Mandolins

All of us builder know that an instrument without a waist has a bigger and better sound, because it has more cubic inches of air space. This is the Herald model octave mandolin. The overall length of this instrument is 33”. The body is 15” in length, 11 ¾” in the lower bout, and about 9” in the upper bout. The neck has 19 frets, and it crosses the body at the 14th fret. It can be had with a tail-piece and floating bridge or a fixed bridge. The price for the Herald model octave mandolin is $550.00.

I practice on right-handed folks just so I can build good left-handed instruments for folks like David Wight and me.

Years ago, a music store in Brighton, England got me to build several instruments for them. Since I am virtually unknown, I think they mostly just hung on the wall. In 2006, Neil gave one of my orphans a home.

Just thought you'd like to know the mandolin is going to be put to good use. I have the opportunity to teach a "Worship through Music" class through my church starting tomorrow, and I hope to give the mandolin a great workout over the coming weeks as I work with other musicians. Thanks again for the great instrument! -Brad

This is a solid body electric 12-string mandoguitar. A lot of different options are possible, but here's the particular run-down on this one. The neck and body are both ash and the body is painted metal flake blue. I equipped this mandoguitar with EMG stacked humbuckers. It has tone, volume, and a three-way selector switch. The after market industry doesn't appear to provide a bridge suitable for the string spacing needed on these pickups, so I made my own bridge. My starting price will be $550, plus $50 for shipping. This mandoguitar will come in a very nice thick padded gig bag.

My mandolins are truely my design. The body is 12" long and 11" wide. Most mandolins are about 9 1/2 to 10" wide. Most mandolins have two pieces of bracing in the top that run from one end of the body to the other. Mine, on the other hand, looks like spokes in a wheel, starting at the bridge and branching out to all parts of the top, exciting the entire top and leaving no dead spots. The neck is bolted on like that of an electric guitar. The body depth is between 1 7/8 to 2". This model is called the "Envoy".

This model is called the "Ambassador", and is essentially the same as the "Envoy" except with just a bit more shape to it. The bracing is the same, so is the string length, depth of body, etc. My Envoy and Ambassador models can both be had as a mandola also. In fact, this picture is of a mandola that was custom ordered by a gentleman in Douglasville, Georgia who now owns three of my instruments.

I'm always thankful when somebody likes what I build. And it's especially nice when they come back again and again. The fact is this family has four of my instruments - one guitar and three mandolins. They all play bluegrass and granddad (pictured here) likes to start his grandchildren out very young. With children, you can never tell when their interest will get sparked, so it's probably never too early to expose children to music. Nearly all of my instruments ship out, but every once in a while someone local gets me to build for them and they are able to come to my shop to pick it up. So here's granddad (and yes, he has often been asked to play Santa Clause) and his grandson with the newest addition - an Elloree Ambassador mandolin.

Just one to show that a person can have something other than the ordinary. The cross and leaves cumulatively give enough open space for good volume.

A five string solid body electric mandolin, and I call it the Seraph. To the best of my knowledge, this is the only one being made with a 15" string length. At this point, I'm kinda pushing the laws of physics. The shorter string length five string mandolins have a bit of a problem to them. The fifth string, which is tuned to C, is devoid of any real tension. To get good tension, and in turn get better tone, the string length has to be longer. The problem with the longer string length is that the E string is under increased tension. I have found that if I use a .008 for the E string, it generally stays in one piece. All the way around, it makes for a more functional instrument.

This model is called the Messenger as is the five string version. They are essentially the same except for the number of strings. The Messenger mandolin can be had in a 4, 5, or 8 string version. 14 1/2" string length, tone and volume, all solid wood construction, and a repositioned single coil pickup for the best possible sound.

The string length on my octave mandolins is a little longer than standard. Mine are 22". The longer the string length, the higher the tension required to bring it up to pitch. The higher the tension, the more resonant the instrument is. This octave mandolin has a fretboard that crosses the body at the 20th fret. The body is 13" long by 12 1/4" wide by 2 1/2" deep.b>

This is my Ambassador body shaped octave mandolin. The specs on this model are all the same as that of my traditionally shaped octave mandolin. The Ambassador body just has a bit more shape to it.

My mandola has the same body as my mandolin. My mandolin body is a bit oversized anyway, so there was no need to make the mandola body bigger. It has a 16" string length.

For guitar players who want to make folks think they can play a mandolin, here's a mandoguitar. It's like taking a capo and putting it on the 12th fret of your guitar and leaving it there forever. It's a 15" string length and can be had in a five or six string version.

Five string solid body electric octave mandolin. Typically, my electric instruments have the controls mounted in a piece of pickguard material. In keeping with the idea that I had for making this instrument look more traditional, I have a cavity routered through the back, and only the control knobs showing on the face. An eight string version can also be had, and they come with the Ambassador headstock design. This instrument has a 22" string length and a bridge that allows for the adjustment of action. This instrument comes in a gigbag.

For guitar players who want an acoustic version of my mandoguitar. It plays just like a guitar, only an octave higher. 15" string length, just as the electric version. Available in five or six strings.

I'm offering my Irish bouzouki in a more traditional body shape and also in the shape of my Ambassador guitars. This one of traditional body shape has a body length of 17" by 16" in the lower bout and about 3 1/8" in depth. It has a 26" string length, comes with all chrome hardware, a fixed bridge, and a gigbag. As with all of my other instruments, there are several possible wood combinations.

Prices on Mandolins:

Mandolins and mandolas with the Envoy body shape are $450, and $550 for the Ambassador body shape. The electric versions are $450. The Envoy body shape octave mandolin is $500 and the Ambassador is $550. The electric version is $450. The acoustic mandoguitar only comes with the Ambassador body design and it is $550. The electric version is $500. My bouzoukis start at $650. All of these instruments come in a gigbag. When building a mandolin, I can install a piezo in the area of the bridge on the inside of the top and the end jack. It also comes with a floor mounted 7 band Danelectro EQ. This EQ can be had as a belt pack. The total cost for materials and labor is $125. I charge $50.00 for shipping.

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Email: elloree@hotmail.com