Lawrence Smart Mandocello

Joe K. Walsh demonstrates his recently acquired mandocello.

Peghead Nation instructor Joe K. Walsh is a virtuoso player who enjoys exploring the entire mandolin family (check out his just-released album, If Not Now, Who?). His main instrument has been a Gilchrist F-5 for several years, but his collection also includes a Lawrence Smart mandola as well as a Northfield octave mandolin (which he uses in his Octave Mandolin course on Peghead Nation). In late 2022, Joe acquired another Lawrence Smart instrument, a mandocello, the largest member of the mandolin family. In this video, Joe demonstrates the instrument.

Based in Idaho, Lawrence Smart is known for building instruments that respect tradition but also push the boundaries of mandolin design, with multi-scales, single f-hole tops, etc. He is also among a small group of builders who build versions of the entire mandolin family. With an oval soundhole and an F-style scroll, Smart’s mandocello is clearly inspired by vintage Gibson K-4s, but it’s not a copy. Joe’s instrument has an Engelmann spruce top and red maple back and sides. It has a 25-inch scale and is tuned to standard mandocello tuning: CGDA, like a cello, or an octave below a mandola. 

At the time he shot this video, Joe was still getting acquainted with his new instrument, but he was already smitten with its incredible bass response and vast dynamic range. Joe plays several musical examples on the mandocello in this video, including an instrumental version of Hank Williams’s “Cold, Cold Heart” (also check out his mandolin and octave mandolin duet on the same song featuring John Mailander!)

To study mandolin with Joe K. Walsh on Peghead Nation, enroll in his Bluegrass Mandolin Jam Favorites, The Advancing Mandolinist, Octave Mandolin, or Improvising for Mandolin and Fiddle courses!

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