Electric Mandolin Neck

[mandoman15]

Hi

I'm 15 and building my first electric mandolin from scatch. After several failed attempts at building a bolt on neck i was wondering if i can buy one pre made. I lost a bid for one on ebay that was made for this exact thing, electric bolt on with fretboard already bound and fretted. I was sorely bummed when i lost it. is there anyone who knows where i could find another one? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif

[mandoman15]

Also does anybody have any tips for building a bolt on neck? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Dfyngravity]

not sure i can help you too much but why don't you post in the discussions about electric mandolins. there is bound to be someone in those discussions to help you. hope all goes well.

[crawdad]

Please tell me how you failed on the first three? What went wrong? An electric mando neck is not that hard to do if you have simple woodworking skills. Maybe we can walk you through it the right way.

[Mastersound]

Hi mandoman

I started typing out some instructions, but it's easier to point you to the Musical Instrument Makers Forum (www.mimf.com). Register there and look in the library in the search section under neck construction. You'll find it all there.

Another option is to do what I did for my first emando. Buy a cheap ukelele and use that neck. You'll need to make a slot along the back to set a reinforcing bar/rod in there or it'll bend or crack. I just epoxied some had drawn steel rod from a plant hanger into the back of my first one. It hasn't moved at all in six months. The uke neck gives you the shape, the tuners, and the frets. Just make sure you measure the scale length of the uke and make the mando the same (maybe with a little bit extra depending on your bridge and action height, etc.) You might get some help from my DIY solidbody mando pages (http://www.somethingabout.net/sbmando/index.html)

Let us know if you're still stuck! There are plenty of people here and at the MIMF who can help you find the answers!

[mandoman15]

Thanks soo much for the advice and sorry about posting this in the wrong section. As for the first question "tell me how you failed on the first three? What went wrong?" the shaping of the heel and headstock joint. They were horrible looking, i just couldint get the shape i was looking for. then the neck was too skinny and flat,as above mentioned "An electric mando neck is not that hard to do if you have simple woodworking skills" this is true, it wasn't hard to do but i was fairly picky about how i wanted this mando to look. I've now gotten past that. I think as it's my first electric mandolin i'm going to go with what mastersound said to do and chop it off a ukelele. Thanks Again

Mandoman15http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/blues.gif