounds the outer corners of the top so they are easy on the hand and wrist while playing.
We ended up with an unorthodox center cutaway. I didn't think I'd play far up the neck on the octave, since there's a regular mandolin for high notes, but I would be likely to play up the neck on the mandolin. With the mandolin neck on the upper side, this meant the cutaway had to be in the middle of the instrument. I think it works great for the rare times I play higher notes.
I wasn't expecting the tortoise-shell style truss rod covers - they were a nice surprise. It's hard to see in these pictures, but the fingerboards are also bound with tortoise-shell binding.
The burst effect of the stain is even evident on the necks. I also like the dark seam on the necks.
These tuners were a custom job made to create slot-head tuners for the mandolin. Traditional tuners would have been very tight between the necks. Slot tuners allowed me to keep the necks a little closer together.
You might be thinking "How can I get myself one of these?" Right now this is a one-of-a-kind instrument. However, Richard said that now that the design work is done, he can build more. I also think with a single neck this would make a great Octave mandolin/Bouzouki. The sound is deep and resonant, thanks to the larger body and the big D sound hole.
Here is Richard's contact information:
Richard Vance Clark
515-432-8075
If you want to contact me:
Connor Hood
At last! A few days ago Richard told me to come and get the mandolin. The finish is still curing, but he figured I'd be able to treat it gently for the next month or so as the lacquer continues to harden. During that time, no case or strap, no watch, ring, belt buckle, and so on. That's good because I don't have a case figured out yet, so I won't be taking the instrument out of the house for a while.
And now, here are the finished pictures. They don't do justice to the depth of the birds-eye on the back and sides, but you still get the idea. Float your cursor over each image to view a description. Click the image to expand and view the entire picture.
So, how does it sound? Great. It's pretty loud and resonant, with lots of bass and solid, bright treble. The strings on the unplayed neck provide a gentle, shimmering resonance, kind of like a harp guitar. Click the play button to the right for some sample tunes. The first track alternates between necks and the second is a multi-track using both necks. Please forgive the amateur playing and imperfect recording. I slammed out these recordings to represent the sound. Perhaps I'll record more later.