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This one will be going to the UK in a couple of weeks. It's Italian spruce and sugar maple with violin varnish finish.

I dont even play mandolin, but i would love to try to play that one. Great looking instrument!

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-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
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Exquisite Haans!
Love the flow & stretching in the scroll & headstock. And that finish treatment has always been a favorite. Another beauty!

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Dave
Milton, ON

Beautifull Mandolin , I love the work !

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What's this, a mandolin??!! Have you retired from making guitars or something?

Another winner Hans, I'm a huge fan of your work.

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Rian Gitar og Mandolin

Very nice Hans... sorry it's leaving this continent. Until next time!

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Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

Well, Arnt, I still have a few to build...have two F5's just about ready to go into finishing. Another 2-3 after that and I'm done. It's just taking longer and longer...
Thanks guys!

Very nice mando, great job on the burst.

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Tim

Haans,

That is absolutely stunning!

Pat

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formerly known around here as burbank
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

AWESOME!! I love the color

Well Haans, I tell ya, if we didn't already know how fine your guitars are, it would be real hard to understand how, having the ability to build such exquisite mandolins that you could stop and walk away. They truly are incredible!

But now, since we see that same level of craftsmanship, taste, and balance applied to your guitars, I guess we'll let you do it your way! Go ahead and build what ever turns you on! You have "our" permission.

Joe

Thanks folks!
Joe, while I bet I could write an expose on the "industry" of instruments and the viciousness behind selling them, I'm just too tired of it all to bother. I'm pretty sour on mandolins because of it. I have never been a competitive person, so I guess that lets me out of the capitalist experience.
I'm happy to just build a few instruments while I still can, could care less if I sell them, and will probably experience a great sigh of relief when the last mandolin order is done. I'll never again let myself feel "under pressure" from having a 2-3 year waiting list. It feels good to finally be rid of that insanity and just be able to relax.

I just want to say that to me it's a blow to the mandolin world, although I completely understand your feelings.
This model in particular is a favorite of mine (the V8), one of the most beautiful mandolin designs I have seen.

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www.wilkiestringedinstruments.com

Lovely!

Thank you Wyatt! Just so you know, it had nothing to do with "that" thread on MC, nothing to do with that particular instrument, but had more to do with the way "bidness" is conducted on that site. Don't really care to say more, as it is the past, but as you can see, it really wasn't a blow the the community. They will carry on with their Pac-rims and Jamb-masters and the "game" will continue...
I'm happy to let the mandolin experience go, and have moved back to my first joy, building guitars.

Your design work and workmanship has such great flow Haans. From the peg head to the butt. Could you tell us a couple of things. The saddle looks to be half bone. Do you make that one? Is that a James tail piece? I like the treatment. How do you attach your pick guards? I want to put one on my "A" but haven't seen a way to do it that I like.

Thanks for sharing the great photos!

Danny

Haans, I'm with you 100%. By a 'blow to the mandolin world' I meant the mandolin world as I like to see it, or as I wish it were. A builder like yourself makes it more interesting.

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www.wilkiestringedinstruments.com

Danny, the saddle is half bone, and the T/P is a James with a Michael Lewis style cover. Instead of engraving, I added an ebony cap. The pickguard has a pin into the fretboard about an inch from the end and a support block under it in front. The block has a hole and a piece of brass tube in it to hold a trim head screw that goes into the F/B extension support block.
Wyatt, my wish also, but not a possibility in this world. Just like the Mom and Pop stores, small builders are forced out of the system by the large corporations. Same holds true in the guitar world of course, but I could care less as I'm not playing. I'll build what I want and if it sells, fine. If not, my wife will have a legacy...
In the mandolin world, if you are not building F5 Loar copies, you have handicapped yourself. I got really sick of building them. Probably the reason I chose to emulate Larsons, and probably won't build a straight dreadnaught.

Funny how looking at the big picture you miss some of the detail. I think I've seen it on some of your others but , the treatment on the extension and pick guard is really nice! Regarding mounting, I kinda get it. Only one pin tin the FB. Glued into the guard but not the FB? The block underneath, does it rest against the top? The brass tube through the block, is that just to strengthen the mount?
Thanks for the info.

Cheers,
Danny

That's right Danny, the pin is glued into the P/G. The support block is around 2" long, about 1" wide at the rearmost, and maybe 1/4-3/8" at the front of the pickguard, undercut from the edge. It is also contoured similar to the F/B extension support (undercut). It does not touch the top, and the brass tube is cyanoed in to strengthen the area. The tube should bear the load of the tightened screw into the F/B support.