Our Mandolins
Every mandolin we make features these standard specifications: Carved spruce and maple construction, ebony fingerboard, bridge and pickguard, sunburst spirit varnish finish, grained ivoroid bound body/ fingerboard/peghead, 14" scale length, Schaller tuners with black buttons and a silver-plated cast tailpiece. We also offer a variety of custom options, each described in the tabs below. All instruments are guaranteed to the orignal owner according to the terms specified in our warranty. For more information regarding this please click here.
F-Style $3000 (base price)
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A-Style $2000 (base price)
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Options
BUILD YOUR MANDOLIN
Modern or Traditional Setup
"Big Mon" Body Size
Engelmann Spruce Top
Premium Level Spruce and Figured Maple
One-Piece Maple Back
F-hole size
Pickguard
Violin Style Varnish Neck
Inlay Options
Engraved Bill James Tailpiece
Black Top
All of the options for customizing your Northfield mandolin can be found below this tab. Please read through the text, watch videos and check out all of the photos. Once you've decided on the right combination of specifications, please come back to this tab and fill out and submit the inquiry form. We'll make sure to properly quote you a price and time frame for completing your instrument. Thanks again for your interest!
All the best,
Adrian Bagale - The Northfield Workshop
Modern or Traditional Set-up
i. Our Traditional set-up features a larger neck, with more material on the shoulders of the neck and feels a bit more like a traditional Loar. The Modern neck is slightly more V'd in shape which means isn't as big around the total diameter of the neck . It's faster and better for more contemporary playing styles in our opinion. The Traditional neck feels a bit more C/D shaped, perfect for someone with a little larger hand or who's used to larger neck feel. Please note though, the Traditional is by no means a baseball bat and is quite standard in shape when compared to many modern day and vintage instruments.
ii. Fingerboard extensions: both styles have a scooped/scalloped fingerboard extensions. The modern extension is shortened so that you can play closer to the neck joint without running into frets. The traditional is scooped but the length of the extension remains, giving you the flexibility of more clearance from the strings above the fingerboard while maintaining a more traditional look.
iii. Frets: The traditional features narrow frets, similar to those found on vintage examples. The modern has wider frets with a taller crown, making it feel more like a modern day instrument and is quite suitable for many of the more contemporary left-hand playing styles.
iv. Fretboard radius: Each set-up has a radiused board, however the modern features a more pronounced arch. Combined with the wider frets and the neck shape, this set-up does allow for faster/easier playing in our experience and perhaps longer playing before fatigue.
For reference, below please find additional measurements for nut width taken from a 1923 Original "Loar". These are the measurments from this particular instrument, taken now, after years of playing and wearing. Also, the measurements for both the Traditional and Modern above should be considered the spec, however actual instruments could vary slightly--within tolerances--as is to be expected on a hand made instrument.
Our "Big Mon" Mandolin is something we created in our shop. In an effort to try and create a little more mid range and bass response, with a nice airy sound, we developed this model to have a distinct voice--different from both the Standard A and F models. Here's what we did..
The "Big Mon" body style is just slightly different than the standard size. We've increased the width of the body, at its widest point, by 5mm. We've also adjusted the depth/width of the sides a little in a few places. Everything is in proportion to this change, so it results in a slightly larger body overall. It's not very noticeable unless you compare it directly to another standard size by lining them up back to back. The change is subtle aesthetically, but can be noticeably different in terms of sound. The re-curve carved into the top is extended a little and the top, out towards the edges, has been thinned a bit. All curves are maintained so that the shape is very pleasing to the eye. The body flows into the waist area and continues the line up the side resolving to a very nice circular scroll, with a slightly larger button in the center. We've also changed the thickness for the back accordingly and vary that depending on the type of material we're using. It's always a combination of the exact materials, the age and various properties of the wood and the construction. As with all of our instruments, the varnish finish creates an old world aesthetic without hindering the tone or volume of the instruments.
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So what did all these subtle changes do?
Overall, we think that the sound produced favors a very throaty and growly mid range. We think it accentuates the D strings with a very airy and woody tone. When you play the courses in tandem, like the G and D sets or the D and A sets together, you really get that woody pop ..and it doesn't go away as you get farther up the fingerboard. One of the biggest advantages with these instruments is the volume they produce without much effort. We really try to make all of our mandolins have this quality---it just makes for a wonderful playing experience.
For your reference, please watch and listen to the videos below. On a few of them you can hear various people playing standard and "Big Mon" models. Every mandolin we make gets a lot of attention. There's really no way for us to say that one model is better than the other...they're just different and all of them are unique in their own way.
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Engelmann Spruce TopWe're thrilled to offer some of the best Engelmann spruce we've come across. Engelmann is an alpine spruce, typically growing in size at or around 10,000 ft up on the Rocky Mountains. We get our spruce from Colorado. It's creamy white, stiff and very light weight. Generally, we find Engelmann to posses a real even responsiveness right out of the gate. It has an airy pop that makes it different from Red Spruce. It takes hardly any time for it to seemingly open up and start producing a mellow and sweet tone. The balance across all strings is remarkable and people that favor Engelmann typically rave about the focus and smoothness (tonally, not harsh--not brash, typically not as loud either) of this tone wood.
Check out the videos of Emory below, showing off the differences between a F5 with Englemann and a few others with Adirondack Red Spruce. Let your ears guide you....
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Logged, cut and air-dried for seasoning in the Eastern USA along the Appalachian Mountains. All of our Red Spruce is provided by a trusted and sustainable source. Varieties range from extremely stiff and dense tight grain pieces to extremely responsive wider grain pieces. All pieces are carved and graduated to the optimum measurements for the individual piece of material we are using: giving each mandolin it’s own character.
