Wintergrass http//:www.wintergrass.com, a four day festival held annually at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Bellevue, WA is one of the largest indoor music events in the country that features predominately acoustic traditional and eclectic Bluegrass as well as the various flavors of Americana at it’s best. Doyle Lawson was one of the headliners in the 2016 rendition of the event and stopped by my display table that was a component of Music Caravan: https://www.music-caravan.com Doyle was impressed with a 2-point mandola I had recently built and I agreed for him to use it for a song in his afternoon set. Afterward he arranged to purchase the instrument and the following year used it on his recording project “Life is a Story,” giving it a shout out in the liner notes

:www.music-caravan.com(opens in a new tab)

The mandola, Wilson WHTP-5, #19 featured a Sitka spruce top with extreme bearclaw figuring and Red Maple back (one piece), neck and sides. The instrument is tonally bright and punchy and well suited for performances in a Bluegrass ensemble.

in 2017 I was commissioned to build replica copy of a 1924 Gibson “Lloyd Loar” signed H-5 mandola for William Edward “Ed” Davis who performs with the Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra https://www.atlantamandolins.com . Mr. Davis has been a highly regarded music educator in the Southeastern United States over the past 40 years and became the 30th inductee in the Georgia Bandmasters Hall of Fame in 2019. Ed is a key member of the Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra in the mandola section and in arranging music for their concerts and productions. In the fall of 2018 I visited the Atlanta area and was privileged to experience an Atlanta Mandolin Orchestra rehearsal session. They are quite impressive and very professional, indeed! In an email dated August 20,2020 Ed said: “I spent an hour with “The Wilson” yesterday playing Irish fiddle tunes. Keep up the good work – I love my hand crafted Loar copy. Ed”

Having owned a 1924 Gibson “Loar signed” F-5 mandolin for over 34 years and having been a director of the “Loarfest West” mandolin symposium in 2006 and 2007, I have been fortunate enough to examine and play a significant number of these vintage instruments over the years as well has having H-5 blueprints and several photographs of the various aspects of the H-5.

A Sitka Spruce top was used along with figured Red Maple back sides and neck.

I selected dark tortoise celluloid for the pick guard (finger rest) and had a date stamp made to reproduce accurate vintage pick guard copies for replacement of old damaged ones or in this case an instrument reproduction.

The hardware for this mandola is all upscale in gold appointments and accurate in vintage appearance including; Bill James tail piece, Cumberland Acoustics adjustable bridge and Waverley tuning machines. The fretboard is radiused using EVO gold fret wire and a vintage accurate mother of pearl nut.

This Wilson WH-5 #23 mandola is a comfortable, responsive instrument with good vintage like tone and volume. I’m hopeful that it will give Ed many years of enjoyment!

Wilson WF-5 #27

This instrument strongly replicates a “Lloyd Loar” signed F-5 model of the early to mid 1920s. With Englemann Spruce top, one piece Red Maple back and Red Maple neck and sides, the instrument is equipped with high end hardware including: Bill James tail piece, Cumberland Acoustics repro bridge and Gotoh tuners retrofitted with mother of pearl buttons and period correct machine and mounting screws. The neck is consistent with many vintage instruments, radiused fretboard, nickel silver frets and mother of pearl nut measuring 1 1/8″ at the nut. The pick guard (finger rest) is authentically replicated with a celluloid/steel rod reinforced backing plate.

This is a very strong vintage sounding instrument with consistent tone across the fretboard and excellent volume. Offering at $5800 including hard shell case.

Wilson WA-5 #25

Wilson WA-5 #25 strongly replicates the only “Lloyd Loar” signed WA-5, known as the “Griffith Loar” created in 1924 for Mrs. Griffith who with her husband, Dr. William B. Griffith ran the Griffith School of Music in the Atlanta, GA area. The instrument measures approximately 3/4″ longer from the end pin to the 15th fret cross piece, is arched farther forward and has more delicate and angled f holes than the F-5. This instrument is constructed with an Englemann Spruce top and Birdseye (Sugar) Maple back sides and neck. Hardware is high end and includes Bill James tail piece, Cumberland Acoustics repro bridge and Gotoh tuners retrofitted with period correct machine and mounting screws. The celluloid pick guard (finger rest) is an accurate replica of the vintage guard, including the steel rod reinforced celluloid backing plate and an accurate vintage date stamp.

