New Mandolin

[Revles]

am entirely new to the site...play whistle and piano accordion..mainly IT..thinking of getting a mandolin...looking at the eastman range...BUT....am a little concerned that although my fingers are not overlarge or thick that I might have some problems if the neck is too narrow...do many encounter this as a problem ? I am unable to get out to visit a shop to try out various mandolins so would appreciate some advice....one 'maker' I spoke to on the phone tells me he makes mandolins with wider necks if required...any tips...Les.

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Les,
If your fingers are a little beefy but still more or less normal, a standard 1 1/8" nut width should be fine. Most chording on a mandolin requires a person to play only one pair of strings (course) per fret. There are chords that have adjacent courses in one fret, but with a little practice you should be able to fret those with one finger.

Having said that, lots of people like the extra space offered by the older oval holed Gibsons and instruments built to mimic them. And some people have luthiers build them wider necks for specific reasons. For example, Radim Zenkl had Rosta Capek build an extra wide fret board so that he could fret adjacent courses with two fingers.

Find a shop and try out as many mandolins as you can before you decide what works best for you, but don't automaticallly rule out standard width necks.

HTH,
Daniel

[Mark Walker]

Welcome to the site! #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

I think most of the Pacific Rim mandolins have 1-1/8" nuts/fretboards. #Many luthiers make radiused 1-3/16" necks, and - as the one indicated to you - some will make them wider. #Many of the older The Gibsons I believe had 1-1/4" necks.
I'm not sure, but from what I've read on here, about the widest you'll encounter is 1-1/4". #With oversized frets and a radiused fretboard, you should not have too many problems getting your 'average' sized fingers in and around. #
I'm blessed - and cursed - with tiny hand/fingers, and can play narrow-necked mandolins as poorly as I do my Silver Angel - which has a 1-3/16" nut and 12" radiused fretboard with larger frets. #

http://www.silverangelmandolins.com) (http://www.silverangelmandolins.com)
#
If you're thinking of getting a custom-made one, check out what all the luthiers will offer for you at a given price. #Many will work within a budgetary number and tweak it to your specifications. #
Good luck! # http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[JEStanek]

You can also look into the Mid Missouri line here (http://www.midmomandolin.com/products_mandolins.php). They make wide fretboard flat tops that are outstanding beginner and beyond mandolins. Test drive an Eastman and if it doesn't fit know that there are some alternatives. Those Mid Mo's will play just about any style of music (all very fine as you learn). The backwoods allow for different tonal flavors you don't get in your standard spruce top maple back archtop mandolin. Good luck.

Jamie

[csstanley]

Hey Les, good to see ya over here. Your gonna get some GREAT advise.

[otterly2k]

Breedlove mandos also have a wider neck, radius fretboard and larger fretwires than standard. 14 frets clear of the body gives you a lot of room to move around, also.