The latest mandonaught is in the post to California of all places. A guy called Peter in Orangeville was the winner of the Ebay auction. Mandos are almost a hobby within a hobby for me. I'll be halfway through a guitar and decide to sidetrack and build a mando to pass the time while the glue on the guitar dries!!

Ah well, off goes another of the babies......

SO, as things stand at the minute the "Evening class" jumbo is getting varnished, six coats on now, I'll let them harden over the weekend and try to sand them in Monday if I get the chance.

The Les Paul is plodding along. Robin wants the faceplate with his sirname on it so I'm ordering it from BruceWei on Ebay. Great guy who I've used alot in the past for MOP & Mando bridges etc. Hes happy with the headstock shape so I'll get that cut out tomorrow if I get the chance and get carving at the neck. the faceplate can be stuck on later.

Tricia's mini-jumbo has the front & back sanded and the sides need done now. The neck is laminated and the wings to widen the headstock are on. I need to wait for the lovely folks at Stewmac to send the truss rod and fingerboard before I can get MUCH more done on that.

That leaves me with a load of walnut for backs & sides, and a set of leopardwood which I'll make some sort of guitar out of. Maybe a mini-jumbo to match Tricia's, maybe a dread cos I've only made one of them..........

If anyone out there in Blog land is reading this and thinking "I'd like a handmade guitar from Ireland for 1/8 the cost of a Lowden".......... then my email address is now added to the links over to the right.........> BTW I'm not dissing George Lowden. He is a world class master of this craft and a reallty nice guy too!! if you want to drop £4000 on a guitar I wouldn't send you anywhere else!!!! (unless you wanted 8 of mine!!)