American Conservatory Mandoletto

If you have a string instrument of any kind that needs fixing, a mistake you made in building a new instrument that you need to "disappear," or a question about the ethics of altering an older instrument, ask here. Please note that it will be much easier for us to help you decide on the best repair method if you post some pictures of the problem.
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Chris Vallillo
Posts: 124
Joined: Thu Feb 02, 2012 12:52 pm
Location: Illinois

American Conservatory Mandoletto

Post by Chris Vallillo »

Here's the latest one off my bench, an American Conservatory Mandoletto. Brazilian Rosewood back and sides, Spruce top, Ebony Fingerboard. Interestingly enough, this thing has tiny bar frets!

I got this off ebay with a severely warped top. I pulled the fingerboard and the top. I usually save the binding and re-use it, but it too brittle and just broke into pieces. I was able to glue and cleat the cracks, remove, clean and re-use the original braces, then re-assemble the instrument and re-bind it. Finally, I french polished the entire instrument.

It plays very well, and is loud as a canon with bright highs but a surprisingly rich low end considering it's size.
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Greg Steil
Posts: 158
Joined: Sat Jan 07, 2012 7:54 pm

Re: American Conservatory Mandoletto

Post by Greg Steil »

very nice work Chris
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