Gypsy Jazz Mandolin Prototype
This mandolin (finished in 2019) was inspired by the Gypsy Jazz model guitar we built for a local friend, Mike Johnson, who commissioned a Macaferri style Jazz guitar with a D sound hole. While this mandolin sports only a small round sound hole, it has no less volume. The Sitka spruce top paired with figured maple back and sides makes the highs crisp and the lows punchy. When playing rhythm the bark sound is chunky and rich, while the leads are clear and loud. It works well in jam sessions with other loud instruments like fiddle and banjo and stands out from the group.
The inlay is our morning glory vine that was originally designed by Liz Sedler who passed several years ago. She inlayed the first morning glory pearl in one of our earlier S-12 deluxe harp guitars. We kept the design and have sized it for mandolin fingerboards and can now be laser cut in shell veneers for easy inlays.
Top: Sitka Spruce
Back/Sides: Figured Maple
Fretboard: Rosewood
Bridge: Ebony