Saturday, March 17, 2012

Guitar repair at randolin.com

I had a wonderful guitar repair experience at Randolin Music instrument store in downtown Burlington, VT. Little did I know that my old Taylor guitar with broken neck, cracked top and worn out frets will come back to life and play beautiful tune as it did when it was new. I googled guitar repair and found randolin music instrument at http://www.randolin.com. I met with the luthier at 200 Main St. in Burlington. After three weeks or repair turn around, my guitar was fixed like new! I can't believe it! I thought this experience merits positive feedback. So, guitar repair at randolin.com, can't be any better - Tom P.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Is your music instrument protected for the winter?

If you live in Vermont or in any state that has severe winter, you can do yourself a favor by saving yourself from costly repair or replacement of dried out musical instruments this winter. At the time you least expect it, a crack may appear, hopefully
not during the holiday when playing music at your family gathering.

Musicians know the importance of instrument humidification. But what if you have just received an instrument without really thinking about the seasonal humidity requirements needed especially if it is an expensive instrument?


For normal seasonal humidification (down to 25% relative humidity), most musicians can rely on: string instrument humidifier or case humidifier ideal for violins, violas, cellos, mandolins or guitar - Your local store can provide it for you, or go to Randolin Music Instruments ~ Servicing downtown Burlington since 1996 at 200 Main St., 2nd Floor, Burlington. VT. Call 802-865-3890, email: randolin1@gmail.com or visit website at www.randolin.com

Sunday, July 3, 2011

The Legendary Origins of LUTHIERIE

Randolin Instruments started out 25 years ago, developing electric solid body violins, but now that is only one of our designs. Our regular line of instruments now includes acoustic and electric mandolins, ukeleles and cuatros. We also build custom guitars to order, as well as instruments, including our M-4 ENS mandolin, that are both experimental and cutting edge. You see, building and creating string instruments is a passion as well as a livelihood, since we actually play on the instruments we build. We do this in order to produce both the sounds we want to hear, as well as the sounds you want to hear.

Violin and mandolin have been a personal life long passion. The original Randolin electric violin was created to satisfy personal playing needs. The five strings opened up a whole new world of playing possibilities, and the weight at 2.75 lbs., as well as the design has proven effective and popular, with both acoustic and electric musicians. When it came to mandolins, we started knocking down several barriers, including scale length, tuning and string configuration.

Our M-1 model has primarily been a traditional double course 8-string electric mandolin with some unique features such as double bladed humbucker pick -ups, combined with several acoustic pick-up variations. But we have also made a number of custom M-1's, including a 5-string single course and a 4-string single (which you can see a photo of) for customers who had different needs and desires. Our M-2 acoustic mandolin is available in a 12 or 14 fret to the body design and is based on a 1920's European mandolin we ran across. The M-4, is the culmination of several years of experimenting and actively playing in a whole tone tuned down, 13 inch scale, with the G/D/A tuned in octaves.

With the craze for ukuleles in the last five years, we started building and designing some of our own. One of the unique things we're doing is tending towards local sustainable woods, using cherry and maple back, sides and necks, in combination with cedar and spruce tops. Then we add a light fan bracing to the top, allowing us to have thin, rigid tops, that produce a loud, sweet sound. Presently we have a soprano and concert model readily available, but we have also built 6-string concerts to custom order (uke in the photo above), and can build to custom designs and needs.
"Cuatro", based on Puerto Rican cuatro, but using traditional guitar building designs, combined with our mandolin ideas. The result is an instrument, we feel is more durable, for a temperate zone climate, and flexible for the needs of muscians in a number of playing traditions.