With a tone that competes with a vintage Gibson, Bill Bussmann - founder of Old Wave Mandolins - certainly knew his way around building a high quality instrument. This Old Wave A Style, features a nice deep amber "Pumpkin-Top" look, complete with his own turquoise clay dots and rosette - a nice complimentary aesthetic. An A-4 inspired design with an oval sound hole, it has a solid and bound spruce top with a very deep quilted maple back & sides. The arch is nice and strong, with room at its two piece ebony bridge for adjustment if needed. A comfortable vintage V profile, the neck is made of mahogany with an ebony fingerboard. While it has no truss rod, the neck is dead straight with nice clean frets, the action measuring a nice low 4/64" in height at the twelfth fret (again with room for adjustment if needed). A robust sound, just like an original snakehead, it is a great way to save on a Gibson, and have a truly unique player. Serial number 517 indicates this was likely built in the mid 2000's, although a true build date is a bit of a mystery.