Mando 56
Remember those classic four-string electric mandolins that came out in the 1950s? Yeah, those were neat, for sure. We've always had a soft spot for them, and we were asked to build a one-off recreation for a customer, albeit with decidedly untraditional appointments, most notably a sparkle finish and highly-figured maple neck.
The customer, Ezra, asked to see what a period-correct headstock shape would look like, and we were happy to oblige, though the headstock was later reshaped to politely respect the intellectual property of the trademark holder.
Ezra told us that, being a fan of old Mustangs, he loved the sound of poplar guitars. Though he was set on having a maple neck, he expressed no preference on fretboard material, and we chose to continue the poplar-theme (sonically speaking) with an impressive poplar fretboard. Because he was unsure what pickup he wanted (ideas ranged from classic-sounding single-coils to a custom-wound Gatcomb Mjölnir four-coil DoubleBucker) we routed the body to accomodate a variety of pickup options.
Ezra told us that, being a fan of old Mustangs, he loved the sound of poplar guitars. Though he was set on having a maple neck, he expressed no preference on fretboard material, and we chose to continue the poplar-theme (sonically speaking) with an impressive poplar fretboard. Because he was unsure what pickup he wanted (ideas ranged from classic-sounding single-coils to a custom-wound Gatcomb Mjölnir four-coil DoubleBucker) we routed the body to accomodate a variety of pickup options.
Contours were a must. Ezra asked for 9/16" edge contours, with a heavy belly-cut and a sharp forearm contour. We hand-carved the contours and sent the test body off to Ezra who sent it back the next day giving us the go-ahead.
The next pressing issue was the finish, a medium-sized metal flake. Ezra kicked around several ideas, including the Gatcomb Co. exclusive, Electric Eggplant Sparkle, though he finally decided on our Gatcomb-exclusive Harald Bluetooth Flake.
The next pressing issue was the finish, a medium-sized metal flake. Ezra kicked around several ideas, including the Gatcomb Co. exclusive, Electric Eggplant Sparkle, though he finally decided on our Gatcomb-exclusive Harald Bluetooth Flake.