Rantz Rhythmz

The completed mock-up...

19.44 degrees Here's a look at the neck block mock-up cut and placed in the rim tooling, and what it took to get it to that point! And, hey, I still have all my fingers

The neck block...

Neck Block mock-up The neck block of a mandolin is second in importance only to the top bracing design. This assembly will hold up to 160 pounds of pull against its structure

This represents the first step of the design for my new mandolin, "The Thula," in honor of my grandmother, Thula LaFollette/Rantz!

The basic shape of “The Thula” The basic outline you see on this template is an iteration off of a 1922/1923 Lloyd Loar Gibson mandolin. "The Thula" will be a hybrid of this design, es

Let the tooling begin!

Table saw caddy The design parameters I'm using for "The Thula" mandolin necessitated a table saw caddy. The issue was that I needed a tool to allow for accurate cuts on

Thanks to D'Addario for letting me try a new set of N6Alloy strings, on the house!

D’Addario N6Alloy Beta Test A while ago the D'Addario company put out a call to action on Facebook for testing a new set of acoustic guitars string, the N6Alloy. D'Addario is to be

Anatomy of a new design The next mandolin is underway! This will be a special project because the name of this instrument will be "The Thula." Thula was my grandmother's name on

What does the nature of balanced sound in an "unplugged" environment mean?

Unplugged When I hear the term "unplugged," I have to laugh. Almost every piece of acoustic music from the 1970's was unplugged! Then, Nirvana comes along in 1993 with th

Here's a look at my dad (Mike Rantz) in 1940 (age 17) in Alaska as part of the crew that built the ALCAN Highway. Unfortunately the picture is blurry, he is, however, the one standing with only his skivvies on! Must have been summer... !

Mike Rantz & ALCAN Highway Being born in the Roaring 20's might have a touch of romance in it, except for the fact that a few years later America would find itself in another World War an

Here's another little sample of the Ukulele's sound to an old favorite!

Craig - Rantz - Built - Ukulele - Sample - Raindrops Sample sound of tenor ukulele custom built by Craig Rantz.

Here's a little Bluegrass for you!

Craig - Rantz - Built - Mandolin - Sample - Fly - Away Sound sample of 'A' mandolin built by Craig Rantz. Song is I'll Fly Away, vocal by Craig Rantz.

Mandolin Build: French Polish Top This is the first time I’ve attempted a French polish on an instrument. French polish is simply a term for shellac. The shellac is purchased in a dry, crystal form and Everclear grain alcohol (190 proof) is added to a set weight of the shellac as a catalyst to dissolve the crystals. Under normal con…

Mandolin Build: Fret Board Inlay This is a picture of the abalone inlay on mandolin #1. I use smaller 5mm dots, as opposed to 6mm, for this application. I like the look of the dots to be comfortably inside the frets. The larger dots run almost up against the frets in the upper regions of the fret board… too close to look “right” in…