These instruments can be available by appointment in Springfield OR, or available beyond Here. If you want to inquire about producing something custom view the Commissions section.
Jupiter Mandolin X-Brace Conversion —{$575}
Once manufactured as a modest instrument during the mandolin craze of the early 20th century, this Jupiter lay cracked, battered, broken, and dormant for around a 100 years. Now we have brought back their former luster as well as updates befitting a new century.
First the cracks and voids were filled, with contrast to preserve the shades of time. The bowl was reinforced with cloth strips, to upgrade the structural integrity. The traditional slanted brace was removed, and a new x-brace configuration was installed, carved, and tuned. With the top being broken in two pieces at the cant, an ornamental strip can be seen on the front with structure provided by the new braces and cloth strips internally. New rope binding, a solid ebony pickguard, and a new natural finish complete the new 21st century body for another lifetime of music. Reclaimed tuners, tailpiece, and end button, as well as solid bone bridge, nut makes this reborn Jupiter ready to play!
The new voice in this instrument I would describe as bright and glassy. With a loud high end that still remains sweet and gentile in character. The penetration is less at the low end, but the warm rumble there creates a pool for the high end to dance on.
Waldzither — {SOLD}
This vintage German waldzither came to me in a sorry state, top like a craggy mountain rang, now set up and ready to play! New ebony bridge/bone saddle; replaced missing MOP. lozenge on bass side; flattened and stabilized buckled top, reinforced with spruce plates under pick guard (see photos); filled pinholes on the neck and headstock (my estimation Is insect damage, but they were all present when I received the instrument and there has been zero insect activity in the years I’ve had it); cleaned fingerboard and polished frets. There are also a couple stable extant repairs i left intact; a patch inside the back to address separations, crude looking but no movement; a weld/braze to address a cracked brass tuner, visible but very nice repair and no issue.
9 strings (5 courses)
Tuning C3 G3 C4 E4 G4
28 inch total length
16 1/2 inch scale length
Folding Organ — {SOLD}
Anonymous folding travel or “Preacher’s” organ, likely from the first half of the 20th century. A wonderful piece that arrived with all the usual problems: dried out bellows (the rubberized fabric that is used to cover the bellows dries out over the ages and become brittle & cracked), hard and compressed felt, rusty springs and hardware, and the list goes on. We recovered the bellows, replace the felts and leathers, regulated the stops (volume and vibrato), and though the tuning is still in a slightly rustic but fully functional state, this little organ-in-a-trunk is ready to rock, swing, or gospel, once again!