Mandolin.org.uk
Thomas Buchanan
Thomas Buchanan's folkmandolin
When Thomas moved to Cleckheaton in West Yorkshire in 2006, he brought with him over 20 years experience instrument making in the Highlands of Scotland where traditional music is still a strong part of a living and evolving culture.
The Peatbogs Through his contact and involvement with celtic music and with the help and feedback from many fine musicians, Thomas has become in touch with the highest standards required by the highly skilled players of today's folk scene.
Phill Cunningham M.B.E, The Peatbog Faeries and Saltfish Forte are just a few of the top artists that are currently using Thomas Buchanan instruments to evoke the sounds that are at the forefront of traditional music today.
Workshop
Once
the properties of an instrument have been decided, working drawings are produced.
Following traditional methods timber for fronts are selected from split logs of spruce and cedar.
Splitting with an axe will force the timber apart
following the grain exactly along the entire length of the soundboard.
Back and ribs are sawn in
book matched pairs ready to join the rest of the cutting list for assembly.
The soundboard is inlayed with an attractive herring bone design inlay, this binds the grain together, preventing any future splitting problems around the sound hole.
The
fronts back & ribs, blocks and linings are then assembled . The
edges are then bound with a line purfling and a hardwood edge.
The necks are individually hand carved before being dovetailed into the
body.
A box section adjustable truss rod is then fitted before gluing on the fingerboard.
Once the scraping, rubbing and sanding is complete a high gloss lacquer is applied and then hand finished.
Mandolin
The soprano member of the family this little instrument will surprise you with it's big sound. The fixed bridge gives more sustain and a bighter tone than floating types. The slim neck profile and fine sound box make it light, well balanced and very fast.
10 String Mandolin
The 10 String Mandolin has an extra lower course of strings tuned down to "C". This gives this instrument the same range as a Mandolin and Tenor Mandola together and allows the player to sound broader chords.
Tenor Mandola
Tuned CGDA from low to high the Tenor Mandola is one fifth below a mandolin, to the same pitch as a Viola.
The Tenor Mandola came historicaly before the mandolin from the Italian word Mandorla meaning Almond and refers to its shape.
It is a direct decendent of the lute ( al L'Ud ) "The Wood" refering to the soundboard.
Octave Mandola
Octave Mandola (in the U.K and Europe) or Octave Mandolin (in the U.S and Canada) are both terms to describe this instrument. Tuned G.D.A.E from low to high, one octave below the Mandolin.
This one has a scale length of 500mm making it one of the shortest in the market.It is also available in octave or unison stringing for the lower two courses.
Source http://www.folkmandolin.co.uk
June, 2007
