Tag Archives: Smart¸ Lawrence

The Mandolin Family: Traditional and Contemporary Perspectives

2013
AL#114 p.20               
David Cohen   Don MacRostie   Lawrence Smart   Jeffrey R. Elliott                                                                               

▪ Panelists discuss the mandolin family’s history and building practices. From 2011 GAL convention panel discussion moderated by Jeffrey R. Elliott.

Questions: Dovetail Joining Method

1999
AL#58 p.60               
Lawrence Smart                                                                                           

▪ Information on the dovetail method for joining the instrument neck to body including calculating the degree of neck angle, dimensions of the dovetail cuts, procedures for making the cuts, and adjusting any improper fit.

The Modern Mandolin

1998
AL#56 p.6   BRB5 p.248            
Lawrence Smart                                                                                           

▪ The demands of contemporary players has forced many changes in the mandolin family since the fabled Loar family of Gibsons was created in the 1920s. Smart has built mandolins, mandolas, and mandocellos to work together as an ensemble as well as separately, and here he discusses the differences that might be desirable in the family as the setting is changed, as well as the changes that players have asked for in his instruments. Accompanied by charts of Smart’s instrument specs as well as those of Gibson. With 5 photos and 5 drawings.

This article has been nominated as one of the Guild’s best articles published before 2010.