Well, this was pretty cool! John and Patrick were nice enough to take the time to visit with a couple of my recent builds. John on #104 with Birdseye maple and a 1-pc euro fir top, and Patrick on #90 with all Euro maple and spruce with a 1-pc top & back. This was after my first Jaybirds show. If you haven't seen them, change that! Killer show! thejaybirds.com
Here's a build that popped back up & resold recently. That 1-pc Alaskan Sitka top was part of a bridge built around 1910, and was split into cello billets in the mid 1930's. Still have a good supply of that material. Love Sitka! Glad to hear these voices developing with time. Makes me feel pretty good about what I'm doing!
Bruce Harvie of Orcs Island Tonewoods has become a good buddy over the years. He's drags a lot of material back & forth from the Island in WA to CA. My place is a good crash pad in the middle. This mandolin is a representation of some of the materials he was hauling. Mostly from the Chico area down to Santa Cruz Guitars. 1-pc redwood top & Beautifully figured walnut. Fun build & a unique voice! "Friendly" player. Really poppy in person. Check it out!
Multi-instrumentalist, string wiz Eric Wiggs picking a little on one that is currently for sale in CO. I'll have a link when it's available. 1-pc "BC" (bear claw) Log Sitka, and 1-pc Euro maple back from the stash of the late John Sullivan. Built for a heavier right hand. Still waking up a bit, but will be a monster in the right hands. Thanks, Eric!
Here's the owner of #95, mandolin pickin' monster Dylan McCarthy with it, too! Thanks, Dylan!
Bob Minner is a monster multi-instrumentalist. He plays all the instruments in the bluegrass world. He has been playing guitar for Tim McGraw for almost 3 decades. Very happy and lucky to get to be buddies with this dude. He recently released a brilliant, beautiful album of tunes he recorded during lockdown on a Collings CJ-45 guitar, and it is something you all should check out. Here's a link to his site, and it's available on CD or by download: Solo. Here he is on #50, my brother's mandolin. 1-pc, wide-grained, Alaskan Sitka top from a bridge decommissioned in the 1930's, Noble Fir bracing dated 1933, and a quilted Western Bigleaf Maple back from Jason Brooks' firewood pile on his farm in Mill A, WA. Y'all enjoy this perfect pickin'! Thanks, Bob!
I'm really just a banjo player, but here's a little of what they're sounding like. Mr. Matt Vernon joined me with his D-18. Kelly Bauman took the sound recording. Trippe Davis tackled video & editing. Thanks a bunch, guys!