John Monteleone is widely considered to be one of the world's preeminent builders of archtop guitars. Having started his career as a repairman for the famous (and now defunct) Mandolin Brothers on Staten Island, Monteleone quickly garnered a reputation for quality and design. Some of his work (including another Grand Artist mandolin) is featured in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, on loan from Rudy Pensa himself.
This mandolin has a soft V neck shape that's accentuated by its comfortable nut width of just under 33mm making for easy playing and chording. It features the usual mandolin scale length of 14". Spruce top and highly flamed maple back, sides, and neck. This F style mandolin features John's proprietary scroll design.
This mandolin is in good shape, with a couple noticeable dings here or there, mainly on commonly worn areas like the lower bout and by the scroll. There is a finish check running up the length of one of the grain lines, but it's not structural in any way.
Serial #164. Comes with deluxe hardshell case.
Check out the fascinating 2021 documentary on the luthier called "John Monteleone: The Chisels Are Calling," available from various sources online. Rudy appears in the film, too, along with a star-studded list of guitarists including Mark Knopfler, Ben Harper, David Grisman, Mike Marshall, Julian Lage, Anthony Wilson, Woody Mann, and others.
