10 Aug2024

1980s F-hole mandolin

Yesterday Robert Boyett visited with two of my older mandolins.  One was my standard model of the 1980s, with Indian rosewood back and sides, a German spruce soundboard and an oval soundhole.  The other had maple back and sides, a carved back and a German spruce soundboard with f-holes.

This second one greatly surprised me.  I later built a small (Gibson size) mandolin with f-holes, but it was in my mind this was the first and only one.  However, there is no doubt I built this one.  All my design and build features are present, along with the address card type label of the time.

The f-holes are unusually large, and I now recall matching their combined area to that of the oval hole in my standard mandolin.  The soundboard is braced with tone bars running the length of the body rather than the X bracing on oval hole models.  The label is unfortunately undated, but I used this style until the late 1980s.

Deeper than our current mandolins, it sounded truly wonderful with a fat, rich sound.  Robert has many mandolins but said he always goes to this one.  Clearly well looked after by its three owners, it’s in virtually new condition.  Robert was thrilled with it, and rightly so.

Food for thought.

02 Aug2024

Well on the way

.

As a contrast to the soundboard below, this is a guitar is approaching completion. Here the Wengé neck has been jointed to the body; next the truss rod and slotted fingerboard will be added.

02 Aug2024

Very early stages

.

A new instrument is begun long before its actual build.  This Anniversary D model guitar will be built several months from now, but the soundboard and back will be braced and set aside in advance.

Here is the Douglas Fir soundboard with ebony logo inlaid, and also shown is the headstock with its Birdseye maple logo.

31 Jul2024

Knitted toys

Hexham is a delightful small market town. One of its charms is a group of knitted toys on the market square post box, regularly replaced with a new set.  It says something about Hexham that these toys stay out day and night unmolested.

Today’s selection

27 Jul2024

Hexham Bluegrass festival

This weekend is the second Hexham Bluegrass festival weekend.  Light rain on and off, but the bandstand in the Abbey Grounds is a great setting whatever the weather.  These photos were taken not long after they set up, plenty more people arriving later.

The Saturday Bandstand session opened with the Byker Hillbillies

16 Jul2024

Development New World guitar for sale

Now Sold

 

German spruce soundboard

As well as the Douglas Fir/Brazilian rosewood guitar below, I am also selling a development New World guitar.

It has back and sides of Katalox, also known as Mexican Ebony.  I came across it when visiting Keystone Guitar Tonewoods in Essex a dozen or so years ago.  I was intrigued by its ringing tap tone and close grained dark appearance, so bought a couple of sets.  They sat on a shelf in my warm shop, air-drying and half forgotten for over a decade, until last year when I took them down, tapped them again, and couldn’t resist building one into a guitar.

The soundboard is close grained German spruce, with my inlaid ebony logo on the shoulder.

It has my preferred Highlander pickup fitted.

I strung the New World guitar in November 2023 and was captivated by the rich, smooth and even sound. The bass is strong and smooth, the treble strong and clear without a hint of edginess.  I love it; this is a guitar for life.

I shall build more Katalox guitars, though it can be hard to find.  I found only two sets on offer in Europe and bought them both.  So I now have another three sets.

Katalox has another advantage: it isn’t listed on any CITES appendix so exporting is easier.

 

Katalox back and sides

Specification New World K

Soundboard: German  spruce
Back and sides: Katalox (Mexican ebony)
Neck Wengé
Fingerboard: Ebony
Bridge: Ebony with two piece bone saddle
Binding: Santos rosewood with red/gold/green purfling
Trim: Birdsfoot edging with red and black purfling
Body Width: 402mm (15.8″)
Body Length: 495mm (19.5”)
Max body depth: 101mm (4.0”)
F/b width at nut: 45mm (1.75″)
Scale: 643mm (25.3”)
Tuners: Gold Gotohs
Pickup Highlander

Price

The New World K is priced as a New World African Blackwood at £11,250.00. While unmarked, it has been with me for seven months so the cost is £10,500.00 including Hiscox Artist Line case and Highlander pickup.

US price is $15,000 including shipping and insurance.  Katalox is not CITES listed so shipping is straightforward.  As with the Douglas Fir MS, this is an opportunity to buy from me without the usual wait.

14 Jul2024

2023 Douglas Fir / Brazilian rosewood MS guitar

Sold subject to confirmation

I am selling a 2023 Douglas Fir and Brazilian rosewood MS guitar, the first Douglas Fir MS I built. It has a fitted Highlander pickup and is completely unmarked, having spent the year with its super careful owner, Benji Lock-Powell.  Benji is parting with it for personal reasons.

I have now built three guitars with Douglas Fir soundboards and all are exceptional.  As well as being beautiful to look at, Douglas Fir gives a truly bright treble along with a rich characterful bass.  I personally love it, and am currently building a New World with a Douglas Fir soundboard for myself.

The guitar’s  Brazilian rosewood has full CITES certification, which will be provided to the new owner.   As the photos show, this particular set is special, strikingly figured with green edging showing in natural light.  The finish is excellent, the photo of the back below perfectly reflecting the room around it.

It includes a fitted Highlander pickup (the best) and comes in a Hiscox Artist line case.

Click on photos for larger images

.

Priced at £11,000 ($15,000 to the US including shipping), £4000 below new list price, this is an opportunity to buy a very special Brazilian rosewood guitar immediately.

For any queries, please contact me by email stefan@sobellguitars.com or telephone me on 07740 600 282.

02 Jun2024

Rod Paterson

The Easy club: Jim Sutherland, Jack Evans, John Martin and Rod Paterson

Rod Paterson was a lovely man and a great singer with the most wonderful voice. He died last Thursday.

One of the many talented Edinburgh musicians in the 1980s, Rod was a founder member of the great band ‘The Easy Club’, along with Jack Evans, Jim Sutherland and Norman Chalmers; Norman was later replaced by John Martin.  There is an excellent account of the band by Jack Evans on the Rare Tunes site: https://raretunes.org/the-easy-club/

Rod will be mourned by his many friends and admirers.

 

01 Mar2024

Museum piece

.

 

 

 

Joseph McKeever from Dublin brought his mandolin to me for a new nut; he bought the mandolin from Kieren Curren of Altan many years ago.

The label is a Turf House label; I worked from Turf House from 1975 until 1979. This mandolin had steel strips built into the neck (and is absolutely straight) rather than the later adjustable truss rods, meaning the mandolin was built earlier rather than later.  And looking at it, I would say it’s very early, probably built soon after summer 1975. I expect Kieren will know.

It’s had a refret and the bridge has been lowered somewhat, but it’s otherwise completely original and perfectly sound. Lovely to see such an early mandolin in such good condition.

With the mandolin I built nearly 50 years ago

01 Mar2024

Scam guitar sale

Model 1 Butterfly as shown on my website in 2017

I’ve been contacted regarding a 1993 Model 1 Butterfly advertised on Facebook.  This was originally advertised on my website and sold by Alan Hutchinson in 2017.

The scammer says this guitar has recently serviced by me, and has used my 2017 website item  https://www.sobellguitars.com/1993-model-1-butterfly/   I haven’t serviced this guitar recently, if ever.

It was suspiciously cheap, confirming the old adage ‘if it seems to good to be true, it probably is’.

I can’t contact the real owner, but this is clearly a scam.