Billy’s Mandolin is a Gilchrist A-3.
Billy commissioned Steven Gilchrist to make the instrument in 1992 and took possession in January of 1993. There was much conversation between the two regarding the style of music Billy plays and the ideal sound. The resulting mandolin is rich and full balanced with even tonality and volume across the fingerboard. It has a varnish finish, X bracing and a 1.1 inch radius fretboard with Gotoh tuners.
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Weber Fern
This Weber Fern is a splendid F5 model made with old growth tone woods that were harvested 80 to 100 years ago. It is remarkably full voiced with amazing sustain, which suits Billy's musical style. It was completed and signed by Bruce Weber in 2007. Billy bought it new in 2010 at Sylvan Music in Santa Cruz, CA. It has tone bar bracing and a nitrocellulose finish with a 1+1/8" nut on the compound radius fingerboard with Waverly tuners. Also installed at the Weber shop is the ebony triple-bound finger rest and a L.R. Baggs Radius pickup mounted inside the instrument.
In 2013 Billy returned the Fern to Weber for a stainless steel refret. At that time Bruce Weber re-graduated the top and back plates resulting in an even larger sound.
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The Gibson F4 Hybrid
Proto Type #1
This mandolin is truly one of a kind. It was designed, built and signed,1-28-2009 at the Gibson factory in Nashville,Tennesee by David Harvey, master luthier. It incorporates features from the original F4 styles as well as design advances from the F5. It has a 14" scale, forward placed neck with the 12th fret at the top of the scroll and an elevated, radius fretboard with a 1+3/16" nut width. Also unique to the F4 Hybrid is the forward shifted X bracing, maple neck, vintage correct style rosette and inside label. An Adirondack spruce top and maple sides and back feature a custom colored, aged varnish finish. The headstock features an ebony overlay and the double-flower pot inlay which is partially inlaid into the truss-rod cover. The turners are Waverly with inlaid buttons by Mike Blohm. Most notable of all is the sound. It is loud with immediate response and great sustain. It has a slightly thicker sound similar to the F4's with a very punchy brightness that is unique.
