2016 Ratliff Country Boy R5 Mandolin
(Serial No. 1137) Excellent condition, looks almost new, medium red brown sunburst finish, satin finish. Audey only build about 18 mandolins a year. Getting a new one to sell is tough - every dealer out there wants one, as they are excellent mandolins. Ratliff builds a fine looking and fine sounding mandolin. Build quality is top notch, as good as it gets. This is the Country Boy model F5 from Audey. The Country Boy is built the same as the top of the line R5 from Ratliff, just not as much trim, with no body or fretboard binding. It still has all the design features that give Ratliffs their tone and power. This is the classic F-5 style scroll mandolin with the long neck, f holes, tone bar bracing, and the elevated ebony fretboard with dot inlays. Custom ordered with a wider nut at 1 3/16 inch and a radiused fretboard. It features a beautiful flamey maple one piece back, sides and neck. It also features a hand-carved Sitka spruce top with some nice bearclaw figure. The fretboard is straight across at the end to eliminate pick click in the sweet spot. Decal logo. Fit and finish is as good as the big builders, and the sound is there. It has that sweet sound and woody bluegrass bark, and the excellent volume and tone that these mandolins are known for. Here is a link to a video of this mandolin discussed and played by Audey. Comes with a shaped TKL hardshell case

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For Sale: 2010 DL Wilson D-18 style guitar. A wonderful handmade Thirties inspired D-18 from veteran builder Don Wilson in the Wayne Henderson shop. Don builds a few guitars each year under his own name and sells them to whoever is patient, persistent or lucky enough to catch him at the right time. Don also has quite an impressive cache of wood to pick from for his builds. This particular D-18 is #36 finished in 2010 and has a beautiful set of Cuban Mahogany with an Adirondack top. And all of his guitars are constructed with hide glue and include a bone nut and saddle. Every piece of this guitar was hand crafted by Don with the exception of the tuners. Currently set up for bluegrass it has a tight well focused attach and a rich low end without any overpowering boominess. Of all the mahogany dreads IÕve had over the years this is by far at the top of the list. No issues or blemishesÉor fret wear. Comes with a nice Martin 6-latch case. Asking: $3000 From a post at UMGF... ÒDon doesn't take orders for guitars and he builds just a small number each year. He builds what he wants in batches of anywhere from 2 to 6 give or take. Also, most of his building goes on from fall through the first part of spring. The best way to get a new one is to let him know you're interested and just keep in contact with him to keep up with his progress. I own #68 and I kept in touch with him for 6 months before he had one finished and for sale. The wait is well worth it, Don is a genius and his guitars are probably the most underrated small builder instruments out there. All are hide glue, boned out, and he has some of the best tone woods I've ever seen. You won't go wrong buying a Wilson. Ò