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Wood
for one-piece back low res
Big-leaf Oregon Maple. Actual mandolin
back is the reverse side of this piece. Sides come from
same wood. |
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Wood for Red Spruce top low res
Top wood has been joined |
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Close-up of wood for Red Spruce top low res
Close-up of wood |
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Wood for neck low res
Neck is a one-piece |
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Carved top low res
Red Spruce carved top |
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Carved back low res
Big-leaf Oregon Maple |
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Assembled sides and reinforcements low res
Including scroll block |
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Side view of assembled sides and reinforcements low res
Sides are cut on quarter so they will be more stable and will show a bit more figure; they are cut from same wood as the back |
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Carved top, assembled carved back and sides, raw neck wood low res
Last view like this of the inside of the back! |
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Stained top low res
Top before finishing |
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Stained back low res
Back before finishing |
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Stained side low res
Side before finishing. Note late taper of neck to body (thanks Radim
for this idea) and fairly thin and rounded-back contour of neck--I
find this easier to play. |
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Custom inlay line drawing (left) and inlay before installation (right) low res
Co-designed Larry and Pam Kelly with input from John, Larry Robinson, and others; research and all artwork by Pam Kelly; cut and assembled by Larry Robinson, master inlay artist, using about a half dozen different types of abalone and MOP including black pearl. John does not inlay his name at the top of the peghead a la "The Gibson" but instead etches it discreet, black on black, in the ebony truss rod cover. That leaves more room for an inlay than usual. John typically places a single flowerpot higher up the peghead than it's usually found. We decided to try to come up with a design that evoked the historic Gibson double flowerpot while personalizing the instrument by incorporating three designs from three different Persian rugs (the flower, the vase, and the hanging lamp as found in a mosque at the bottom). John often names his mandolins and he called this one "The Lamp." Pam, Larry R. and John did an incredible job! |
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Regular double flowerpot inlay design line drawing low res
For reference, regular Gibson-style double flowerpot used before the advent of truss rod covers |
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Vase detail in Persian rug low res
Inlay vase was based upon this design |