Mike Vanden Guitars and Mandolins

MANDOLINS, MANDOLAS and MANDO-CELLOS

There are three basic styles in the Vanden range of archtop mandolins, mandolas and mando-cellos; the F5, the Simon Mayor and the A model. They all feature best quality materials and are hand carved and graduated.

The elite of the range is the F5 which is based on a classic Loar model. Highly figured maple is used for the back, neck and ribs with best quality spruce for the belly. The peghead veneer, fingerboard and bridge are all ebony. The belly is hand carved and graduated with two individual tone bars, carefully shaped, to transmit the string vibrations. The back is hand carved and graduated and tuned to the belly.

The neck is reinforced with carbon fibre The body, headstock and fingerboard all feature ivoroid bindings; a mother of pearl Vanden is inlaid in the headstock; nickel plated hardware is fitted and the instrument is finished with either a brown or deep red sunburst and high gloss cellulose.

 

The most popular is the Simon Mayor model which is based on the A model shape, but with a longer neck - the scale length is also longer at 360mm. This has benefits both in tone projection and playability.

This model is used by Simon for his recording and live performances.

Peter Mix (Rigel Mandolins, USA) has taken delivery of a Simon Mayor mandolin.

 

For the A model, again best quality materials are used and the belly and back are hand carved and graduated. There is a round sound hole and the fingerboard is not elevated over the body producing a rounder, more mellow sound than that of the F5 or f-hole models. Ivoroid bindings are used for the front of the body only. Nickel hardware

 

Each style is available as mandolin, mandola, octave mandola or mando-cello with the following scale lengths: mandolin 352mm, mandola 420mm, octave mandola 530mm, mando-cello 632mm.

Optional extras

• Fern/flowerpot peghead inlay
  
• Ebony pickguard
• Curved fingerboard
• Hand engraved tailpiece
• wh/bl/wh ivoroid bindings
• Mimesis pickup systems

   

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