Smokin' Mandolins

Mandola Assembly

admin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:32:08 +0000

Have been working hard on completing the mandola. I’ve attached the top to the sides, binded the top, attached the neck to the body, fretted the fingerboard, scalloped the fingerboard, made and installed a fretboard extender, attached the fingerboard to the neck, and tonight have attached the back to the body. Almost done!

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November 22, 2009 - Mandola Progress 11 photos

Mandola Build Update

admin — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 05:35:16 +0000

Haven’t posted for a while, but have been working feverishly on the mandola to finish it by mid-late October.

I’ve got the top carved, the sides done with the headblock and tailblock glued on, and the neck rough carved and cut. Here are some picts:

Cigar Box Guitar #1

admin — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 01:57:17 +0000

This was a custom build using a bolt-on neck reinforced with a turn buckle to counteract the string tension. Used a Cristoli cigar box.

Smokin’ Mandolin #2

admin — Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:12:40 +0000

Mandolin using a Bolivar cigar box. Walnut neck with maple stripe. Walnut bridge. With pickup. Through and through neck, so little bit on the tinny side.

Mandola Build

admin — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 23:27:49 +0000

Starting to build a mandola – its going to be an A-style with f-holes instead of oval hole. I just got the wood from Old Standard – fantastic wood, as usual!

And got other parts from Steve Smith at Cumberland Acoustics. Planning to complete this in about 2-3 months, and also decided to do a double build. So, I be building one for myself as well. Here some pictures of the wood:

Maple Back

Red spruce top

Maple Neck

Maple Sides

Closeup of Sides

Parts

YouTube Videos – Smokin’ Mandola

admin — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 19:53:27 +0000

I made a couple of videos of me playing the mandola – I’m a better builder than player. But you can hear what these instruments sound like. This mandola is louder than I expect and has good sustain. I need to make the nut width a bit wider, though. But I can always switch out the neck…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RldQwA_7sHA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9XKZ2rhBdw

Smokin’ Mandola #1

admin — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:21:00 +0000

I decided to make a cigar box Mandola out of the very nice solid wood Cohiba cigar box. It has a 16 inch scale with 16 frets, x-bracing on the top, and of course, a built in piezo pickup. I really like the sound of this one – much louder than Smokin’ Mandolin #1 (Partagas). Nice thing about it, is if you take the strings off and tailpiece off, you can still open it up and adjust the sound by shaving off the spruce bracing. The next thing I will try is building one with the top upside down for REALLY easy access to the interior – several of the boxes have beveled tops which would make nicer and more confortable backs anyway.

Smokin' Mandola #1

Smokin’ Mandolin #1

admin — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 14:08:21 +0000

This was the first cigar box mandolin that I built using a Partagas cigar box. I used this as a prototype and also to make the jigs necessary to build additional cigar box mandolins. The box itself is paper covered wood veneer approximate 3/8 inch thick. I initially put a maple Red Henry style bridge on it, but like the sound better with a walnut Red Henry style bridge – also looked better. I’m very pleased with the sound. The only thing that I would change would be the sound hole placement – I noticed that when another mando player played it, one of the holes is about where he wanted to plant his pinky on the top as mando players are apt to do.

For more pictures, look at the gallery page of the website.

Smokin Mandolin #1

Welcome to Smokin’ Mandolins!

admin — Thu, 24 Jul 2008 01:23:04 +0000

While at a local jam at an art gallery/coffee shop, my girl friend Linda pointed out a stack of cigar boxes in the backroom. A couple of years back, I had seen and heard a cigar box guitar and cigar box banjo at the Florida Folk Festival. I bought a few of the boxes and decided to build a cigar box mandolin. It only took me a couple of weeks (compared to 6 months for a carved top mandolin) and I was surprised by the sound. Now I know it’ll never compare with a carved top mandolin, but for a cigar box, I was pleased with the sound. I also added an internal pickup so it can be electrified.