Mandolin for Cally-Fest

Don Tomas box using the wood bottom as the mandolin top.Medium-Medium frets- I should have used smaller ones, but I used what I had.Scrap metal tail piece. Gitty' economy tuners. Electric guitar strings using the 5th, 4th 2nd and first for either standard mandolin tuning (GDAE) or sawmill tuning GDGD.Folks if you make one of these, getting the frets nearly perfect is crucial. Don't use a fret calculator. Lay your fret board down beside a factory made mandolin and mark the fret spots. --I also used a fret for a zero fret and made a wood string guide.
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  •  Thanks, Jerry.  A red dog look alike.   That feels like high praise.

    Thanks, Kale.  I do too.  I looked through my parts boxes for a saddle and that white piece of something - I forget the name - micarta?  The white piece was just the right size and added a good look.  Viewing it now, I think painting that tail piece and maybe parts of the fret board would be a good look.  Maybe a blood red.

  • I like the finished top John.
  • I love it UJ.!! I thought it was a Red Dog for a moment,...

  • Thanks, James O.  I am trying to quite building for the same reason.  I have more than enough guitars plus 2 cigar box fiddles, a cigar box banjo, and a cigar box dulcimer.  But I recently have been wanting a mandolin.  This one suits me fine.  

  • Nice build Uncle John I don't build much anymore as I have a house full Have a couple of boxes I will eventually Finish going to Build a Classical 4 string sometime soon  

  • Thanks, AGP. I am pleases with it.
  • "Sweeeeeeeeeeeeeet"  :-)   

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