Welcome to High Desert Guitar Works and High Desert Mandolins

Welcome! My name is Jason Chinchen and this is the web home of High Desert Guitar Works and High Desert Mandolins. I build mandolins and acoustic steel string guitars with modern features and original designs. This website is a work in progress. I am concentrating on mandolins now but also build guitars on a special order basis. I will have a guitar page up in the near future, but in the mean time I hope you enjoy my site. Please look around and make yourself familiar with High Desert Mandolins. Thanks for visiting!

Premium woods

At High Desert Mandolins I use premium local woods to construct my mandolins. Bigleaf maple and Oregon myrtlewood are my woods of choice for backs, sides and necks. Tops can be carved from well-aged sitka, englemann or red spruce, as well as local area tonewoods such as reclaimed redwood or Port Orford cedar. The tops and backs are carved with exacting care using well established, tried and true dimensions as a starting point. Small planes and chisels aid me in the process of bringing each piece of wood to within its optimum thickness. Every set of tonewood has its own unique properties and should be treated as such when crafting a sensitive musical tool. Therefore, I take great care in balancing the strength and tonal characteristics of each set of wood. Tone bars are counter-scalloped and voiced.

Modern styling

Here at High Desert Mandolins I believe that design and aesthetic are as important to the evolution of your music as the tone of your instrument. I make mandolins that are modern in function and appearance. I build only instruments that I have designed, and I am proud to offer my unique creations to you. For me the process is about challenging myself to create something original, functional and beautiful. I strive to build the most playable, sweet sounding and easily maintained mandolins being made anywhere. I have found a balance in personal expression that satisfies me while still giving a nod to the past. I hope my mandolins will strike you as unique and familiar.

Up to Date Features

I have incorporated several modern construction features into my instruments that I think you will appreciate.

Radiused fingerboards and larger fret wire ease playing, making fretting chords and single notes easier on the hands and fingers. Adjustable truss rods and bridges allow the flexibility to fine tune action or fingerboard relief on the fly. Cast tailpieces and quality tuners aid in sound transfer and sustain. Low action and a slightly wider fingerboard make for lightning quick playability. And finally, the use of a bolt on neck on all my mandolin models. I see many advantages to this method of neck attachment, and I do not subscribe to the notion that this has any measurable effect on the tone or quality of an instrument.

Custom shop attention

All the details that make you unique can set your instrument apart as well. I really enjoy fitting that instrument to your personality. Half of the fun is dreaming up your mandolin. From special wood choices to custom inlays, or colors, all things may be possible. Feel free to discuss any special considerations with me. I’ll provide you with helpful advice and honest customer assistance.

Experienced hands

With close to ten years in the industry, Jason has built, assembled, repaired and finished nearly a thousand instruments. Trained by master instrument builder and inlay artist Kim Breedlove and Breedlove Guitar Co. founder Steve Henderson, Jason has the experience and skills required to produce professional quality instruments in a timely manner. You can rest assured that every detail will be attended to with the utmost care. Flawless playability, and exacting fit and finish are to be expected.

Please contact me today at jason@highdesertmandolins.com to learn about the beautiful custom mandolin or guitar I can build for you.