Peter Coombe started making mandolins in 1993, using his old Gibson A1 mandolin as a template. His first instrument sounded very promising, almost as good as the Gibson. Soon he completed a second instrument then a third and a fourth and so on improving each time until he could consistently make instruments better than the old Gibson. Along the way he incorporated improvements in bracing, finish, playability, learned the skill of tap tuning, which resulted in a great improvement in the tone of the instruments. He also gained the respect of some of the best mandolin players in Australia (and overseasl) some of whom have bought his instruments.

As a mandolin player himself Coombe believes that a good quality instrument should be within the reach of the average player. So he confines his mandolin building to A model mandolins, partly because of their elegant simplicity but also because they require less work than the F5 design and so can be offered for an affordable price.

Coombe's instruments gained such a reputation that he became swamped with orders and had a long waiting list. He was working in a full time day job as well as building mandolins in his spare time. He has since gone full time as a maker and now customers wait just a few months. He is also refining his guitar building techniques.

Source: Peter Coombe website (30th January 2017)