Right now we are offering select sets of our most precious Adirondack Spruce. This is our oldest and most seasoned wood, found in a few places between eastern TN and Quebec, CA. These tops are exceptionally light weight, and most favorable when tested for density and sonic characteristics. Each piece of wood we acquire are measured meticulously--and the best of the best are saved for mandolins made with this upgrade. (We also offer a premium level Engelmann Spruce for interested buyers)
Our premium maple sets are exceptionally curled/flamed. We have been holding back a variety of pieces ranging from unbelievable quartered tiger-striped/flamed Red Maple we found in Montreal (cut in the 1980s) and some flat sawn Sugar and Red Maple sets with very unusual grain/figure patterns. Some of them are available as 1 piece backs, but most are 2 piece. These maple sets are extraordinary.
From time to time we come across some great pieces of maple large enough to cut a single piece back from. The figure ranges from quartered pieces, giving a nice strong uniform/perpendicular curl (sometimes broad, sometimes tight) to the more abstract figure patterns found in flat sawn pieces (sometimes wild, sometimes swirly and at different intensities across the board, generally Red Maple but sometimes Sugar maple). Each piece is different so we like to help select them with the buyer by providing pictures of the specific back we'll be using. This material is not always available and selecting it can, at times, add a little length to the build completion. As with everything else, we're happy to answer questions or suggest things based on the custom instrument you're interested in.
Enquire for price.
"We shall have no better conditions in the future if we are satisfied with all those which we have at present" Thomas EdisonThis quote kind of sums up what we're all about at Northfield. We're not afraid to try things and because of that we often experiment with different specifications and measurements, sometimes we even land on something by accident. Changing the F hole size is one way that we've honed in our own understanding and interpretation of how to manipulate the tuning of the sound chamber. Our approach is a hybrid between the Helmholtz resonance phenomenon and various tap tuning and construction techniques we've come across and tried. Changing the size of the F-hole also changes the placement on the top. We've found that mandolins with a slightly larger F-hole produce a very big and open sound. The sound is much more omnidirectional. When combined with a "Big Mon" body sound the rhythm chop is very percussive, with a lot of air behind it. The volume can be pretty intense and since many players are looking for a real hoss to compete with the 5-string in the band, they are attracted to this level of headroom in an instrument. Our standard size produces a lot of volume with a more focused projection. For recording and smaller ensemble playing this might be the right fit. Of course, all of this changes with the top material type. In our experience, the different top woods (Engelmann, Adirondack) are absolutely the biggest contributors to the tonal varieties possible. One more thing: Our larger F-hole is larger by our standards, not really anyone else's. Measurements taken from different sections of the hole could line up very close to another builder's standard size. We just offer different sizes because both have worked well for us. Let us know if you have questions.
In one of the videos of Martino on our website he is playing the Big Mon with larger F-holes, click here to view. Then there's also another video of him playing one with smaller F-holes inside a jam session with a few others that are playing standard sized instruments, click here to view.
We've grown very fond of the added aesthetic a wooden pickguard creates. We're wood people, just crazy about different types of figure, color and shades. When designing your custom instrument it's nice to have a choice for the "accents" that can help to really make your mandolin unique--the pickguard is just one of those functional things that still gives you some room for expression. We currently have select pieces of Cocobolo, Ebony, Flamed Maple, Leopard Wood, BirdsEye Maple, Stripped Ebony, Rosewood...even Purple Heart. All mandolins come standard with an ebony pickguard, but if you're up to something a bit different we're always ready to get creative.
*Pricing is based on material and availability
The best mandolins we've ever played all had that "feeling" when you held them in your hand. They seemed to settle-in so naturally, just something familiar about them. A lot of it is the neck shape and the way the contours fit inside the space between your thumb and first finger. But there's something else too.....the finish. The classics that all of us have had the chance to play and learn from, posses that something special in the feel of the varnish on the neck. It's not a bare wood feel, not a glossy feel....just a worn in feel. That's what we've tried to emulate with this custom option. We sand coats of varnish very thin, then feather in the color on the edges. The patina is a bit duller, not quite a satin, but definitely not a brand new lacquer feel. It's not a reliced or distressed look either. To us, it just looks and "feels" right...like that old mandolin you've been dreaming of for years.
Violin Style Varnish Neck: Add $200
Here's another example of working together with others. Recently we've added a few new inlays featuring the work of acclaimed inlay artist and luthier Harvey Leach. Harvey and I have worked on a variety of projects together and through the years we've been lucky enough to watch him create some of the most elaborate designs and drawings ever inlaid into guitars. His accomplishments include various custom instruments for Martin, Paul Reed Smith and many others. We're very lucky to have been given the chance to prepare these original patterns for our custom mandolins. Currently, all standard models come with the "standard" pattern shown on the image. However, the new Deluxe and Torch styles are now available on custom orders. The Northfield Logo will alternate between Abalone and Mother of Pearl. The designs are made of Green, Blue and Pink abalone. These intricate designs are available in very limited qtys. Please inquire if you're interested. 
As a special offering, we are having some custom James Tailpieces made with our engraved logo. They are very nice, and add $200 to the total cost. The tailpiece is cast of stainless steel and then machined + plated in silver and engraved. The O-rings used on the tailpiece are great for noise cancellation--we believe it to be the nicest tailpiece on the market currently and suggest it for tone and functionality. Our standard tailpiece is similar to a Collings- style. It is cast of brass and silver plated. Nice tailpiece sonically but harder for string changes on the fly.Engraved Bill James Tailpiece: Add $200
Black Top: Add $100
