November was a busy month, but mostly I was making stock instruments. At first I built an experimental 14″ archtop guitar, then a standard 17″ archtop guitar, and then a flat top octave mandolin. My only custom project for the month was the first mandocello I have ever built, or seen in person. The customer wanted a mandolin shaped mandocello, similar to a Gibson K2 from the early 20th century. It does not appear that anyone is selling a plan for this style, but my customer found a K4 pattern from Hovington Instruments in Canada. With some modifications, some determined by guesswork and some with help from people on Mandolin Cafe, I was able to make something that seems plausibly similar. I recorded a video and took some pictures. December has started with a custom banjo which is already partway completed, and a couple of stock walnut 12″ banjos. I am still vaguely hoping to build a 12 string guitar soon.
