Northfield NFS-F5EWN S-Series 'Sunburst' F-Style Mandolin Preowned 2023

The Northfield NFS-F5EWN is a world-class F-style mandolin that delivers the complex, played-in tonal quality of a great vintage instrument at a price point that makes professional-grade mandolin genuinely accessible - and this example's Engelmann spruce top makes it a particularly distinctive and rewarding choice within the S-Series range. Where the standard NFS-F5 uses Adirondack red spruce, the Engelmann top offers a slightly warmer, sweeter tonal character - still powerful and full of volume and projection, but with a mellower, less bright quality that suits players seeking a more rounded, soulful mandolin voice. The solid flame maple back and sides add the natural brightness, focus, and sustain that maple is celebrated for in mandolin construction, balancing the Engelmann top's warmth for a full, complex, and tonally satisfying voice.

This example has been customised with a wide 1-3/16" nut - 1/16" wider than the standard 1-1/8" - a meaningful practical upgrade for players with larger hands or those who find the standard mandolin nut width cramped for comfortable single-note and chord work. The three-piece hard maple neck with striped ebony centre strip, radiused striped ebony fingerboard with MOP dot markers, striped ebony bridge, ebony pickguard, Gotoh Deluxe tuners with black buttons, cast tailpiece, and single-ply ivoroid top binding reflect Northfield's characteristically clean and traditional S-Series aesthetic - simply appointed but beautifully crafted.

This 2023-built mandolin is stunning - woody, warm and responsive, with a vintage-voiced tone and impeccable build quality. There's minimal playwear and a few very minor lacquer-level dings, but it's overall in fantastic condition. I can't say enough good things about the Northfield mandolins, and this a stunning instrument at a fraction of the price of comparable builders! Includes original hardshell case.

• Model: Northfield NFS-F5EWN
  
• Body: F-style with F-holes
• Top: Solid Engelmann spruce
• Back & sides: Solid flame maple
• Bracing: Tone bar
• Neck: Three-piece hard maple with striped ebony centre strip
• Fingerboard: Striped ebony, radiused
• Bridge: Striped ebony, compensated adjustable
• Pickguard: Ebony
• Binding: Single-ply ivoroid (top)
• Endpin: Ebony
• Fingerboard inlays: Mother of pearl dots
• Nut width: 1-3/16" (wide nut)
• Tailpiece: Cast one-piece
• Tuners: Gotoh Deluxe with black buttons
• Finish: Satin shaded sunburst
  
• Includes: Airloom Recurve hardshell case (grey)
• Designed in: USA (Marshall, MI)