This Is The Greatest Mandolin!!!

I have been waiting for some time for Rolfe Gerhardt to finish my newest Phoenix mandolin, a Custom Bluegrass Model, number 301.

Rolfe started working on it in September, making basic decisions about the woods to use for the neck, back, sides and top. We discussed several different options on the back and sides and I agreed to defer to Rolfe’s preferences for the wood.

Specifically, the mandolin uses the following:

Top: Engelmann Spruce, extra fine grain, cut over 10,000 foot elevation in New Mexico, vacuum dried.

Tone bars: extra long, as on original Loar mandolins, graphite reinforced to work with heavy strings without being oversized.

Back: fine striped hard sugar maple. The figure on the wood is pretty appealing even in the white!! Look at the outstanding job on the recurve.

Body: willow blocks and lining, fine-striped red maple, triple-bound on sides.

Neck: hard sugar maple, custom width and thickness, custom ½" X 1/4" graphite-epoxy truss bar for heavy strings, custom small heel, mammoth ivory heel cap, shellac finish on playing surface. My roughed-out neck is the lower one in the picture below; slimmer in shape, denser in striping!!!

Fingerboard: finest ebony with 4mm abalone dots on face, 2mm abalone dots on side; custom triple side binding to match body; radiused to 7 1/4".

Headstock: top grade ebony with custom triple side binding.

Here are pictures of the finished headstock, both the front and back. The Grover tuners are pretty eye-catching… and they are smooooth! Rolfe has added some of his own (white) spacers.

The Mother-of-Pearl “The Phoenix” is a special touch!!

Tuners: Grover, gold with custom black parts and buttons; custom black light-weight bushings.

Tailpiece: Rolfe’s favorite is an out-of-production black cast aluminum Price.

Bridge: custom fossil mammoth leg bone saddle, Timeless Timber maple base, black hardware.

Strings: EXP 75s.

Strap buttons: ebony with abalone eye tailpiece button & black plated upper button.

Finish: Target Coating's Oxford Hybrid Varnish #7132.

Case: GWW custom case to fit current series of Phoenix mandolins.

Now, this is what it looks like on the bench at the end of production!!!

Flip it over…

The sum total of excellence in luthiery skills… one for each hand!

For more information on Phoenix mandolins, go to Rolfe’s Phoenix Mandolins website.

Last revised: Wednesday, February 26, 2003

A Virzi Production