Twin-Point Bindings

The body of the twin-point is now complete, with black and white purfling lines around the top and the whole instrument is fully bound in ebony. Here’s a video that gives you a flavour of how it’s done.

Elmer Guitar True Chanel Jig

So, for years now, I’ve toyed with the idea of getting a “True-Channel” jig to use with my router when I cut the rebates for the purflings and bindings. I’ve always been put off by the price, thinking that they were quite expensive for what they were. However, when I saw the one (and its price) that the Elmer Guitar Company were offering I decided to take the plunge.

It cost £130 including shipping from China which is considerably cheaper than those supplied by other companies. It arrived in about a week and what you get for your money is all the metal components.

The whole thing needs to be assembled using your own plywood etc. and finally I got to use it. Obviously, I did a few dry runs but it was still quite nerve-wracking to work, for the first-time, on an instrument. But, oh my! it worked brilliantly on the twin-point. 

More later………….

Bearing Up!

I was hoping to show you some photos of the twin-point fully bound, but just as I started to route the rebate for the bindings, the bearing on the router cutter decided to fail so, work has stalled on that front whist waiting for a replacement to arrive. I was reminded of the poem “For want of a nail”!

So, this mandolin is going to need a fretboard isn't it? I’ve had in stock for about 15 years, this large chunk of ebony and with the binding on hold, it made sense to finally tackle it!

I cut a comparatively small billet from one end and managed to re-saw it into 4 very nice fretboards. One for the twin-point and three for stock.

Better find something else to do now..........

Archtop #5: Complete ( and for sale)

 

As you can see in the photos, Archtop #5 has now been completed and is ready for sale. In this video, I run through the mandolin’s specification and give a bit of a demo.

If you’re interested in owning this mandolin, you’ll find full details on my website.

My playing never does my mandolins justice! If you want to hear what my mandolins are potentially like, watch this video of Craig and his mandolin (#4)