Artistic hand carved custom made banjos created by a master wood carver & mother-of-pearl inlay artist
who works from your original sketch, photo, or idea.
custom, inlay, woodcarving,
carved heels, vintage, banjos,
old-time, instruments,
five-string, artisan, music, musician
Hugh Scullion, Luthier - UK based maker of fine stringed instruments including the Reso-Tele, Strummer & Superstrummer.
luthier, strummer, super strummer, guitar, electric guitar, stringed instruments, dulcimer, stick dulcimer
Phoenix Mandolins: Bluegrass, Folk, and Jazz Mandolins,
fine handcrafted mandolins built by Rolfe Gerhardt, with models for bluegrass, classical, mandolin music, jazz, and Celtic music.
mandolin, mandolins, bluegrass, music, musical instruments, folk music, Rolfe Gerhardt
Rigel is the only known company that has devoted great time, attention and skill to the reproduction of some of the legendary mandolins built in the early years of the century. Lyon & Healy and Vega, among others, built exceptional mandolins that are becoming increasing rare and expensive, yet are highly desirable, particularly for classical players. Rigel Instruments builds limited numbers of extremely fine quality reproductions of some of the most sought after of these mandolins.
Pete Langdell produced his first instrument in the mid 1960s. Since then, he has crafted and honed his ideas about acoustical theories, which led to the development of the Rigel concept in the late 1980s. He combined his love of music, his innate ingenuity and his attention to detail (from being a machinist) and arrived at a whole new concept in stringed instrument development and construction.
The first full scale prototype of the Rigel mandolin was built in 1990. Pete designed the Rigel mandolin as a unique blend of beauty and sound.Together with his talented team of Luthiers, Pete is producing Rigel mandolins utilizing unique and innovative construction methods; design and construction differ from any mandolin currently available. Radiused sides and wedge-shaped body contribute to the Rigel's gutsy and brilliant sound.
The beauty of this exceptional sound can be expected to increase as the instrument ages, making its collectability and value virtually assured. Using the finest of woods and hand-rubbed lacquer finish, Rigel mandolins are instruments that turn heads and win respect.
The versatility of Rigel mandolins makes them suitable for a wide range of music, from bluegrass, jazz, country, old time, and Irish, to the more classical stringed arrangements.
In addition to the models available, custom work is also possible. More ornate inlay work, custom staining, individual specifications for the neck of the instrument, or other individual preferences can be arranged.