The Calhoun Mandolin
Designed with a nod to the entry level mandolins of the early 20th century and a clear understanding of the limitations often associated with them, the Calhoun is not a mandolin exclusively targeted to be inexpensive. It was created to make Northfield Mandolins more easily accessible to our growing demand among beginners and interested school programs, without sacrificing a whole bunch of things that make mandolins work well.
The appointments are simple but elegant with nothing hiding.
Specs
Starting Price From: $1295
Top: Spruce (varying species)
Back / Neck / Sides: Figured Maple
Bridge / Fingerboard: Ebony
Tailpiece: Cast
Binding: None
Pickguard: Raised Tortoise Celluloid
Nut Width: 1 - 1/8" (28mm)
Fingerboard Radius: 15.5” (394mm)
Width of Body: 10" (254mm)
Length of Body (w/ heel): 12.5" (318mm)
Depth of Body: 1.7" (43mm)
Total Length: 25.5" (648mm)
Finish: Lacquer Matte finish
Color: Honey or Dark Leatherburst ($100 Upcharge)
Strings: Northfield LITE, Phosphor Bronze, Loop end: G (.036), D (.024), A (.015), E (.010)
Case: Gig Bag style case included
Origin: As of 2024, made in our Qingdao shop
The Calhoun Mandolin
In 2017 our Acoustic Designer, Kosuke Kyomori and his family, moved to Marshall MI. Originally from Nagoya, Japan, we had worked together for many years to design and develop all the Northfield instruments while he was based at our shop in Qingdao. Kosuke was ready for another international adventure and having recently gone through the Model M start-up in our downtown storefront/showroom in Michigan, the team here was excited for an expansion as well. So we went to work creating another workshop space. It took a lot of grit to buy new property, renovate and repurpose old buildings, buy all the machinery etc. By late 2017 we were up and running.
Now, what? What would we make? The first idea was to develop a mandolin for new markets, especially the up and coming (truly surging) acoustic guitar player market in China. We felt this market was ready for mandolin, but not necessarily the slightly more intimidating “scrolls and points” we were accustomed to making for the rest of bluegrass familiar markets of the world. In kind of a reverse-commute scenario we decided to create a flattop design for over there. The idea was design it, prototype it, test it and then create all the jigs and fixtures - sending them to our Qingdao shop for production there. Honestly, it seemed there were enough versions of this type of mandolin for this market. Our focus was elsewhere.
But then something, well many things, happened. That same year we had our very first Marshall Mandolin Summit. We had a prototype kicking around with all of these world class teachers who said unanimously “this mandolin would be awesome for students here”. So we listened and made a couple batches for next year’s gathering. They were right, students and experienced players alike wanted them. We dubbed them the Calhoun, named after the county we live in, and we began making more of them. This was the first way to facilitate production management in MI. It was a clear way to work out a volume batch style, with several staff members involved and an accelerated and practical way to sort out workshop overhead. This would be helpful for all future endeavors in Michigan. Then a couple years into it Covid happened.
The world sorta shut down for a minute… but not for us. Mandolin demand went crazy! Huh? People suddenly had time to pickup an instrument and wow did they ever. Lower priced mandolins were not as available, and dealer demand for the Calhoun went through the roof. We accommodated as much as we could, and put many other development projects to the side for a while.
Then in 2022 we picked all of those projects back up, which included our intention to develop the Calhoun in our Qingdao shop. In 2023 we released a collection of new items.
- The Quickstep Mandola - MI
- The EleOcto - MI
- The Wavelength Octave - MI
- The Rival Guitar - Qingdao
- The Calhoun 2.0 (made in Qingdao and available in China only)
- 30 online lessons (in Chinese designed for that market)
- and a few more… 😅
In Michigan our attention turned to all the new items. That focus has stayed since releasing our July 9th batch in 2023 as our new octaves have been especially popular throughout the world. At a recent conference we got asked about the Calhoun by a player who was after one. We thought about it for a bit and then said.. well, we’re already making them it’s just that nobody here knows it. “Why not make a few for here?” So we did, but not before improving them. We added some features like swapping the walnut fretboard and bridge for ebony, offering them in sunburst and honey, including a nice gigbag. They’re also now finished in a nitrocellulose lacquer that we feel has added some power to the sound.
After a long hiatus, as our efforts in Michigan have switched to the newest items, the Calhoun makes a comeback from its journey around the world. We’ve been off making mandolin players in other places (read here for more details) but felt it was time to share this connection with all of you, albeit in a rather limited way. We are pleased to make available an improved version of the instrument. The Calhoun has now been upgraded to feature higher-end materials and finishing. Made right alongside our S, Big Mon and Artist level mandolins with select materials from the same trusted sources we are privileged enough to use for all of our instruments.
Offered in a couple finish color combinations, equipped with great hardware, and complete with a quality gigbag, The Calhoun (2.0) is as likely a tool for a seasoned musician as it is a wonderful companion for any aspiring student.
Glad to have them back in the line up (in limited quantities).
