Korgscrew
Group: Super Admins
Posts: 3511
Joined: Dec. 1999 |
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Posted: Jan. 27 2009, 10:46 |
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Mandolins...great for getting vegetables sliced really thin.
But seriously, mandolins can be great fun, but I'd back up what fragile said - approaching it hoping it to be a little, upside down guitar will end in frustration.
I don't think there are many secrets to dealing with the short scale length; holding it properly is of course important, making sure your fingers are pushing down from right above the strings rather than at an angle, so they don't end up in a tangle. There should be enough space on the first five or so frets for most fingertips to fit comfortably between the frets; if you happen to have extremely large fingers, you may be out of luck, but keep in mind that there doesn't have to be a lot of free space between the finger and the frets like you might have on a guitar - it's fine for it to be almost right over the fret itself, as long as it's not muting the string. The tension is much higher than the guitar, so you won't find your finger coming into contact with the fretboard in the same way...in fact, my advice there is to not try and push down too hard. The mandolin can sound really awful when it's played with too heavy a touch - you really need to almost just glide across the strings (that applies to both hands).
There are, like drew2 suggested, larger instruments in the mandolin family. The octave mandolin (or octave mandola as it tends to be called on this side of the pond) tends to have a scale length roughly the same as that of a guitar capoed at the 3rd fret (its lowest note is a G). Some are longer than that, though this is where it starts getting really complex, as they go under a variety of different names - what some builders will call an octave mandolin, others will call a bouzouki (in terms of construction, there's not really any difference between a flat backed bouzouki and a flat backed octave mandolin, apart from that the bouzouki tends to be designed with a longer scale length for use with lighter gauge strings to give a brighter sound...bouzoukis tend to be tuned differently, but some players tune to GDAE). I think it's fair to say that if it looks like one, is strung like one and smells like one, you can tune it how you like, as long as you adjust the string gauges accordingly and don't do anything too extreme (stringing it up with bass strings and tuning it up an octave, for example...).
There's also an even bigger member of the family, the mandocello, which tends to have a scale length which is the same as, or slightly longer than, the guitar and is tuned CGDA. It can be a beautiful, rich sounding instrument, but it's really starting to push the limits of what's sensible in terms of tuning in fifths. Try putting one finger on the first fret of a guitar, then put another on the fifth. Now try moving that finger from the fifth to the seventh. That's the kind of stretch you'll have to deal with regularly when playing the mandocello. Some people even find the octave mandolin too large for that reason - playing melodies can have you stretching and jumping about a lot (or at least, it'll have your fingers doing that...).
I'd suggest mandocello tuning for a guitar, if you're going to go down that route. With the right gauge strings, you could make it a 5 string, tuned CGDAE for more mando fun.
There is some variation in scale length of mandolins, though as far as I can remember, all of the far eastern Gibson-style mandolins (which seem to be the most common at the moment) have the Gibson 358mm scale length. You'll find some variation in fretboard width too - a wider one might help in forming chords more easily.
There's a variety of different designs. The neopolitan bowl back type has already been mentioned. They do have a bad reputation, as there are a lot of cheap ones out there - both the ones produced in the early 20th century USA during the mandolin craze there and those produced in Italy for sale to tourists. There are high quality bowlback mandolins out there, though and they're still the favoured style of mandolin for playing classical music. They usually have a shorter 330mm scale length.
Their bad reputation is something that you can take advantage of if you like them and know what you're looking for, as good quality bowlbacks can be picked up for fairly little money. The construction often gives a clue to the quality - more expensive ones tend to use more ribs in the back, and the wood used is often something like brazillian rosewood. The grain of the top can give a clue as well - more expensive pieces tend to have tighter, finer grain. Bowlbacks can suffer all manner of issues as they get older, though - the backs often split and the tension of the strings can cause the top to collapse.
Bowlbacks tend to have a clear, sweet sound, when they're well made.
Folk players tend to favour flat backed models (sometimes called 'celtic' styles), constructed in roughly the same way as an acoustic guitar, with a flat (often spruce) top. There's also a variation of that design, used by Stefan Sobell, which uses an arched top.
All of them tend to be designed to be louder than the bowlback mandolins and usually have a longer scale length, more like the 358mm of the Gibson style. That tends to give them a more forward kind of sound, which is sometimes emphasised further by using a maple back and sides. Some makers offer a choice of soundhole shape; in general, the D-shaped soundholes (I've seen them called A-shaped before now...I'm not sure if asking for a mandolin with an A-hole is a good way of preserving your dignity though) are said to have a mellower sound, though I find it can lend them a generally more powerful edge; it's dependent mostly on the size and position of the hole rather than the shape (the D-shape tend to be larger than the round ones), though.
The type with the arched top and back, which I've been calling Gibson-style, was pioneered by Orville Gibson himself. His instruments had oval soundholes, but they tend now to be made with F-holes, as introduced by Lloyd Loar at Gibson in the 20s. They're particularly popular for bluegrass, but they're common in other styles as well (there are even a few people who play classical music on them). They have a more bassy sound than the other kinds of mandolin, and I find they tend to have a slightly more 'hollow' midrange than the flat backed 'celtic' style. That can lead to a light, delicate sound in some cases, and a full-on bluegrass bark in others.
Paul Hathway (based in London) might repair bowlback mandolins, as he builds lutes as well. His main business is the folk style of mandolin family instruments though. I'm also not sure how often he works with lacquer finishes. It would be worth asking him though. He's the only one I can think of off the top of my head. There are most likely other people closer to you who could do it (I'll probably kick myself once I hear a few mentioned! ).
I think that's quite enough from me for the moment!
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