Ken Donnell
Ken is perhaps best known as the designer of the Miniflex line of instrument microphones, which are now being sold by GHS. But in the early 1980s, Ken was the proprietor of Manzanita Music in Nevada City, Calif., and a part-time luthier who built several electric mandolins, including this 5-string. It reportedly weighs 4 lbs. 15 oz. and has remarkable sustain. It has three EMG pickups, a bridge made by Stars Guitars in San Francisco, and a neck made by Warmouth Guitar Products of Puyallup, Wash. Below, a 10-string/5-string Donnell doubleneck.