OVERVIEW

Richie Owens was brought up in a bluegrass family and began playing Dobro when he was just a boy. By the time he was in his teens, he was building and fixing his own instruments. Today, Richie designs, builds or repairs instruments for the likes of Nils Lofgren, Ron Wood and The Dixie Chicks. He recently was on tour with Dolly Parton as a featured performer, playing mandolin on her "Vintage Tour". Richie collaborated with Washburn in developing their new M-120 Mandolin.

So what's different about this instrument?

Here's what Richie has to say: "Since the 1920's the basic design of the Mandolin has been the same. Way back when, fiddle players and women mostly played them. This was reflected in the overall small design of the instrument. Today, more and more guitar players are picking up the mandolin. They're often looking for a bigger sound and approach the instrument with a more aggressive style. The M-120 is aimed at giving them a more comfortable, high quality instrument with a "throatier" tone and more volume."

The M120 comes with a carved solid spruce top and flamed maple back and sides. The f-style body design is deeper than traditional instruments for more volume and projection and it has a wider nut, with wider string spacing to accommodate bigger fingers.

Washburn has been building mandolins since the late 1800s. Whether you're a bluegrass, Celtic or rock player, see how the addition of a mandolin can broaden your sonic pallet and add a new dimension to your music. For traditionalists, you'll find all the tone & projection you'd expect from our world class instruments.

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Richie Owens