Welcome to Rattlesnake Mandolins.  My name is Olin Davis and I have been building F-5 mandolins for almost 17 years.

The only thing I love more than pickin' Bluegrass is creatin' an instrument to play Bluegrass.  My goal is to put the best possible instrument in your hands without digging too deep into your pocket.

My mandolins are handcrafted as close as possible to Loar specs.

Please make yourself comfortable and have a look around.  Feel free to call or email me if you have any questions.  Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you.

Biography

I was born and raised in the great state of North Carolina.  I have been playing music since 1966 when I started playing clarinet in the school band.  In 1978 I picked up a guitar for the first time and it has been strings for me ever since.  When I picked up a mandolin for the first time in 1985, it seemed to just fit my hand.  I passed up several opportunities to buy a Loar mando  back when you could still afford them.  By the time I started building, the Loar had appreciated way out of my price range.  I decided to build an instrument that was as close as possible to those old pre-war Loars.  After researching for several years, I finally built my first mandolin in 1994.  Since then I have built around 60 F-5 mandolins, several guitars, and a mandocello and several other instruments.  I am a Christian and give God all the Glory for my talents.

Call Today!

I welcome all inquires and can be reached at the contact info below.