2013 Skip Kelly F5 Mandolin

(Serial No. 042) Near mint condition. Don't confuse this with the import Chinese mandolins with almost the same name on the peghead. Thomas "Skip" Kelley has been building professional level mandolins for over a decade. This model is called the "Claro F". This one has a dark uniform brown hand applied gloss varnish finish, figured claro walnut back and sides, Adirondack red spruce top, the body and neck are fully bound in tortoise shell, cocobolo peghead veneer and a bound flat cocobolo fretboard with a 1 1/8 inch nut, V neck profile, gold Schaller tuners, one piece cast Allen tailpiece, and pearl logo and peghead inlay. The fretboard is deliberately shortened and scooped to eliminate pick click. The frets were dressed and the mandolin was just professionally set up by luthier Jerry Ray. Big wide open sound, plays easy and has excellent volume and tone with nice cut and drive for your bluegrass band. Skip emailed me a Youtube link to him playing this mandolin. Here is a link to a YouTube video of this instument, as played by Skip himself. Here is a link to a second video of the mandolin as played by by Richie Dotson.This mandolin will cut a banjo. Comes with a nice shaped Superior hardshell case.

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