MANDOLINS
for a temporary interest-driven market, which sprang up and faded after the film. The handmade mandolin remains something of an art form despite the economic influence of cheap imports. Even in the United States where instrument manufacturing giants such as Yamaha have found their Western foothold, there are still small-scale production companies making mandolins as a skilled and accurate craft. Take for instance Givens, a tiny company based in Idaho,
which has been producing mandolins for decades. The company was taken over by Steven M Weills, who still runs a one to two man outfit, producing between 12 and 30 units a year. Each mandolinmaker seems to bring his own influence to the production process. Steven Weills, who says he has “logged on and off for 35 years,” knows a thing or two about wood. He claims that the wood he uses is at least 20 years dry, and also that air-dried wood makes for a much better and durable instrument than kiln dried. The fact that this tiny company has been steadily producing mandolins for so many years, using older, more expensive and more time consuming methods, and in the face of Far Eastern mass-production economies, is testament to the value of skill, craft and the quality materials that make a beautiful sounding instrument. The mandolin with its seemingly timeless appeal and perennial manufacturing techniques remains a staple of the stringed family of instruments. It may not surface in pop all that often, but even small firms are overwhelmed with demand for their expensive and traditionally-made products. The guitar’s modest little brother still receives a lot of attention from those seeking an alternative sound, and it can be seriously pricy, ruling out anyone’s suspicion that its resurgences are just a novelty fad.
IN THE MOVIES… The John Madden film Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, starring Nicholas Cage, features the titular character’s passion for playing the mandolin. In the novel that the film is based on, the use of music is used as a lighter backdrop for hope in the dark foreground situation of world war two.
Supplier listing Fender: www.fender.com Fylde Guitars: www.fyldeguitars.com Eccleshall Guitars: www.eccleshallguitars.co.uk Moon Guitars: www.moonguitars.co.uk Image: Fender
44
www.mtgazette.co.uk