This instrument bears a serial number of 012009, indicating a completion date of Jan. 20, 2009. Ron Oates' instruments are played by Michael Kang of the String Cheese Incident, and are highly sought after by jazz and jamband players. They're also notoriously hard to get, with the exception of this one.
     Triple-bound mahogany body with flame maple top and back in honey sunburst. Flame maple neck. Rosewood headstock overlay and fretboard with jumbo frets and MOP inlays. Truss rod cover inlaid with lightning bolt. Nickel tuners and Randy Allen tailpiece. "Rono" banner on headstock. Scale length is just short of 19 inches. It has a 10-inch resonator cone with biscuit bridge. Single soundhole—don't worry, it's plenty loud. Onboard pickup: plug in and it's even louder. Fantastic crisp resophonic tone with a bit of a metallic edge, tempered by the warmth of the wood.
     Some folks would call this a "baritone mandolin." I prefer to think of it as either a long-scale tenor mandola or a short-scale, double-strung tenor guitar. It sounds fantastic in CGDA or even DAEB tuning. I've also tried it as an octave mandolin in GDAE, but to my ears it's a little muddy there. Anyway, a resophonic mandolin is a joy forever, and a big one is a joy for even longer than that. It's perfect for blues, alt-country or just about any kind of acoustic-based string music where a little twang is permitted. Near-mint condition; just a couple of marks on the back of the peghead. Fender gig bag included. See more photos, hear a demo clip, or for more information. $2,800 plus shipping.

Here's a sunburst Eastwood Mandocaster 8-string electric mandolin with a gig bag. Alder body in antique sunburst, maple neck with rosewood fretboard. Two single-coil pickups with 3-way switch, tone and volume controls. Tele-style bridge is fully adjustable. Good as new. Strap and cable included. The big online retailers have trouble keeping these in stock. Get this one here for the same price you'd pay one of those retailers—and get the gig bag, strap, and cable for free, as well as an extra set of Emando.com strings. This enjoyable instrument is a great way to get started on electric mandolin. See more photos, or for more information. $300 plus shipping.

Here's a fully handbuilt, custom acoustic/electric, constructed from straight-grained woods by Rick Felkel in West Monroe, Louisiana. Unusual construction, with a bigger-than-average body (12 inches long by 11 inches wide) and fan-braced pine top. Bolt-on neck; mahogany back and sides, nickel hardware. Internal piezo pickup with endpin jack. If you've been contemplating a Big Muddy, early Flatiron, or Tacoma mandolin, you can contemplate this one as well. See more photos, or for more information. $350 plus shipping; includes a gig bag.

Whether building as the "K" in K&G or under his own brand, Bulldog, Barry Kratzer of Savannah, Ga., has earned a reputation for fine handmade bluegrass mandolins. You don't often see one of Barry's instruments for sale secondhand.
     This A-style mandolin is Bulldog #14, completed in 2006. (Remember, prior to starting Bulldog, Barry had already put in several years with K&G—so there is more experience behind this mandolin than the serial number might suggest.) It's an easy-playing bluegrass A that lacks for nothing in the tone and volume departments. Engelmann spruce top with wide, somewhat irregular grain (and an interesting small knot near the bass F-hole). Back, sides and neck of curly maple. Very nicely executed tobacco sunburst finish. Bound ebony fretboard (flat), standard-size frets, with extension—but the last six frets have been scooped from the extension and replaced with inlaid bars. Loar-style ebony adjustable bridge with brass thumbscrews. Nickel tuners and tailpiece. Distinctively shaped peghead with ebony overlay, modified flowerpot inlay and Bulldog logo. Top, back, and peghead are triple-bound in W/B/W, and there's a strap button on the heel as well as an ebony endpin.
     As for condition, it has light fretwear, a couple of small dings and minor finish checking on the peghead, and one finish check on the top. Comes in a basic Canadian shaped hardshell case covered in black Tolex. See more photos, or for more information. $1,150 plus shipping.

