Chestnut Mandolins….and Banjo
Last week, before the fire, I had the opportunity to go by luthier Jennings Chestnut’s workshop and see and play some of his instruments. I met Mr. Chestnut several years ago when I had a question about a Martin guitar I owned. His mandolins are world-class in the visual and in the sonic.
Crazy as it sounds, Chestnut makes mandolins but he does not play them. However, he is a pretty good banjo player.
This gave me an excuse to record me playing the mandolin for myrtlebeachonline.com.
Jennings Chestnut playing his handmade banjo
Yours truly playing Chestnut Mandolin #71
Chestnut Mandolin #71
rlh
November 8th, 2007 at 1:42 am
Nice. I enjoyed that, Randall.
November 16th, 2007 at 12:40 am
Finally I get to hear a Chestnut mandolin!
Last November (2006) I and family were driving down to spend Thanksgiving at my husband’s cousin’s beach house in Litchfield. As we passed through Conway, I saw Chestnut Mandolins and stopped in. Ol Jennings wouldn’t let me touch his mandolin, after all I was just some strange female coming in off the street. The thing was, he didn’t even have a recording of someone playing one of his mandolins in the shop, just a computer displaying his meticulous craftsmanship. I, being from California, did not know who he was and about his bluegrass festival he puts on each year at the time. I could tell that he makes a very pretty mandolin. I asked him how he expected people to want to buy one without hearing what it sounded like! He wasn’t about to cave in and let me hear it. I didn’t know of course that he only played the banjo, which is why he didn’t want to play it for me.
I have friends who have Mandolin Acquistion Syndrome, friends who own Loars and Dudenbostels and Gilchrists and Heidens, who have let me play their extremely expensive mandolins despite my amateur status. So it was very frustrating that Jennings wouldn’t let me play a little on one of his mandolins. He is quite a character!
This year I am again headed down through Conway to Litchfield so I searched on “Chesnut Mandolins” just to see what came up. Your sound recording of you playing #71 did, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It turns out that Jennings mandolins sound very nice. Thank you!
I am the editor for the Northern California Bluegrass Society newsletter, Bluegrass By the Bay, so may try to get a photo of him and some quotes from him about making mandolins and his festival.
Perhaps you would like to write a short article (with photos?) for the Bluegrass By the Bay newsletter about Chestnut Mandolins, you can contact me at my email address. Our website is http://www.ncbs.us and most of our members are also members of the California Bluegrass Association, http://www.cbaontheweb.org We are nonprofit societies and we promote bluegrass festivals, concerts, jams, workshops, etc. in California.
See you at the South Carolina State Bluegrass Festival in Myrtle Beach this Thanksgiving!
November 16th, 2007 at 7:50 am
Mary:
Thanks for your comment. I too had a problem getting Jennings to let me test out then #70. I believe at the time it was in the shop waiting for the buyer to come pick it up. His #71 was at the workshop and getting finishing touches. I think he didn’t want you to play it because it had already been sold and you could damage it before the owner could pick it up.
One day I was at his shop and he was working on a pre-war Martin doing a set-up for a customer. I so wanted to test it out. True to his nature he was adamant about protecting instruments: both his and the ones of his customers.
You seemed to handle the situation nicely and I like how you didn’t take it personally.
rlh
April 13th, 2009 at 9:20 am
I visited Chestnut recently and also found that he wouldn’t allow for the playing of his recently finished mandolin (80 something) but he did have two behind the counter that he had built some time ago and they were for sale by current owners. These he did alow me to play. they were wonderful. In fact I enjoyed the oldest and least “pristine” instrument the most. Loud, sweet, penatrating tone. He was a delight to chat with.
February 20th, 2010 at 11:36 am
Dear Mr. Hill,
I am not sure if you are aware, but my “pop” as I like to call him, passed away a week ago today (Saturday). My name is Lee Sill and I am his youngest son from my mother’s first marriage. He is the only father figure I have ever known. I came across this page and read Fred’s comment and had to correct him. There is no number “80 something”. I know because I have the very last one ever built, number 76. A while after being told he was ill on a long drive home I thought to myself, “I never got to buy one of his mandolins.” Well, while reading an article about him in a Conway, SC newspaper I found that he had built mandolins that had not been purchased yet. He only built 3 a year when he was building them. The day before he passed I asked him if I could buy #76 from him and he said he was honored (though the honor was all mine). He graciously agreed to let me purchase it and I was so grateful to be able to. Pop was a great fisherman and craftsman, mostly though he was “Pop” to me and I loved him dearly.
Thank you, Lee
February 20th, 2010 at 1:17 pm
Yes, I was sad to hear about Jennings’ passing last week. I will be at the memorial concert on Sunday and plan on doing a tribute to him on a future Common Chords.
Jennings was a great craftsman and a honored spokesman for music and our community.
He was always a person I trusted with my instruments and went to him for advice on several occasions.
I will always remember the day mentioned in this blog post and am honored I got the opportunity to be the first to play #71.
I know #76 will always be safe and in good hands.
Randall
March 21st, 2010 at 7:05 pm
So sorry to hear of Jennings’ death. I had a few conversations with him after I purchased his #47, used, from a dealer in northern PA. It’s the easiest-playing mandolin I’ve ever tried. As I understand it, #47 was tested and featured in an article in “Pickin’” or “Frets.” Anyone know which or when.
R.I.P Jennings.
April 7th, 2010 at 4:22 pm
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April 19th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
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May 29th, 2010 at 7:40 am
I never met Mr. Chestnut but in the late 1970’s when I was learning to play, Derwin Hinson met us in Wilmington with a Chestnut mandolin and I bought it. It wasn’t a new one but it was awesome. It was #3 and it had a “bark” like no mandolin I had ever had in my hands. I payed 300 dollars that I had earned working in tobacco that year. Several years down the road I had been at school and that day when I came home I found my mandolin in my room and the headstock was broken off. I never did find out what happened to it. I had made the statement in front of my brothers once that whoever broke it should have to pay to have it repaired. I had one built by Craig Hoffman but I was never completely satisfied with it. A few years ago, my brother contacted Mr. Chestnut and asked him about reparing the old #3 but Mr. Chestnut said it wasn’t worth repairing. He said the first few mandolins he built were made out of scrap lumber he saved from tearing down or remodeling jobs there in SC. My brother took the old #3 to another repairman and had a new neck put in it for me. I never asked if he was the one who broke it and he never told if he did or not. The fact that I’ve got the mandolin back is a blessing to me even if it is made from scrap lumber I don’t care about that. It is the epitome of me. I do carpenter work and I literally hate to see anything that could possibly be used thrown away. I am glad Mr. Chestnut saved that lumber and built that mandolin. I was sad to hear that he passed. His work has blessed many people all over this great land through music. God Bless, David Tew Turkey NC
June 28th, 2010 at 3:19 pm
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