Jonathan Mann On the left, a wicked electric 8-string, semihollow FM-5E "Manndolin" by this Tennessee luthier. It has a through-body, three-piece maple/walnut/maple neck, quilted mahogany "wings," banjo frets, Grover tuners, and a flame redwood top. The peghead overlay is flame walnut, and the ebony fretboard has a 12" radius. In addition to the Joe Barden blade humbucker, there's a Fishman piezo in the bridge. The electronics are switchable, so you can either run the two signals in stereo or combine them into a mono signal with an onboard L. R. Baggs control-X preamp/blender system. In the center is Jonathan's EM-5 5-string mandolin, and here's my review. On the right is his latest and greatest: the double-cutaway SEM-4. |