Two matched Mandolins from Mark Swanson

[Mark Swanson]

Here's a pair of mandolins I just finished up. I tried some new things, and thought I'd build matching Octave Mandolin and standard Mandolin.
I used woods I have not tried before, Osage Orange for the backs and sides, and I had some Honey Locust that I used for the necks. The tops are Red Spruce. The rosettes were just some glued up scrap I had around, and I made the bridges laminated to add some contrast also.
So here you go folks!

[Mark Swanson]

And here is the Little Brother.

[Mark Swanson]

These are flat-topped mandolins, with a soundport in the side. The bracing underneath is similar to what you might see in a small flat top guitar, but there are differences.

[Jason Rodgers]

Gorgeous, Mark! Great work on bringing all the coloring together.

[Bob Gramann]

Very nice. I like the unified design and I like the rosettes. In the photos, it looks like the top has a significant dome to it. Is that so or is it just and illusion brought about by the burst?

[Jason Rodgers]

Since my two mandos are still in the works, I must ask: what are the scale lengths?

[Michael Lewis]

Very attractive, Mark. Why didn't I think of using a burst on osage orange? They look like winners.

[Mark Swanson]

Thanks! I used the 13-7/8" scale and a 20.5" scale. The tops and the backs have a 15' dome....I have been thinking about going with more to see what happens.
That Osage is just about the right color for the center of the sunburst!

[Steve Senseney]

They look quite nice.

With time and light exposure, the osage will be close to the color of walnut.

It always is a guessing game how will appear in contrast to other woods around it.

[Mark Swanson]

That's part of the experiment here, I want to see how long it'll take for me to see a change. I did put a pretty strong amber tint on it.

[Patrick Hanna]

They're really excellent, Mark. I keep looking back and forth between them, but I can't find anything that makes me prefer one over the other. They're both terrific. Sort of like a set that needs to stay together. You just inspired me to get back on my own mandolin project.

[Mark Swanson]

Thanks Patrick, since I sold all of the mandolins I had for myself to play I built these thinking to keep them. That way they'll stay together and I'll be able to watch how they develop.

[Mike Wilson]

VERY nice, Mark!

[Beate Ritzert]

Very beautiful!

[Clay Schaeffer]

Great looking Mando's, Mark.
All the design elements come together. I love the burst and edge treatment. The peghead looks quite nice too.

[David Hawn]

Beautiful instruments, I really like your wood choices.

[John Kingma]

Those are very nice Mark. I love the way you did the rosettes.

[Jon Whitney]

Those are quite a pair of tasteful mandos - thanks for posting them.