Mandolin Peghead Restoration

Rual Yarbrough asked me if I would do a little job on a mandolin. I don’t know who it belonged to but that doesn’t matter. It had a fiddle shaped peghead on it and he wanted it converted to a more traditional mandolin design.

I plugged the holes in the sides.

This mandolin had some pretty curly maple.

I sawed the curl off the scroll and shaped a piece of maple and glued it into the space.

I fashioned some wings to extend the peghead.

I flattened the top side of the peghead and attached a thin rosewood overlay.

Peghead with overlay attached.

The bottom side of the peghead.

I milled the back side of the peghead.

I then attached a piece of maple to the back.

Then I shaped the headstock. Rual wanted this shape instead of the F-Style.

Here is the final shape.

Looks almost like a mandolin.

The final shaping and sanding.

I removed the finish to near the heel.

I stained it to match the old part as close as I could.

Then I sprayed some lacquer on it.

Finished product.

Back side.

A pretty close match.