Here’s a resophonic mandolin-family instrument from Ron Oates of Longmont, Colorado. Ron’s instruments are played by Michael Kang of the String Cheese Incident, and are highly sought after by jazz and jam band players. They’re also notoriously hard to get, with the exception of this one.
     Flame maple back and bound top in honey sunburst. 3-piece maple neck. Ebony headstock overlay and fretboard with jumbo frets and MOP inlays. Fleur-de-lis headstock inlay. Adjustable truss rod. Nickel tuners and tailpiece. "Rono" banner on headstock. Scale length is just short of 19 inches. It has a 10-inch resonator cone with biscuit bridge. Side port. Onboard pickup: plug in and it’s even louder. Fantastic crisp resophonic tone with a bit of a metallic edge, tempered by the warmth of the wood. It has some finish checking and is offered at a discount.
     Some folks would call this a "baritone mandolin." I prefer to think of it as either a long-scale tenor mandola or a short-scale, double-strung tenor guitar. It sounds fantastic in CGDA or even DAEB tuning. I’ve also tried one of these as an octave mandolin in GDAE, but to my ears it’s a little muddy there. Anyway, a resophonic mandolin is a joy forever, and a big one is a joy for even longer than that. It’s perfect for blues, alt-country or just about any kind of acoustic-based string music where a little twang is permitted. Gig bag included. See more photos, hear a demo clip, or for more information. $2,750 plus shipping.