Although many people, including other builders, have questioned my sanity for spending so much time on many of the steps involved in building an instrument, it's the only way I would do it.  I believe the more involved I am in every step, the more skill I develop and the better the instrument is.  Here are several examples of the time and care that go into each Smith Creek Mandolin:

• Wood

For the past five years I have cut two of the finest Adirondack Red Spruce trees each year.  I have a collection of nearly 1000 mandolin tops and only the finest tops are used on my instruments.  The tree below had a 32" diameter, and was a monster for Red Spruce.  I have a number of one-piece tops from that tree I use for special instruments.

• Assembly

The Dovetail Joint, both on the neck and body, is cut by hand with a tenon saw, and fit together with only a chisel.  Not the quickest method, but a tight fit, no gaps, and deadly accuracy on every dimension is the result.  Here is one from the latest batch, ready for binding.

• Raw Materials

For most raw material I go straight to the source.  For example, I buy seashells for inlay from Australia for gold pearl, Tahiti for black pearl, California for abalone, and Tennessee for pink pearl, Fossil Walrus Ivory for the points from Alaska, and large pieces of ebony to process for fingerboards which I slot myself.  I also have connections at several commercial lumber mills in New England that keep an eye out for curly Maple.  When they see a special board they put it aside.  In the picture below, the wood under the shells is a 13" wide, flat sawn piece about 10' long.  This is one reason I am able to build many Smith Creeks with one piece backs.  The list could go on but hopefully you get the idea.

• Strict Attention to Detail

Strict Guidelines for Quality are enforced by Smith Creek management.  Above, Quality Assurance Manager Gizmo cracks the whip, "C'mon slacker, you missed a spot!"