What's a violin doing on a mandolin site? Well, it's my site, so I make the rules. Here's a beautiful 5-string Aceto/Violect electric violin, built by Eric Aceto of Ithaca Strings in New York. Eric is widely considered one of the finest builders of electric violins, and his instruments are used by prominent players like Darol Anger and Jean-Luc Ponty.
     This bright blue solidbody 5-string was built in 1992 with a Fishman pickup, but upgraded in 2003 to Eric's vastly superior Violect pickup, which delivers a bright, clear, natural tone without feedback. You can read a little more about the Violect at the Ithaca Strings Web site.
     In my opinion, the Aceto Violect is equal or superior in quality to any production-model, solidbody electric violin being offered today. I prefer it to any Zeta or Mark Wood I've ever tried, and it's in a completely different class from the Fenders, Yamahas, and dozens of cheap Asian-made brands currently clogging up the market. This is a handmade, boutique-built, professional-grade instrument, and could well be the last electric violin you will ever need.
     My selling price is 59 percent of that of a new Violect. A case, shoulder rest, and protective bag are included. If you want a bow, I have a blue carbon fiber CodaBow Electric for $300.
    See more photos, or for more information. $1,350 plus shipping.

Here's a semi-hollow 4-string electric from Terry Bales of Eldorado Springs, Missouri. Single cutaway, mahogany body with flame maple top. Bolt-on neck is natural curly maple. There's a 3-ply tortoiseshell plastic pickguard, and a rosewood fretboard with small guitar frets. Nut width is 1 3/16"; slightly widened string spacing leaves you plenty of room to bend notes. The Almuse NeoMag pickup, handmade by Pete Mallinson in Grantham, U.K., responds across the entire range of the instrument (no weak E string here, kids) and will give you everything from an elegiac country twang to a full-on blues scream. One of the best pickups I've ever tried! Nickel hardware includes through-body bridge, tone and volume controls, individual Grover tuners, and a roller-style string tree. Gig bag included, or upgrade to a hardshell case. See more photos, or for more information. $750 plus shipping.

Here's a gorgeous little number from Kevin Schwab, the Minnesota-based dean of electric mandolin luthiers. It's an example of Kevin's "MLS" model, designed in collaboration with e-mando jazz luminary Michael Lampert, and is numbered 127. Features include an alder body, maple neck, rosewood fretboard, Schaller tuners, and dual-sound Bartolini pickup (switchable). Unlike most Schwabs, the MLS model has a standard 13.875" mandolin scale. This one is as minty as a box of Altoids, and just as likely to induce drooling. Plays like a dream and sounds warm and full. Custom rectangular tweed hardshell case with red lining; fits like a glove. New, the instrument and case together cost $1,240. Get it here for $900 plus shipping. See more photos, or for more information.

Luthier and gypsy jazz guitarist Josh Hegg of Tacoma, Washington, built this delightful electric octave mandolin. Blond with center stripe, semi-hollow, 3-piece bolt-on neck. Rosewood fretboard and 1-piece bridge, nickel hardware, Allen tailpiece, 20-inch scale. Nut is 1 9/16" wide. Currently set up for GDAE tuning, but could easily be tuned CGDA with a couple of sets of tenor guitar strings.
     This instrument's understated appearance belies how much fun it is to play. The Seymour Duncan humbucker is wired to a 3-way switch, giving you a wide choice of sounds at your fingertips. Play at lower volumes for a pleasant jangling tone, or hit the switch and crank the volume knob for full-on Flogging Molly. Comes with a padded gigbag. See more photos, or for more information. $800 plus shipping.

Single-pickup, semi-hollow 8-string made in Korea and imported by Fender. Discontinued. There are stylistic nods here to a number of Fender instruments—not only the Mandocaster but the Electric XII with its hockey-stick headstock, not to mention the Telecaster Thinline with its single F-hole and white pearloid pickguard. There's no better mandolin with which to relive the summer of '69. Tune up, turn on, and rock out with the single-coil pickup and tone/volume controls. This FM-61SE is in gently used condition. With gig bag. See more photos, or for more information. $375 plus shipping.

