Proulx J-5+2 2010s, Natural

The J-5+2 is a mandolin reimagined for the jazz idiom, tuned a full step lower to F-C-G-D so that Bb, F and Eb become open, resonant keys. Two additional frets at the nut end make this possible without compromise, bringing traditional fiddle repertoire into G and C and letting guitar and banjo join in without a capo. Fit the integrated capo at the second fret and it plays as a conventional mandolin; remove it and you have a lower register of voicings no standard instrument can reach. When the capo isn’t in use, a concealed magnet on the back of the headstock holds it neatly out of view. The soundport brings the instrument’s voice closer to the player and shows a prior repair where the door slides up, a quiet mark of history on a truly singular instrument.