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Musical passion fulfilled by making mandolins

It is hard to find someone more musical than Richard Callis. He says, "Music is my passion," and he proves that by what he does.

Since his retirement from Tucker Marine in March 2009, Callis has made 12 mandolins and three violins in his shop at his home near Pine Hall in Mathews. He said that at the time he first considered making his own instruments, he was playing in a band and "didn’t like the sound" he was getting from store-bought mandolins.

Callis decided that making the instruments himself might be a good idea. He read some books on mandolin construction, got the materials he needed, and began the tedious process. He has been making mandolins and violins ever since.

He describes the construction process as "time consuming," adding that it takes him about three months to complete a mandolin. There’s not a lot of room for error. "Sometimes if you miss something, there is no way to go back and fix it," he explained.

Because of all the time and materials neede...

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