Here's a hard-to-find semi-hollow electric bouzouki from Bardsong Instruments of Nashville (which recently resumed activity after several years on hiatus). Bardsongs are affordable handmade instruments known for unusual designs and exotic hardwoods (always reclaimed/recycled). The top of this instrument is medium-grain spruce; the back and sides are maple. The 5-ply, bolt-on neck includes purpleheart, bubinga, and bloodwood. Multicolored tuners are a mix of Gibsons, Grovers, and a Washburn. Scale length is 26 5/8". Very loud, killer-sounding Gibson Mini high-output humbucker. Single volume control. No tone control, but with a pickup that sounds this good, you won't miss it. Currently set up for GDAE octave mandolin tuning, or is ideal for open and octave-based tunings. According to Shawn Spencer of Bardsong, this bouzouki was originally built for Allen Woody, bassist for Govt. Mule and the Allman Brothers, but Allen passed away before receiving it. The instrument recently had a headstock repair as well as a neck reset to adjust the action, and plays quite easily. Comes in a plain but serviceable hardshell case. See more photos, listen to an MP3 clip, or for more information. $700 plus shipping.

Here is a beautiful 3-point mandola. It bears the logo of Michael Kelly Guitars, a well-known seller of imported instruments, but is quite obviously a handbuilt prototype, made on spec by a master luthier overseas. I know of only one other instrument like this one—it bears a Morgan Monroe logo and no doubt was offered on spec to that company. For whatever reason, these mandolas never went into production, and the prototypes are in all likelihood the only examples of this model that you and I are ever going to see. The point is that the instrument was individually crafted, not mass-produced—and as such is of much higher quality than you might otherwise associate with the brand name. It has wonderful tone, with great volume and projection, and has been set up to perfection by Seattle repairman Paul Stroh.
     With its radiused sides and bass-side horn, this mandola pays definite homage to Rigel instruments. I acquired it without hardware, and furthered the Rigel tribute by adding a gold Rigel tailpiece, Rigel tortoiseshell plastic pickguard, gold Grover tuners, and Loar-style adjustable ebony bridge. It also bears an internal K&K MandoTwin pickup for plugged-in versatility. The bound, radiused ebony fretboard has large banjo-size frets and plays like a dream. Nut width is 1.25"; scale length is 16.5". Gorgeous reddish sunburst, with spruce top and flamed maple back/sides with moderate, narrow curl. It's a shame that these mandolas never went into production—although a mass-produced copy couldn't match this instrument for quality. If you've been seeking an affordable, mid-priced mandola that sounds great either acoustically or through an amp, you can't go wrong here. Comes in a padded gig bag. See more photos, or for more information. $1,500 plus shipping.

Now here's something you don't see every day. This vintage Vega Tubaphone mandolin banjo (serial #40002) is in fine original condition. It features ornate inlay work on the headstock, heel, and ebony fretboard; exquisitely detailed marquetry along the rim; an engraved tailpiece; and a gorgeous flame maple neck. All original parts are there, as is a professionally installed pickup. If you thought the mandolin banjo was an instrument you couldn't take seriously, this one will change your mind. It's perfectly set up in excellent playing condition, and unlike most of these instruments I've tried, it actually has tone! Very mellow, sweet and full. And loud. And that's before you plug it in. Comes with the original hardshell case. See more photos, or for more information. $1,750 plus shipping.

This charming instrument from Golden, Colorado luthier Dave Griffin features a spruce top, segmented F-holes, flat ebony fretboard with abalone inlays, a whimsical headstock design with inlaid tulip, and gorgeous rosewood back and sides. The tone that pours forth from this baby is mellow, rich and sweet—thanks to the rosewood, it sounds rather more like an oval-hole mandolin than one with F-holes. It's recently set up and features extra-low action. Reddish sunburst finish, Brekke bridge, 1-piece Keith Newell tailpiece. Very good condition, except it used to have a pickguard and now it doesn't. Hardshell case. See more photos, or for more information. $1,250 plus shipping.

Toronto's Joseph Yanuziello has quietly become a top-tier luthier. American jazz guitarist Bill Frisell and Canadian multi-instrument virtuoso Kevin Breit are among the musicians playing his instruments.
     Here is a jaw-dropping semi-hollow electric mandola custom-built by Yanuziello for roots guitarist Pete Anderson. This mandola is proudly depicted on the home page of Yanuziello's Web site. It's finished in glorious jet black, with ivoroid binding and Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and peghead. Scale length is 18 inches. South American mahogany chambered body with maple top, ivoroid pickguard, custom Lindy Fralin pickups, and custom-made chrome-plated pickup covers, bridge/tailpiece, and tone/volume knobs. Nickel-plated Schaller tuners, strap button. It's in wonderful condition; Pete did use it on the road, but cared for it well. Comes in a custom-built road case that fits it like a glove.
     The base price on a new Yanuziello mandola is $3,800, absent any customization. You're saving at least 35 percent on this one. It's a nice match to my Yanuziello mandolin, and I'll probably regret selling it, but that's life. See more photos, hear a demo clip, or for more information. $2,500 plus shipping.

