Guitar Gallery

Company: Sparks
Model#: PM-1 Piccolo mandolin
Year: 1982
Description: This instrument was designed and built by myself and features three courses of strings each tuned in unison, (G,B,E).  It was inspired by an article I read in Frets magazine by revered guitar historian George Gruhn, of the famous Gruhn Guitars in Nashville, about a Gibson instrument called a piccolo mandolin, which had three courses of strings and was tuned like a regular mandolin without the lower pair. It was the first instrument I attempted to build, basically to get my feet wet before I built my eight string guitar, which was in preparation for building my 12 string electric. The neck scale was measured using an old Italian made mandolin a friend of mine loaned me at the time. The tuning keys came from Saga and the bridge is patterned after the one on my  Ovation Custom Balladeer.  The body shape is also patterned after my Ovation, only scaled down in size. There was once a Barcus- Berry pickup inside of it, accessible via the ebony coverplate on the back.   There is a steel (non-adjustable) bar in the neck.  The back and neck are made of 1"X 2" walnut stock which I picked up at Hechingers!I glued them together like a cutting board and then routed them out.  This was a trick used by Orville Gibson himself at the beginning of his career.  I read that he would, not being able to find or afford instrument wood, buy walnut furniture at estate sales, cut it up and assemble it this way, instead of bending sides.  The top is spruce from the Martin Company, as was the source of the ebony for the bridge and fingerboard. Most interesting about this instrument though is that the falcon inlay on the headstock was personally given to me by Paul Reed Smith himself. He told me that he used to save some inlays to give to his girlfriend Jude to make jewelry with.  If you could look closely, there is a small hole in the falcon's face where it would have been attached to a chain.  At the time Paul was not an electric guitar mogul, he was my friend and the only guitar repairman I would allow to touch my guitars!  The first thing he ever did for me was to bring my Martin 6 string back to life! I don't play this instrument these days, but it rests in a prominent place in my living room so I can see it everyday!                

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