1999 David Cohen A Style Mandolin Used

This mandolin was built by David Cohen and it was his personal instrument for more than twenty years. The body was made in 1999 with nicely figured maple sides and back, a carved redwood top and Cohen’s own Asymmetrical Radial bracing system, which was informed by the work of Michael Kasha. He made a new neck, bridge, and tailpiece for it in February 2022, in what the supplemental paper label describes as “current standard.” The radiused fretboard and pickguard are original, though, as is everything else as far as we can tell. The finish is in excellent condition throughout, and since it was refretted when the neck was changed there’s almost zero fret wear. This is a cool A model with a number of artful touches, our favorite is the small metal tube to the left of the 15th fret that serves as a strap loop, the way the curl functions on an F model. Thanks to the carved redwood top this has a very warm tone, but there’s no shortage of volume or projection. This mandolin has the broken-in sound of a 24-year-old instrument, and because it has new neck and frets, it plays like a new one.