Made in Switzerland, Schertlers are widely regarded as the best acoustic instrument pickups available. The electrodynamic transducer element attaches to your instrument with a special putty that's acoustically transparent and won't harm the finish. Signal through the XLR cable is strong and clear enough to go straight into the PA in most situations, but you can use a preamp if you like. Jesse Cobb of the Infamous Stringdusters and Chris Thile of Nickel Creek and Punch Bros. are among the professional mandolinists who've used Schertlers. Here's a lightly used Schertler DYN-M mandolin pickup in its original wooden case with instruction manual. for more information. $300 plus shipping.

Original case for an Eastwood Mandocaster. It is built by TKL. There's one small scuff just above and to the left of the Eastwood logo; otherwise the case is like new. Many solidbody e-mandos will fit in this case: Godin, Mann, Fender, etc. for more information. New from Eastwood Guitars, these cases are $140. Get it here for $100 plus shipping.

Standard rectangular mandolin case, with handmade interior customized for an electric. Should fit most standard-scale electric mandolins. The new padding and green lining have been installed by hand; although it's obviously not a professional job, this case should protect your e-mando very well and has a sort of DIY appeal to it. The exterior is covered in black Tolex; there are numerous scuffs and small tears, but everything is solid. See more photos, or for more information. $100 plus shipping.

Here's a basic case in basic black, down to the lining. It's in like-new condition and is capable of accommodating a wide range of mandolin styles, either acoustic or electric. Accessory pocket, locking latches, metal corner protectors. Wear dark glasses and handcuff it to your wrist if you want to look serious ... or festoon it with decals for a brighter personal touch. Either way, your mandolin will be happy knowing that you care about it enough to give it a home. See more photos, or for more information. $75 plus shipping.

Tweed-covered, red-lined 1950s electric mandolin case. When I got this, it had another brand of mandolin inside—but it's identical, judging from photographic evidence, to the tweed cases used for original Fender Mandocasters when they were introduced in the mid-1950s. I must say that the tweed cover and leather end caps are extremely worn, and the red lining rather less so, but the case is still entirely functional. The latches and hinges are present and original; a couple of pieces of string have been added to the internal pocket, perhaps to provide a way to tie it shut. If you own one of the vintage "Mary Kay" white Mandocasters but you haven't got an original case, you know that nothing else will do. You could have this one restored, or leave it as is and carry it with pride. See more photos, or for more information. $350 plus shipping.

Purple-lined case for a Gibson A-style mandolin from the teens or 1920s. Fair to good condition, with significant wear. Purple lining and accessory pocket on the inside. All original hardware, including latches, is present and functional. The handle had lost its original leather cover, so I had it replaced. The ideal home for your orphaned vintage A-style, be it paddlehead or snakehead. See more photos, or for more information. $275 plus shipping.

Sharp-looking, like-new rectangular hardshell mandolin case with vintage styling and Washburn logo. Couple of tiny marks on the bottom cover. Great case for an acoustic/electric mandolin (will accommodate most body styles) or for a larger-bodied electric. Looks like tweed from a distance, but it isn't really ... more like canvas. See more photos, or for more information. $110 plus shipping.

In beautiful condition for its age, this is a 1920s-vintage hardshell case for a short-scale tenor banjo, such as a Gibson TB-1. All hardware is present and functioning, and the case has seen remarkably little wear for its 80-plus years. The overall length is 30 inches. It will fit a banjo with a 12-inch pot and small headstock. Purple lining has only one small tear; otherwise it's near perfect. There's one small accessory pocket. Give your vintage tenor the home it deserves. for more information. You can send me a tracing if there's some question as to whether your banjo will fit. $175 plus shipping.