Northfield The Wavelength NFO-AT3 Octave Mandolin – New

We are big fans of Northfield’s guitar-shaped Octave Mandolins, but some mandolin players find the body and long 22-inch scale length a little disorienting. Happily, the new WaveLength addresses those concerns in Northfield’s typical well-thought out manner. The WaveLength is built in their Marshall, Michigan, shop and it has a West Virginia red spruce top and figured Michigan maple back and sides. It has an ultrathin, satin, spirit-varnish finish and an A-shape body, which will feel familiar to mandolin players. The scale length is 19 inches, which is short enough to play mandolin scales and chords without too much stretching but it’s still long enough to deliver the rich, gutsy low end we love from octave mandolins. As with all of Northfield’s other instruments, it’s beautifully made with a high level of fit and finish.