Tony Williamson with a Rattlesnake Mandolin at Mandolin Central in Siler City, North Carolina.

 RS Mando #15 (far left), RSMando #16 (far right), Tony's Loar (middle)

As far as I'm concerned, when it comes to mandolin, its all about sound.  Of course, I am attracted to beauty in a musical instrument, but if it doesn't have the sound that I REQUIRE, then it's worth naught.  Olin Davis carves his mandolin right and once they are "played in", they have the tone I am looking for.

I grew up listening to Bill Monroe, Pee Wee Lambert, Earl Taylor,and Frank Wakefield. These masters prejudiced my tastes in mandolin tone.  I later added David Apollon, David Grisman, Sam Bush, and Mike Marshall to my list of favorites.  These people have one thing in common:  They play (or played) authentic pre-WWII Gibson F-5s, designed by acoustical engineer Lloyd Loar.  As do I.  But we all got our mandolins back before you had to sell the farm to get one.  Now days, there are other options available to get the sound without the pedigree, and one clear choice is Rattlesnake Mandolins by Olin Davis.

Olin Davis has earned the title Master Luthier through sheer tenacity. At a time when mechanziation is everything he barely allows electricity in his shop.  His personal attention to every aspect of his mandolins is indeed a rare thing in the 21st century.  His mandolins feature Appalachian red spruce tops, curly or tiger maple back and sides, dark Loar sunburst finish, ivoroid binding on top, back peghead and fingerboard, abalone, flowerpot, and Rattlesnake script logo in peghead.  Most importantly, Olin Davis' legendary skill in tap-tuning the top and sound chamber, which imparts THE deep woody sound.  Clearly, the Gibson F-5, made from 1922 to 1928 inspired the Rattlesnake mandolin.  Legendary acoustic engineer Lloyd Loar, who was also obsessed with quality control, designed the F-5 using the sound acoustic principles discovered by the Amati family (whose star apprentice was, of course, Antonio Stradivarius of Cremona, Italy.  The Gibson F-5s bearing the Lloyd Loar's signature are considered to be the finest mandolins ever made.  These items are highly sought after by musicians and collectors alike, and prices for such pieces have soared. Rattlesnake Mandolins are one of the few handmade instruments currently made that still adhere to the craftsmanship technologies and strict quality enforcement of the Loar era.  Such mandolins are highly sought after by musicians all over the world, and my advice to folks looking for a professional grade mandolin is to buy now while you still can.  Items of limited production which have sought-after quality often become "scarce" and prices have a tendency to soar.    .......Tony Williamson