Double-neck round back

[Soupy1957]

Last night I attended a different "jam" than the one I go to monthly, and I saw a mandolin being played there that was a double-necked, bowl-back, with lots of ornate inlays on it.

There was also a fiddle that was shown to me that had some incredible carving on it, including a HEAD on the tuninghead, carved on the scroll, with faded murals (sp?) of ladies on the bottom side, and roman lettering around the sides. (I looked inside it to try and read the label but I couldn't see in there very well in the dim light of the garage we were in).

Anyone have any background with double-neck bowl-backs? How common are they? (I presume "very" common, depending on the crowd you hang with).

-Soupy1957

[Yuletide]

Can't say anything about double-neck mandos, but carving heads on the scrolls of bowed instruments is an old tradition, common in old viol family instruments as well as more recent folk fiddles.

[Jim Garber]

For some reason I think that doubleneck sounds like a product of the Taiwan-VietNam connection, possibly Antonio Tsai.

Here is a doubleneck (not by Tsai) that appeared on the oddball thread:
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/uploads/post-15-35395-mandogtr.jpg

Jim

[mandopete]

That looks like a mandolin that was super-glued to a guitar!

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[mandolooter]

dbl necking (http://www.mandolincafe.com/archives/builders/double.html)

like these ones?

[JeffD]

It looks ike a pair of conjoined twins.

[allenhopkins]

Could be the German-made "mandolinola" that Lark In the Morning sells, a mandolin and octave mandolin double-neck ($2,875 w/hard-shell case). On the other hand, if it had "intricate inlays," that suggests it is an Antoniotsai product. The Lark instrument just has fretboard dots.

[Soupy1957]

Jgarber: you're on the right track, only THIS one was more uniform in size. It had one body, but two necks.

Mandolooter: again, there was one body, and two necks.

The one I saw on Wednesday night was a mixture of blonde wood with inlays and VERY ornate.

-Soupy1957

[Bill Snyder]

Could it have been a harp mandolin. This is not a mandolin or a bowlback but maybe something a bit like this harp guitar.
http://www.larsonbrothersguitars.com/pictures/others/HarpGuitar/Larson_front.jpg

[Jim Garber]

Maybe more like this one from Antonio Tsai.

Jim

[Soupy1957]

Jgarber is on the right track, except that the two necks were uniform in length. I'll be going back this coming Wednesday, and I'll bring my camera and see if "ole Charlie" will let me take a picture of it to post here.

I'll also try and get a picture(s) of that violin with the carved head and stuff.

-Soupy1957

[Jim Garber]

That one I posted by Tsai was a mandolin and mandola combination. I wonder what the point of having a double mandolin neck might be except if someone wanted to play in two different tunings.

Jim

[Soupy1957]

I was wondering the same thing myself, as they appeared to be equal. I'll try and remember to ask some questions of the owner that will reveal more about the instrument I saw.

-Soupy1957

[JeffD]

Has anyone here ever played one of these, in a jam or on stage? Is there any real advantage or is it just an affectation, and attention grabber?

I would assume it is an accoustic compromise, for both instruments.

I sometimes bring my mandolin and mandola to a jam - and have needed both at a concert - but in general it is no problem to put down one and pick up the other.

Now, if I had two left hands...