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Interview with Bill Bussmann of Old Wave Mandolins

by Joe Mendel

Bill builds instruments in a shop on his farm in Caballo, NM and I spoke with him in late May for this interview.

Joe Mendel: How did you get started building mandolins?

Bill Bussmann: After a bad repair on a mandolin I owned, I decided I would learn to make the things before I would repeat that experience.

In the 1980's Bob Crawford was a local fiddle maker and I used to go to his shop and watch how he did things. I wanted a new mandolin and he encouraged me to build one. I used some black walnut from our farm for the back, sides and neck.

As so many have found out, once you make one it becomes an addiction and you're always thinking of how the next one will be better. The first mandolin that I built was a really nice instrument and people started buying them. I've just finished and put the label in #337, a mandola.

JM: Do you build one at a time or in batches?

BB: I have four or five forms for each type of instrument. Typically what happens is I'll receive an order for a particular instrument and when I start building it I bend sides for all the forms. During the process of building the first order usually someone else will call and want a similar instrument. I have several instruments in various stages of construction at any given time.

JM: Do you build instruments other than the mandolin family?

BB: Of the 337 instruments I've build to date, about 300 are mandolin family. The others are: a dozen fiddles and some guitars and basses.

JM: What type of woods do you use?

BB: My tops are Colorado Englemann spruce. It has a lively responsiveness that you don't find in the more dense red spruce and it sounds good right out of the box. I use curly maple for the back, sides, neck, and peghead veneers. I use ebony for the fingerboards and bridges. I will use whatever wood the customer wants.

JM: You build traditional A and F mandolins and the C#, how did you come up with the C# model?

BB: It's based on a design by Mike Kemnitzer of Nugget Mandolins. It's an asymmetrical, two-point body. It's something a little different, not too far out there, but not traditional either.

JM: What is your most popular body style?

BB: I build a few more teardrop mandolins than F's, which is different from most builders. Everyone builds F-5's and that's it. In the mandolas I've made more C#'s than teardrops. There aren't many mandolas around and there isn't the established configuration there is in mandolins.

JM: I've seen some pictures of a watermelon shaped mandolin and a fish shaped bass. How did those come about?

BB: The blues band I play in has a regular gig at a marina so I built the fish bass with Tupperware fins. Then I built a bluesgill guitar for the guitar player, so we could do our poor man's imitation of ZZ Top. I got the idea for a watermelon bass from an item on eBay. I built a bass painted like a watermelon for myself and then thought, "Why not a mandolin?"

JM: Do you make all the parts for your instruments?

BB: Everything but the hardware. I slot all my fingerboards and make the bridge. I also make the tailpiece for the guitar-shaped octave mandolin. I will farm out really intricate inlay work but I do all the rest myself.

JM: How would you describe the sound of your mandolins?

BB: Open and immediate, you don't have to play them hard with a heavy pick for half an hour for them to respond. It's alive as soon as you start playing. I think that's because of the Colorado Englemann spruce I use for the tops, it responds faster than red spruce.

JM: Do you have any long-term goals in building?

BB: Well, I'd like to match Stradavari's output but I'm way behind. I didn't start when I was twelve. I'm always learning and I like to read about other builders. You can always learn from others, even if they've only built one instrument.

JM: I've enjoyed talking with you, next time you're in St. Louis give ma a ring.

BB: I'll do that, nice speaking with you too.

Contact Information: http://www.oldwavemandolins.com
E-mail address: bussmann@oldwavemandolins.com

Mailing address:
#89 Rio de las Animas
Caballo, New Mexico, USA 87931