I've been busy

[peter.coombe]

I have been busy on a batch of 2 mandolins and 2 mandolas. Guitars have taken a back seat for the time being. Here are some pictures.

Here is a matching pair of a mandola and mandolin. Woods are Carpathian Spruce top, Tassie Oak back and sides, Queensland Maple neck, Lacewood tuning knobs, Ebony fingerboard, Tassie Myrtle bindings, and Blackwood pickguard. The Tassie Oak on the mandola came from Bunnings, and it is probably the best sounding mandola I have made.

[peter.coombe]

Here is the second mandola. Woods are Carpathian Spruce and European Maple, Ebony bindings and tuning knobs, and Birdseye Maple pickguard.

[peter.coombe]

Here is the other mandolin. This is the first mandolin where I have used NG Rosewood. I bought a wildly figured piece years ago and never got around to using it until now. Sound is different. It rings like a bell, with huge sustain. Beautiful clear treble, but bright bass, a bit thin sounding in the bass for my taste. The instrument is light with a light feel when played. I prefer the Tassie Oak, my other half likes this mandolin. It certainly is pretty and maybe that is why she prefers it.

Woods are Swiss Spruce top, NG Rosewood back, sides and neck, EIR bindings, NSW Ironwood tuning knobs, Tassie Myrtle pickguard, Ebony fingerboard.

[charangohabsburg]

WOW.

Thanks for sharing the pictures of your newest creations.

The Tassie Oak on the mandola came from Bunnings, and it is probably the best sounding mandola I have made.

Congrats! For both: best sounding mandola (I wish your next Tassie Oak / Carpathian Spruce - mandola will turn out just the same, to make you sure what you are doing right ) and for the stunning Bunnings wood! That's just beyond modesty!

Talking of the second mandola: how did you pop the flame of the maple back? Filler? Stain? Which technique? It looks very special (and pleasing to me), some kind of "reversed flaming". Or is it just natural (it's so difficult to tell from a picture).

[Nick]

Nice work Peter! I think I like the Maple Mandola out of all of those classy builds but they are all up there Do I detect a wedge style saddle adjustment? (Nice touch) I'm also keen to know how you cut your 'rosette', do you use a jig & router type system or is it all cut by hand?

[Mark McLean]

Outstanding work Peter. Everything from the tuner buttons to the tailpiece exudes class and beutiful workmanship. I also love the finish that you are getting. What are you using (sorry, I think you have told us before but I forget). All of the timbers look great. The maple is my favourite just for looks, but sound and feel are the trumps for me - so the tassie oak one sounds like a beauty.

I like the complementary individual choices for the pickguards. And the curvy feet for the mandola bridge looks really nice.
Inspirational stuff - thanks for showing.
Mark

[peter.coombe]

To answer the questions -

The bridges are not my design (wish they were!). They are made in the USA by Sound to Earth (i.e. Weber), but I modifiy them to improve the sound. They are a wedge adjustment design and are adjusted with 2 allen screws on the ends. Very neat design that has ben patented. The S shape is nice because it doesn't tip, but is a pain to fit to the top.

The Maple mandola has been stained. I don't usually stain timber, but European Maple is a bland white colour that is not terribly interesting. I do occasionally do a blonde European Maple instrument, but not very often. European Maple is not easy to stain, but sounds really nice so is worth the trouble. Violins have the colour in the varnish, and I can certainly understand why, but with mandolins the wood is stained. It has taken me years to work out how to stain it properly, and when people start asking if it is a natural colour I know I have it nailed. The colour is water soluable analine dyes from Stew Mac. I use the vintage amber fiirst and then a dilute brown. The darker brown colour after the amber seems to bring out the 3 dimensional look. There were 3 problems to solve with the staining - (1) colour, (2) how to apply, and (3) how to stop it going blotchy after application of the finish. I went through stacks of scrap Maple, and many hours of trials, and bottles and bottles of stains. Was very frustrationg and I almost gave up. Other Maples are much easier, Rock Maple is real easy to stain, as is Big Leaf and Qld Maple (not really a maple).

The soundhole rosette is cut entirely by hand. The 3 dimensional curves of the carved top make it difficult to use a router. The Paua Abalone strips are cut into small pieces and hand fitted to follow the curves. Is tricky work, but I have done around 100 so have it pretty much worked out now. The first Abalone rosette I did took over 10 hrs, but I can do it all in about 2 hrs now.

I did detail the finish a while ago, but have improved the technique since then. I use Target Coatings filler and EM2000 varnish. The latest formulation of the EM2000 vanish is a big improvement on their previous versions of this product. A lot of the USA guitar makers are using KTM SV which is chenically similar, but from my trials of both these water based varnishes I think EM2000 is now a better varnish so have continued to use it. It takes about 6 coats of varnish, then Micromesh through the grades and a final french polish. Varnish has a marketing premium in the mandolin world which is why I have always used varnish.

[Nick]

The soundhole rosette is cut entirely by hand. The 3 dimensional curves of the carved top make it difficult to use a router.

That's what I was wondering, if you did have a jig/router system, it must have been an awefully clever system & would have loved to have seen it! Still very clever and great workmanship Peter.

I made a similar wedge system for my Maccaferri build some time ago, nice and easy to adjust, beats filing or packing/shiming fixed bridges! (viewtopic.php?f=25&t=2564&p)

[J.F. Custom]

Love your work Peter and these are no exception.

Understated craftsmanship. Congrats.

Jeremy.

[Craig]

Superb and elegant work as always Peter . Two beautiful instruments. Love the idea of an adjustable bridge and just read up on your modifications to the Brekke . All very interesting and informative . Thanks

[kiwigeo]

Nice inspiring work Peter......

[snakey]

I must say i love your work. very sexy instruments