I’m beside myself with this octave mandolin. I was on Austin Clark’s waiting list (http://www.clarkmandolins.com) for a guitar bodied octave mandolin (GBOM). I still have my 2009 Will Kimble octave—and that one is a beast tonally, but a bit of a challenge ergonomically. I’ve wanted a GBOM for awhile (ever since seeing Tim O’Brien with his Nugget years ago). Austin did an incredible job with this octave and hope to have videos of it in the near future.
All photos in the gallery are by Austin Clark, except for the one in the Calton Case (taken by me)