The third time may be the charm but we’ve entered the fourth dimension.

The inspiration: We’ve been incredibly privileged to work with world-class artists like Mike Marshall and get helpful and informed feedback (even buy precious instruments) from some of the best mandolin builders on earth. Of course, even those instruments, by those legendary builders, are interpretations of the old Kalamazoo made F5s. It’s kind of like the telephone game - they said/did this (pass along), they said/did this (pass along)... on and on. And the story changes. The context and the application for how you use that information (regardless of whether or not it’s still in its original form) is what ends up being important - even when, or we could say especially when, the end results weren't anticipated. Like the original F5s being designed for classical music and orchestral ensembles and then, after some on-the-job experimenting, they become the standard for Bluegrass music. This yielded a new horizon for the mandolin. So, we go experimenting with bluegrass and mandolin designs only to come back around, deep in classical and other music. We ultimately deciphered for ourselves why the original F5 designs work in those varied contexts - AND why certain aspects to the design really are critical in a performance setting. 

Specs

Price From $7995

Origin: After a lot of experimentation we have decided to make this instrument  collaboratively between our two workshops. It's one part practicality and one part continuity. In our efforts to build the amount of instruments we feel there is demand for we need to enlist all of our experienced staff to share the extensive load of work involved in F5 production. There is CNC operation, assembly, binding, long hours of sanding, etc. Like a great musical band we have a sense of place, cooperation, and overlap between many tasks. The delicate art of shading and finishing is an enormous consideration. Our long-time team member Lao Yin is a master of the coloring and finishing of musical instruments. It would be folly for us not to entrust him with the task of shading and bursting our premier mandolins. We believe it’s the hands, eyes, and experience that make the mandolin. Here's our process: All wood selection is done from our Michigan shop’s premium stash. We make all of the mandolin parts in Michigan, utilizing machines, fixtures, and handwork. With the top and back carved, ribs formed, blocks set, and neck completed with truss rod, overlays, and fretboard we partially assemble the instrument. The top and rib assembly are glued up, the dovetail neck joint is fine-tuned and fit to the body. The neck is then removed so we can pack the instrument "kit" in a box along with other supplies we're sending to the gang in Qingdao. The assembly is completed and then sanding and coloring steps are performed by Lao Yin. After a couple weeks of curing the mandolin is sent back to us in Michigan where we then perform final finish steps, wet sanding, french polishing, hardware installation, and setup. Sound difficult? It is - but that's how we'll do it. Together. That's how we've done everything and that's why we're confident we're making better instruments than we ever have.

Photos