Electric Mandolins

[Billy]

I have been looking at some electric mandolins.Why do most of them have only four strings?
Do they sound anything like an acoustic?
The one that i'm interested in is a Epiphone Mandobird.Are these any good?
Thanks. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif

[London Al]

The big advantage I found with a 4 string is that you can use loads of FX pedals just like a nelectric guitar player! If you try to use chorous/flanger, pitch shifters etc with an eight string, the effct gets triggerred twice every time you play a note, and when you strum chords everything goes mushy.
You cant really do LH vibrato with double strings either.
However, all the FX and simulators in the world are not going to make an electric sound like an acoustic.
Enjoy it for what it is, a different thing.
Epiphone make good stuff.
These are just my thoughts Billy, go for it, & good luck
Al

Anyone played the new Kentucky solid body 4 string yet?

[John Flynn]

I agree with the post above about amplification and effects with paired strings. Two things I did want to add, though: 1) There are a lot of 8-string electric mandos. Just browse emando.com. I would say there are as many 8-string models for sale as there are 4 and 5 strings.
2) If you are looking at a Mandobird, I would also consider the new Kentucky KM-300E solid-body. Elderly has them. I played one the other day and wrote a review of it here:
http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin....t=15628 (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=22;t=15628)

[Hoyt]

I had an 8 string Rickenbacker mandolin that I took to a few local gigs. With 8 strings I could make one or two songs sound really good, but after that everything pretty much sounded the same. So I sold it because it just wasn't very versatile.

Recently, I bought a 1960s Kingston mandola and found the same thing with all 8 strings mounted -- a little bit sounds good, but a lot gets old quickly. But when I string it as a 4 string it is a killer that I can play for hours and get many different tones/sounds out of it.

I'm having an 8 string built for me, but won't be surprised if I convert it to a 4 pretty quickly. I'm hoping that a well built longer scale mandola will work better as an 8 string, but -- if not -- I'll covert to a 4 string and wail away with distortion, tremolo, phaser, etc. Then when I get tired of all that, I’ll go back to the warmth/comfort of an acoustic mando.

That Kentucky electric looks like a real deal for $250.

Hoyt

[Billy]

Thanks. I looked at the Kentucky,and it looks alot better than the Epiphone.

[Randy]

Correct me if I'm right, but isn't the idea behind doubling the strings a way to increase the volume, in the same manner as a hammer dulcimer, or the melody strings on a mountain dulcimer? Since a mandolin body is relatively small, doubling the strings will produce a little more volume. With an electric there would be no need to double up since the pickup and amp will supply you with all the volume you need.

[delsbrother]

No need to correct you if you're right! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

But look at all the 12 string electric guitars and 8 (and 12!) string electric basses. Of course those instruments are much less common (and perhaps less versatile) than their 6 and 4 stringed varieties, respectively. But there are still loyal fans of "that tone".

I wouldn't mind an 8 or 10 stringer in my "stable" of single-coursed instruments, just to have another "flavor" to choose from occasionally.. But maybe I just like noise..

[mandroid]

Tremolo on a 4 string is not the same feel or technique as on an 8. mandolins have 8 strings to increase the odds that one is in tune.
solution: doubleneck 4/5 &8, perhaps.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif

[Lee]

String bending on a double course instrument doesn't work too well. String up the electric 4 or 5 string with extremely light gauge strings.