View Full Version : Ovation doubleneck mandolin/guitar
Jonmiller
Jul-31-2008, 5:04pm
I played one at Anaheim NAMM 5 years ago (not overly impressed with either neck), but none the less I need one. I've seen many 6/12 D/necks, but is there any mando/guitars out there?
I'm am so privileged to get to travel overseas for short "mission" trips and music plays a big part-this year As it gets more difficult to travel with instruments, a dual action instrument would be great.
I would love to have a nice A model inlayed in a good playing guitar.
Gibson made an electric 6 string guitar and mando doubleneck in the 1950's. They look pretty wild. I think it's an EMS-1235 or something like that. Too bad they cost so much!
phiddlepicker
Jul-31-2008, 5:43pm
Giffen guitars made neil Schon a custom guitar/mando doubleneck. Very sexy. Look on page three of their custom guitar page. Andy Manson is the luthier that made Jimmy Page's acoustic triple neck, so you may want to check him out as well.
jefflester
Jul-31-2008, 5:50pm
Andy Manson is the luthier that made Jimmy Page's acoustic triple neck, so you may want to check him out as well.
And John Paul Jones' tripleneck.
jefflester
Jul-31-2008, 5:56pm
That Ovation was most certainly not a stock instrument, nor is probably any doubleneck mando/guitar except maybe those awful solidbody "Tennessee" brand ones one Ebay.
I think the only way you're going to get an acoustic doubleneck mando/guitar is to have one custom made for several thousands of dollars.
Eddie Sheehy
Jul-31-2008, 5:59pm
I've been tempted to "customize" an Ovation 6/12 to a 6/8 but so far have not had the opportunity - read buy a cheap one.
jefflester
Jul-31-2008, 6:07pm
Gibson made an electric 6 string guitar and mando doubleneck in the 1950's. They look pretty wild. I think it's an EMS-1235 or something like that. Too bad they cost so much!
Pic from emando.com
http://emando.com/images/builders/Gibson/gibsonems1235d.jpg
mrmando
Jul-31-2008, 6:52pm
Two guys I would talk to about having one built:
James Curtis (http://www.jamescurtis.com/)
Anthony J. Powell (http://www.rexjames.com/tonedevil.html)
I don't know if either has built a 6/8 doubleneck, but I don't think it would scare either of them off.
delsbrother
Jul-31-2008, 8:26pm
Those Tennessee doublenecks are reproduced in Asia from photographs of old Carvins. You could get an original Carvin doubleneck for about the same money it would take to order a custom Ovation. It would probably travel better than the Ovation, and if necessary you could fight your way out of a bar effectively by swinging it over your head.
jefflester
Jul-31-2008, 9:01pm
Those Tennessee doublenecks are reproduced in Asia from photographs of old Carvins. You could get an original Carvin doubleneck for about the same money it would take to order a custom Ovation. It would probably travel better than the Ovation, and if necessary you could fight your way out of a bar effectively by swinging it over your head.
But the Ovation could probably be used as a flotation device in the event of a water landing. #http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/tounge.gif
Al Dimeola and Kaki King seem to float very well on their Ovations.
Jonmiller
Aug-05-2008, 8:20am
I read a piece on the triple neck Manson built for Jones of Zepplin, he was disappointed with the mandolin as it just sounded like a high strung guitar.
I saw a Youtube of Page playing one of these Ovation D/N mandolins on "Batlle of Evermore" it sounded fairly mandolin like. I just wonder how many they made. It sounds like not many.
Another option (which I haven't seen - but may exist) is a dual guitar/mando case. Anyone familiar with this animal?
phiddlepicker
Aug-08-2008, 3:34pm
I as curious a few days ago and called Carvin.....they won't make a guitar/mando. They only do custom jobs now in accordance with their guitar options menus.
Eddie Sheehy
Aug-08-2008, 3:40pm
There was a Vietnamese/Taiwanese mandolin/mandola doubleneck on ebarf last week. I was bidding on it but it ended in the middle of the night (PDT) and I lost out by $1. Haven't seen any more from the same store - the inlay freaks place.
jim simpson
Aug-08-2008, 7:57pm
I've commented on previous threads regarding this as I think it would be cool to have an acoustic guitar/mando instrument. My motivation would be to have it for jam sessions. I suppose some level of comfort would be compromised as far as playing one goes.
I think one could take and cut a pocket into the top of an existing acoustic guitar and slip a mandolin down into it. You could pad and upholster the inside of the guitar's pocket to make the mandolin a snug fit.
I think marrying two existing instruments should be less expensive than having a custom dual player built.