How Northfield Works

Lots of people ask us about our story. How does our company work and where do we make our mandolins? We make mandolins in Qingdao, China and Marshall, Michigan. For many people the interest is based in curiosity and appreciation. For others, there is disbelief that a world-class mandolin could be made in China. In our opinion, this unfounded line of thinking is based on a lack of experience working or living in China and is largely prejudicial. Unfortunately, when it comes to China there’s been too much maliciously motivated press as well as poorly designed and manufactured products, heavily demanded by consumers outside of China.

Despite what everyone is likely to see and hear on TV, the origins of our company are really just about people who can make beautiful playing, sounding, and looking instruments. We are a mandolin company that has a multicultural background and that bothers some folks. We may not have been the architects of a global economy or international collaborations, but WE’RE products of it.  Our mission to make great instruments has not changed.. our devotion to making a product line of instruments that inspires an emerging generation of players everywhere remains at the core of our ethos.  Northfield’s business model isn’t something we can easily articulate. It wasn’t entirely by design and opportunities seem to emerge while others are busy pushing  ‘doomsday’ scenarios and awful rhetoric.  We’re still very encouraged by the acceptance and popularity of the mandolin family, and we feel a lot of hope for the instruments we make available

Isn’t it complicated having two shops and multiple team members on different sides of the world? It is indeed. For us, it’s never been about the dirt under our feet or the place in the world that you live. It’s about who you are and what you can do. It’s about the people and their talents. It’s about bringing and idea to a table of friends from all over the place and hashing out how or why to make an instrument. We try to think in terms of passion, differing perspectives, friendships, and adventure.

Why? We started this company in China when I (Adrian) was living and working there. We expanded into the USA, the biggest mandolin (in the style we make) market in the world, when we recognized the market demands and the obvious logistical problem we would have to sort out getting instruments into the hands of players in the USA. We then set up a shop here in Michigan, then a bigger one in 2013, and moved to our 2-building warehouse and production facilities in 2018. We can readily make 6 different instruments in Qingdao and 5 different instruments in Michigan. The two teams are completely collaborative. We can make instruments here or there to completion or send them in various stages for further work either of the shops. One team spread across two locations. It comes down to how, and WHO, we want to do it.

Our team has a vast amount of experience and skill sets ranging the full gamut of mandolin making. Some are specialists, some are generalists. Each person is recognized for their talents regardless of their location, age, race, gender, or haircut. You get the idea. We’re a modern day company. I kind of chuckle at this.. as if the idea of a bunch of people from different parts of the world making mandolins (or any instrument) is something new.. no, it’s not at all. Let’s look at the beginnings in Kalamazoo or Nazareth just to start.

We’re full of energy and goodwill. We’re ambitious mandolin-making PEOPLE.

Here’s some more info and origin details for each instrument we produce.

These details as of 07/16/2024.

A5 Special: Hardwoods (except ebony/Africa, mahogany/South America) from Michigan, Pennsylvania, or Vermont. Spruce from Italy. Built and finished by the Qingdao team, set up and shipped from Michigan. Strings from USA. Tuners from Japan. Case from Germany.

F5/F2s: Hardwoods (except ebony/Africa, mahogany/South America) from Michigan or Pennsylvania. Spruce from USA. Built and finished by the Qingdao team, set up and shipped from Michigan. Strings from USA. Tuners from Japan. Case from Germany.

Flat-top Octave: All materials from Michigan except for old west coast Sitka spruce. Built and finished by the Marshall team. Tuners from Japan. Strings from USA. Custom deluxe case from Qingdao.

F5 “BigMon”: Hardwoods (except ebony/Africa, mahogany/South America) from Michigan or Pennsylvania. Spruce from USA. Built and finished by the Qingdao team, set up and shipped from Michigan. Strings from USA. Tuners from Japan. Case from Germany.

Artist variation 1 and 2: Hardwoods (except ebony/Africa, mahogany/South America) from Michigan or Vermont. Built and finished by the Qingdao team, set up and shipped from Michigan. Strings from USA. Tuners from Japan. Custom deluxe case from Qingdao.

Artist 4th Gen (Artist variation 3): This one is a bit more complicated. 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 then completed with sanding and coloring steps 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.

Archtop Octave: Hardwoods (except ebony/Africa, mahogany/South America) from Michigan or Pennsylvania. Spruce from Italy. Built and finished by the Qingdao team, set up and shipped from Michigan. Strings from USA. Tuners from Japan. Custom deluxe case from Qingdao.

The Calhoun: Hardwoods (except ebony/Africa, mahogany/South America) from Michigan or Pennsylvania. Spruce from USA. Built and finished by the Qingdao team, set up and shipped from Michigan. Strings from USA. Case from Guangzhou.

Model M: Varied and comes down to the specific instrument. For some (primarily after 5/2019): Hardwoods (except ebony/Africa) and spruce from USA. Parts made and assembled in Qingdao. Varnishing and set up in Michigan. Strings from USA. Tuners from Japan. Case from Germany.

Quickstep Mandola: Made in Marshall, MI with spruce from WV, maple from MI, tuners from Japan, tropical hardwoods from Africa, case from Guangzhou.

Wavelength octave mandolin (short scale):  Made in Marshall, MI with spruce from WV, maple from MI, tuners from Japan, tropical hardwoods from Africa, case from Guangzhou.

EleOcto: Made in Marshall, MI with spruce from WV, maple from MI, tuners from Japan, pickups by Seymour Duncan and Northfield made in CA and MI respectively, case from Guangzhou, tropical hardwoods from Africa, preamp from Fishman in MA.

Rival Archtop Guitar: Hardwoods (except ebony/Africa, mahogany/South America) from Michigan or Pennsylvania. Spruce from Italy. Built and finished by the Qingdao team, set up and shipped from Michigan. Strings from USA. Tuners from Japan. Custom deluxe case from Qingdao.