Hi Tony, I own a custom made Octive Mandola, When I was thinking about getting a mandola to relieve the more harsh sound of the tenor banjo I looked around and tried many instruments in music shops and borowed those of friends.I tried a mandolin belonging to a friend which was hand made by Terry Docherty from Northumberland England and it sounded very bright and loud so I met Terry and said what I wanted, We talked for quite a while about size etc and I decided to order one. It took a few months to come but when it did come it lived up to all my expectations I,m know that if I hadn't liked it he would have sold it to someone else So I would say if you are ordering a custom instrument make sure that you are allowed to try it before you part with your money, If you are going to have your name inlaid in the instrument try it before the name is started and a reputable luthier will always let you do that Cheers Bill