Neck length

[dangerjudy]

why do some mandolins have shorter necks than others?

[mandolooter]

now theres a question that has many answers...

[mando.player]

I just picked up an Eastman 614 and its neck is shorter than my Rigel. In this case the F4 style of neck pushes the bridge back towards the tail piece. That combined with the oval hole definitely gives it a different voice.

The shorter neck is forcing me to learn different chord shapes, which isn't a bad thing. Just an interesting byproduct.

[sunburst]

Well, it's sort of like this:

Early mandolins had necks that are considered short these days, but were just mandolin necks then, not short or long, just necks.
The early Gibson mandolins had necks about the same length as other mandolns. When the F-5 came along, palyers were starting to play in the upper positions more, so LLoyd and company decided to make the neck longer to accomodate those players.
Now days, some mandolins have the longer neck for better access to the upper frets, and some have the shorter neck for a traditional look, or to put the bridge where the builder wants it to be on the top, or just because that's how it's done on that particular type of mandolin.

[John Flynn]

I like the oval hole sound and I tend to like the tone on the vintage ovals and modern instruments that copy the vintage ovals. These generally have the shorter necks, but there are other differences also. The fretboard is generally attached to the top, rather than being raised. The bracing is more often cross or lateral, rather than tone bars. As someone already mentioned, the bridge is back closer to the tailpiece. Also, the neck angle across the top is different. So the shorter neck is just one feature of a whole mando design that produces a certain sound. I find the modern oval designs that have the longer neck, raised fretboard, etc. to be kind of a compromise. They sound more like F hole mandolins, but they don't quite have the punch, yet they don't have the sweetness of the vintage ovals.