DHopkins - Posted - 09/02/2014:  17:47:16

Mac McCormick was a well-respected luthier here in Columbus, GA. He concentrated on guitars. He had a waiting list of customers when he died in 2007. Mac was a friend who helped me with some dulcimer construction techniques. Most of his work took place in a little room about 10X10, although the entire shop was much larger. I've never seen him working when he didn't have duct tape holding his shoes together and a cigarette in his mouth. He was a pretty heavy smoker and that's what took his life. He did both construction and repair work.



At the time I first saw this mandolin, I couldn't afford it. And besides, I was doing strictly acoustic or acoustic electric mandolins but not just electric. A local musician purchased it from Mac (or it may have been Mac's estate after he died.) He later sold it to a man in Vermont. I started looking for a McCormick mandolin, acoustic or electric and the man in Vermont was willing to let this one go. He said he didn't play it much and he thought it should go back home to Columbus. I agreed.



When I first saw the pictures of this mandolin, I didn't realize it was the same one I piddled with before Mac died. I'm told he only made three electric mandolins and I believe this may be the only one that's actually F-style.



As the pictures show, it has "sound holes" and looks like a regular F-style mandolin. The holes are for decoration only. The workmanship is great and it sounds like, well, an electric mandolin.



I used it on a couple of songs at our regular gig this past Saturday but it's not something I would play regularly. However, I'm hanging onto it because Mac was something of a legend in this town and now I've got a McCormick.

McCormick Electric Mandolin

McCormick Electric Mando Body

McCormick Mando "Sound" Hole

McCormick Mando Workmanship

TSSN - Posted - 09/05/2014:  04:19:35

That is a handsome piece of workmanship.  And you have a great story to go with it.

It looks from the f-hole picture as though you have three slabs of wood making up the body.  Is that accurate?  Looks like spruce on top.  Do you know what the other woods are?

DHopkins - Posted - 09/05/2014:  10:27:10

There are two layers of wood. The top appears to be maple. I'm sure Mac would have used maple to closely approximate the looks of a standard f-style. The top is approximately 1/4" thick. The rest of the body appears to be mahogany. The neck is bolted on and the top was finished after the neck was attached.

Jim Yates - Posted - 09/07/2014:  05:57:45

The top sure looks like spruce to me, especially in the third photo. 

Where are the bolts for the neck, David?  Are they covered by the end of the fingerboard?

A unique concept.