The Stained Glass Mandolin

The Stained Glass Mandolin was the result of a commission from Pepwell Films in 2013 with the view to producing a short film based on an idea by producer and director Andrew Bullas. Following a thread of thought involving exotic topped instruments and a course in stained glass production, the two elements fused and the notion of a stained glass topped mandolin was born. Not content with this, I decided it would be even better if it could be made to light up. Work then proceeded to produce a series of drawings and then a prototype. Filming began in November 2013 using a gopro camera in my workshop with files sent for approval and editing, of the various stages of manufacture over the next couple of months. In March 2014 a film crew arrived and over the course of a week, proceeded to film exterior and interior shots to be edited into the existing footage, which included a live performance piece. The mandolin played, lit up and dimmed on cue perfectly throughout the eight hour shoot. As the object of this exercise was to raise funds for The Teenage Cancer Trust, it was decided to auction the instrument in 2015. Rock legend Robert Plant kindly agreed to lend his kudos to the project by signing the instrument at The Corn Exchange in Cambridge.

Body construction is of flamed ash, the neck is maple with a flamed maple fingerboard. Each glass panel is painted and fired, before being assembled in the traditional stained glass manner. The electrics consist of an under saddle transducer with 12v led lights  providing the illumination via a dimmer switch and battery.