This excellent condition 2019 Northfield NF-AT02 is an octave mandolin with a smaller archtop guitar body. Tuned just like a mandolin (G,D,A,E low to high) but an octave lower, the Figured Maple flat back and sides and Italian Spruce carved top combo offers an attack and crispness that can carve out a sonic space within an ensemble, making it possible to be heard even when played in the lower registers.
Includes original fiberglass hardshell case.
Free shipping in the continental United States.
About the Northfield Octave Mandolin:
In creating this octave mandolin, Northfield found inspiration in vintage archtop and tenor guitars, pulling together a variety of specs and influences to create something with a unique voice and aesthetic.
The ergonomics and size of the instrument needed to be considered carefully to not only ensure incredible sound, but also be comfortable for a mandolin player—this was often overlooked when it came to guitar bodied octave mandolins. The scale length and fretting hand stretch is always a consideration with octave mandolins, but equally important for comfortable playing is how the right arm reaches around the body of the instrument. The dimensions and flat back of our octave mandolin body yield something quite different than what is found on the market today.
As a reference Northfield looked at C2 and C4 Martin guitars from the 1930s—these instruments were archtop guitars based on the body frame of a flat top guitar. While the Martin archtops are largely overlooked amongst other vintage examples, they were recognized for some very unique and desirable design qualities. They had a very unusual geometry to the arching of the top as well as the graduation. This arching, particularly the high peak of the arch running down the center of the instrument, yields a vibrant high end frequency response quite suitable for the octave mandolin. Increasing the volume of the instrument while keeping the balance and the articulation across all the strings.