This WA-5 has an exceptionally strong, focused voice and over the top volume that will hold it’s own in any Bluegrass ensemble or jam. Did I say banjo killer? Offering at $3250 with hard shell case.

WTP-5 #24

This WTP-5 is a symmetrical two point mandolin with a West Virginia Adirondack (Red) Spruce top and Birdseye (Sugar) Maple one piece back and Birdseye Maple neck and sides. The high end hardware includes a Bill James tail piece, Cumberland Acoustics repro bridge and Gotoh tuners with black celluloid buttons and period correct machine and mounting screws. The pick guard (finger rest) is abbreviated and made from a beautiful, streaked piece of Macassar Ebony.

The traditional sunburst finish is particularly beautiful and the instrument is bound in faux tortoise. The fretboard is radiused with EVO Gold frets and is slightly slim and narrower up the neck making it comfortable and easy to play even for small hands. This instrument has an exceptionally strong voice with vintage like complex tone that is consistent all over the fretboard. Offering at $3600 including hard shell case.

WHTP-5 Mandola #20

WHTP-5 #20 is a symmetrical two point mandola with a pumpkin stained Sitka Spruce top and somewhat unorthodox use of quarter sawn White Oak as back, sides and neck timbers. Construction methods, dimensions, arching and graduations are consistent with an H-5 less the scroll and lower point. Hardware is high end including a Bill James tail piece, Siminoff adjustable bridge and Gotoh tuning machines retrofitted with black ivoroid buttons and period correct machine and mounting screws. The instrument is bound in faux tortoise the body is very subtly shaded around the periphery. The snakehead peghead is in proportion and includes a fleur de lis inlay. The radius fretboard is “Loar ” approximate 15 5/8″ scale allowing for playing comfort and it is fitted with EVO Gold frets.

This instrument was in the same batch build as WHTP-5 #19 which was purchased by Doyle Lawson in 2016 and used on his “Life is a Story” CD project. It has a rich, full and focused tone that is even across the fretboard as well as volume and projection. It is truly a wonderful mandola! .Standard price for this model is $3600 but since it has been in inventory a while I will be open to reasonable offers. Includes a custom retrofitted hard shell case.

I picked up this little trick and specialized shop made tool (fixture) from my long time friend and “go to” vintage repair luthier in the San Francisco bay area, Larry Cohea. The problem of  how to clamp in a cleat on a crack or seam separation repair where a normal clamp won’t reach is handled with this little devise. What I did what cut an ell shape out a solid piece of curly maple and attach an old guitar tuner to the outside of the vertical aspect and the tuner shaft protruding through a hole drilled to accommodate the tuner shaft. A thin piece of leather was attached to the bottom of the horizontal aspect along with a small hole drilled through that lined up with the string hole in the tuner shaft. How the gizmo works is a small guitar  (or better yet an “E” mandolin string) is poked through the crack or separation in the spot determined for the cleat placement. The string is then carefully threaded through the hole until you can fish it out through the instrument sound hole (or “f” hole).   A small hole is pre drilled in the cleat which is threaded onto the end of the string followed by threading on a ball end from an old guitar string. A knot is then tied into the remaining string still protruding past the ball which will act as a suspended clamping caul if you will. A small dab of Titebond is then placed on the cleat’s inner surface and whole shebang is then pulled taut from the string end  still protruding from the crack or separation area. Grasping the string in a tight position, it is then snipped off 2-3″ above the instrument surface and that remaining is inserted through the hole in the clamping fixture and into the tuner shaft. All you do then is start winding until it’s good and tight.  An advantage of this type of repair is that you have a better chance at of wood grain lining up in the original orientation and the cleat(s) will stabilize the crack/separation to prevent further separation. The instrument in this picture was a vintage 1922 Gibson F-4 in the shop for repair/restoration.