One of a Kind Hand Made in Prison Xula Mandolin.
This is the last Xula mandolin that we know of in the Reno/Tahoe area. See below for more information the the special prison building program for the Xula instruments. Hand crafted with incredible materials and wonderful attention to detail. Truly a one of a kind unique mandolin.
- Multi-laminated neck appears to be maple and mahogany.
- Back and sides appear to be a beautiful curly/quilt maple.
- Wonderful colors on the spruce top
- Nice tobacco sunburst style finish all around
- Great hardware and a soft case
- Fantastic craftsmanship throughout
We did see a Xula electric guitar at The Palace Jewelry and Loan shop in Reno. Worth a look if you are in the area or it might be on their website.
A few years ago, the Lovelock Correction Center in Nevada, started an education program for some of the inmates. The program would teach music instrument building of guitars and mandolins, and the instruments would be saleed to provide funds for the program. Unfortunately, the program ran into funding problems and was closed in 2005. Very few of the instruments remained, and each one is an excellent example of fine craftsmanship. Only the finest woods were used; Sitka spruce, cocobolo, curly maple, rosewood, ebony and others are hand-carved to make stunning instruments. All of the hardware; tuners, frets, bridges and pickups are also top quality.The Mandolins display great amounts of care and attention to detail in the carving of the tops, backs, sides, neck and head scroll. They look and sound beautiful.The acoustic guitars, especially the jazz versions show both respect for the traditional and some unique woods and colors.The electric guitars are the most individual of the instruments, as the builders were allowed to let their imaginations run wild and create an array of body styles. Likewise the selection of pickups and hardware are unique to each instrument.Xula Guitar and Mandolin HistoryLovelock Correctional Center is a Nevada Department of Corrections prison in Pershing County, located near the town of Lovelock. The facility received worldwide media coverage in 2008 when former football star O. J. Simpson was sent there after being sentenced to 33 years imprisonment.A vocational training program was created to provide inmates with woodworking skills. An instrument building class allowed the students to create their own unique guitars and mandolins. Most instruments were saleed to help pay for the training program. Financial issues caused the program to be closed after only a few years. Less than 20 of these rare instruments remain. Each instrument was built with the finest wood and hardware available. The attention to detail is amazing and each hand-made instrument is as unique as the person who made it.
From the Las Vegas Journal 10/24/07.First Lady Dawn Gibbons stops a tour of the mansion at a display that holds the electric guitar she paid a Lovelock prison inmate $2,000 to create for her husband.It rests next to the governor\'s old Beatles and Bobby Vee records, the Kingsmen\'s recording of \"Louie Louie\" -- notorious at the time for supposed obscene lyrics -- and the guitar Gibbons played from the time he was a teenager.
