Mandolins

Our mandolins are A-style models from Kentucky and Eastman. Every one is taken out of its box and set up by hand on our bench in Athens, Tennessee before it ships: fresh strings, action and neck relief, intonation, frets and hardware, tuned to pitch.

The A-style has a simple teardrop body. It is easier to build than the scrolled F-style, so at the same price you get better wood and workmanship. The sound is shaped far more by the top than by the body outline: a solid carved top with f-holes gives the punchy tone used in bluegrass.

A mandolin has eight strings under high tension on a short neck. If the bridge and nut are not fitted well it is hard to fret, so a proper setup is half the instrument.