We've had our bit of self-indulgence with Walt Kuhlman's latest innovation at Gypsy's Music based out of Scottsdale, Arizona. The growing US interest in 10-strings has made new demands for some of the more adventurous cottage builders, and it's been interesting to see how they go about tackling some of the inherent design difficulties in the extremes of register. The disparity between the lowest tension C and the highest E course is a challenge wrought with compromise. Without messing with the length, you have either C string "flab," or an E string that is inconsistently taut.

Enter Walt's out-of-the box solution: a nylon course mandolin. This is a very fun instrument to play, and while we'll admit our initial reservations when he first approached us, after a week of playing, we think he's got a winner. Read our review for more details; we hope to get a video up later this week, too.

Builder's Spotlight: Gypsy's Music nylon strung mandolin

Posted by Ted at April 28, 2010 6:09 AM