Welcome to my website. As you make your way around the site you will see that I make a wide range of stringed instruments from standard guitars, citterns and irish bouzoukis to all members of the mandolin family including mandolins, tenor mandolas, octave mandolas and mandocellos. I also make some more unusual and hard to get instruments such as the english guitar, saz, appalachian dulcimer and even a baglama.
Additions to the range of instruments I make that are listed in this website are mandolins with a larger body size than my standard mandolin, and a tenor mandola with a longer string length of 460mm, instead of the more usual 410mm. I am also making a cittern with a shorter string length and a smaller body than the conventional cittern. Another addition are tenor guitars with spruce or mahogany tops. I also make an 8 string version of the tenor guitar that can be tuned like a bouzouki. I have also introduced an appalachian dulcimer with two fingerboards, and a baglama, sometimes called an octave saz.
I hope you enjoy the site and looking at all the instruments I make. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
THIS IS THE LATEST ADDITION TO THE CATALOGUE
THE NORDIC MANDOLA
Tuned A F D A E
Many other tunings are possible by using the individual capos on the A F & D strings. The individual capos can be screwed into the holes in the fingerboard. This way you can alter the note of the A F & D strings without re-tuning. The Nordic Mandola was developed in the 1980’s by Swedish Musician Ale Moller and instrument makers Christer Adin and Helge Ekvall.
For a full and very comprehensive description of the Nordic Mandola click here Price from £1,300-00
A NEW MANDOLIN TO THE COLLECTION
THE PICCOLO MANDOLIN
This new addition the range of Mandolins I make is also sometimes called a Soprano Mandolin. It is tuned “c g d a” that is a musical fourth above the Mandolin and one octave above the Tenor Mandola. The scale length of the Piccolo Mandolin is 280mm and the body width is 210mm. In the picture there is one of my M-1 standard size Mandolins and two of the Piccolo Mandolin, one with a spruce top and one with a cedar top.
The cost of the Piccolo Mandolin is £620-00.
To contact me for more information and to check on availability you can phone me on 0208 530 4317 or email me at the CONTACT PAUL page on this site.
MANDOLINO
The Mandolino was an instrument of the 17th and early 18th century. It had a bowl back like the lute, it also had tie frets, gut strings and friction pegs. The instrument I make has the same string length and tuning as the Early Mandolino, but in every other respect is an instrument of the 21st century. It is fitted with modern Machine Heads, Frets, metal strings and has a larger body, then the historical instruments. Making the instrument like this gives it the tone and volume so it can now take its place alongside the modern Mandolin Family of instruments. The Mandolino I make has a string length of 310mm and is tuned B E A D G.
The cost of the Mandolino is £960-00.
PARLOUR GUITARS
I have just finished a new batch of Parlour Guitars. I have made these Guitars with a scale length of 640mm, this is longer than I have made them in the past. The longer string length helps to give a brighter sounding instrument with a more responsive bass. The Headstock on these Guitars is different from the Slotted Headstock I have used on previous models (described else ware in this website). This helps to make changing strings a much easier job. There are two sizes of body, the larger is 46cm long and 33cm at its widest part, and the smaller body is 45cm long and 30cm at its widest. I have instruments in stock with either Spruce or Cedar tops. As with all the instruments I make the neck, back and sides are made of Mahogany. The Bridge, Fingerboard and Headstock Veneer are all made of Rosewood.
The cost of a Parlour Guitar is £1100-00.