Rigel mandolins are made by Pete Langdell in Jeffersonville, Vermont. Landell started making mandolins in the 1960s. He refined his designs over 20 years before starting the Rigel concept in the late 1980s. His idea was to carve the back and sides of the mandolin out of a solid block of wood using a milling machine, instead of the conventional method bending thin pieces of wood for the sides. The first prototypes were made in 1990 and Landell was soon promoting his new instruments at music festivals. Working with a team of craftsman and repair technicians, Rigel Instruments expanded through the rest of the 90s, eventually outgrowing their Cambridge, Vermont facilities to a large building in 2004.

Source: Rigel Mandolins website (3 September 2019)