Details
This Northfield NFS-F2 was built in 2023 and it’s in excellent, lightly played condition. It has just a hint of fret wear and apart from a deep scratch down by the tailpiece, there are a few very minor signs of handling. Northfield’s S Series of mandolins are an excellent choice for the player looking for the best tone with a little less bling. The NFS-F2 offers the same quality woodworking as their more expensive instruments but by binding only the edge of the Adirondack spruce top and leaving the back unbound, the number of hours in each instrument is significantly reduced. Another cost saving measure is using a satin finish, which is easier to apply than a gloss finish. Happily, Northfield’s builders didn’t skimp on the important stuff like tone and playability.
At first glance the NFS-F2 looks like another oval soundhole F-model mandolin, so no big deal. But look again. Note the high soundhole, tucked up beneath the scooped fretboard end, in fact the soundhole is almost underneath the 20th fret. This allows the bridge to be moved up to the same position on a typical F-5 with f-holes, with the longer neck giving the player two more frets clear of the body. The high soundhole allows the portion of the carved soundboard above the bridge to be fully active, again like an F-5, and the result is the most modern oval hole soundhole yet. You get the sweeter, more open tone of an oval hole mandolin, but with the playability and range of an f-hole mandolin.
Specs
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Back sides
Red Maple
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Binding
Single-ply Ivoroid Top-Bound
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Bridge
Ebony
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Fingerboard
Ebony
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Finish
Nitrocellulose Lacquer
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Inlay
Mother of pearl dot position markers and peghead logo
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Neck material
Red Maple
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Nut width
1 1/8"
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Saddle spacing
1 15/32"
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Scale length
14"
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Top material
Adirondack Red Spruce
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Total frets
20
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Tuners
Gotoh
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Year
2023
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Case bag color
Grey
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Case type
Airloom "Recurve"
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Serial number
S2301159
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SKU
NORNFSF2-S2301159
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UPC
170001
