Bottone Smokey M A Style Mandolin 2025

The Bottone Smokey M is a mandolin with a distinct character, both in sound and appearance. The projection is surprisingly wide, with a warm, sustained tone that effortlessly fills the room, while the attack always retains a raw edge. It is an instrument that feels at home in dark folk, roots, and Americana, with a sound that can whisper subtly just as well as cut firmly through an ensemble.

What stands out immediately is the distinctive construction and aesthetic. In the final phase of the process, this mandolin acquired its definitive look when Rossella Bottone decided to hand-cut, hammer, and age a salvaged steel plate into a pickguard and truss rod cover. The result is an industrial, almost rugged appearance that feels refined at the same time and perfectly complements the instrument's sonorous character. The one-piece birch neck is a nod to the Swedish builder Levin, where this wood was traditionally used instead of maple, and contributes to the direct response and stability of the whole.

Behind Bottone Guitars stands Rossella Bottone, an Italian luthier who learned her craft after a career in live sound, music journalism, and advertising. Her education took her from Ireland to Sweden, where she immersed herself in both the traditional restoration of vintage archtops and modern construction techniques. She worked at Westerberg Guitars, among others, and interned with Andras Novak and Leno Guitars. From her workshop in Dublin, she builds and restores instruments with a distinct signature of her own, which have since found their way to players and stages internationally.

The mandolin was built in 2025 and has a few dings on the top and headstock. Comes in a Hiscox case.

Consignment.