I am selling my beloved Lawrence Smart 10-string mandolin/mandola. It is the one featured on his website. It was originally built for the renowned Italian mandolin virtuoso Massimo Gatti. When he was getting divorced, he put it up for sale, and I leapt at the opportunity to get one. It really was love at first sight for me, both visually and musically.I am a big fan of 10-string mandolin/mandolas, and there are a few intrinsic problems with any instrument that attempts to have that wide a range with open strings alone. The biggest problem is scale length. A mandolin scale length in the 14” range will require a HUGE string for the low C, and it will sound clunky. A mandola scale length will not allow a high E to work. It is just too long, and any string that you try to use will break. Some people strike a middle ground somewhere in between and hope for the best. Lawrence Smart’s solution is the most successful that I have come across. The fan fret approach (also called “multiscale”) gives the higher strings a shorter scale length, and the lower strings a longer scale length. It works VERY well. The high E course has a scale length of 14.25”, while the low C course has a 16” scale length.Some people are afraid that it will be difficult to adjust to the angled frets, but I found it took no time at all. Within an hour, I was playing it easily and fluidly, without having to look at the fingerboard at all, while moving up and down the neck.As for the sound, good lord! It has enough of the classic Gibson Snakehead A thing going on to satisfy even the most stoic of sonic traditionalists, but it also has its own take on that sound. The low C is deep and tight, while the high E and up are sweet and clear. Everyone who has heard it has been amazed at how great it sounds, and everyone who has played it has remarked at how much easier it is to play than they had imagined it would be.It comes with two bridges. The one that was original to the instrument is a take on the traditional Gibson adjustable bridge. With this bridge, it has good “bark” and “chop”. I had a solid Ebony bridge made with a bone saddle top on it, more in the design of a Sobell cittern. With this solid bridge, it is much more even sounding, with a sweeter midrange, deeper bottom-end and clearer, more bell-like treble response. Both are included, so feel free to switch at will.When Massimo ordered it, he specified that he wanted a suspended tailpiece, rather like a cello or violin. When I got it, my only misgiving was that the bottom end response was a bit too “spongy” for my taste. As fate would have it, the original tailpiece broke apart about two weeks later. I replaced it with a cast-bronze tailpiece from Allen Guitars. I have used these on dozens of instruments over the years, and have always been thrilled with the results. In this case, it completely got rid of the “sponginess” of the bass notes, and brought every note on the instrument more “into focus”, which is exactly what I was hoping it would do.A year or so later, I was fortunate enough to have lunch with Lawrence Smart, and I showed him the new bridge and tailpiece. He very much approved, and said that he had wanted to use that kind of bridge in the first place. He was quite pleased with the sound of the instrument.As you can tell from the photos, this is one stunningly beautiful instrument. I would not have thought to order it with a black face on honey/amber tinted maple, but now, I can’t imagine anything looking prettier.The top is Spruce, though I cannot tell you exactly what kind. The back is one piece of stunning flamed Maple. The neck and sides are also beautiful flamed maple. The fingerboard, bridge and headstock overlay are all Ebony. The nut is bone. The tuning machines are Italian-made Alessi, and the work very nicely.The setup is superb, having been done my Mike Lull at The Guitarworks, in Bellevue, WA. In my opinion, Mike and his crew do the very best fret work and setups in the US. It plays like warm butter. It’s basically effortless to play, and you will find yourself playing for hours on end, and not evening noticing the passing of time.As for condition, I would have to describe it as “Excellent +” to “Near Mint”. There are a few little indentations in the finish of the top, but none that break through the finish, and none that I could get to show in photos.To hear a sound clip I recorded of this mando, click . I used two microphones set about 18” apart, in front of the instrument. There are no effects. To get the best possible idea of the instrument’s sound and “presence”, I recommend listening with headphones or very good speakers. The recording was done at my desk, and does not do justice to the instrument, but it gives you an idea of the ballpark we are talking about. It is clear, detailed, and rich, with plenty of “chop”.It comes with its original hard shell case, a custom Calton, which provides excellent protection.With all of the options and extras on this particular instrument, it cost over $10,000 new. Today it would likely be a bit more.The instrument comes with a 48-hour approval period. If, within the 48-hour period, you decide that the instrument is not for you, simply return it to me in the same condition as I sent it out, with full insurance, and I will refund your purchase price, minus shipping to you. Buyer pays return shipping.TERMS, PLEASE READ CAREFULLY: Buyer pays selling price plus shipping and insurance. I typically ship with USPS or FedEx, though other arrangements can be made at the buyer's request. No fee is charged for packing or handling. I will gladly ship anywhere in the world, but beware, international shipping charges can be steep, and the buyer is responsible for all duties, taxes, VAT, brokerage and storage fees on their end. Check my feedback. I'm 100% for real. Please contact me with any questions.