mandolin/guitar thing

[djangobole]

i was watching robert plant and alison krause on tv the other night and one of their musicians was using a guitar but the body was like a mandolin, anyone know what it was.
you can view it here, 1st song.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00h6xmd/Later..._Folk_America/

[MikeEdgerton]

I can't view that in the US, it's only available in the UK but Gibson and Goldtone both made small insturments with mandolin A style bodies and guitar fretboards with 6 strings. They are a real PITA to play in my book anyway. Gisbon stopped making them a few years ago, I don'tknow if Goldtone is still making them or not.

Goldtone GM-6 (http://www.goldtone.com/products/details/w/instrument/93/GM-6-GM-6-Mandolin)

Gibson M-6 (http://www.elderly.com/vintage/items/200U-1375.htm)

Are those like the instrument he was playing?

[djangobole]

yes a bit though he had a scroll, it looked very cool., looking for pic , so i can post it up.

[Martin Jonas]

Are those like the instrument he was playing?

No. I noticed this myself when I watched the show on the BBC the other day. The instrument in question was played by one of the three guitarists in the Krauss/Plant touring band (not T-Bone Burnett), and it was a full-size full-scale guitar with a body the size and shape of the old Gibson F-style mandocellos. F-hole, hollow-body archtop body, with two humbucker pickups. As obligatory for an F-style, the strap was looped though the scroll.

I attach a few screen captures from the BBC clip -- no clear shot of the headstock, but there doesn't seem to be a maker's name there.

Neat looking instrument.

Martin

[djangobole]

thats the one.

[steve V. johnson]

It's even got those 'hip shot' string bender levers! Whoa! ;-)

Pretty trick.

Oh, and I saw a listing in Musicians Friend just the other day for a Gibson GM-6 six-string mandolin, and I think that Elderly stocks (or lists) the Gold Tone version.

stv

[mandroid]

To my eye it's a Body patterned after an F mandolin , enlarged, to be Les Paul jr guitar sized, neck appears to be regular 24~5" scale.

M6 is more of a soprano guitar , 10~11" shorter scale neck, A mando sized body.

Nice looking strap hanger though.. :mandosmiley:

[MikeEdgerton]

Somebody went to a lot of trouble to make that thing. I lightened up the image to look at the headstock and they pretty much got that right as well. It looks like the pickups were for a 12 string. I may have to get me one of those. You'd have to be a true mando-geek to truly appreciate it. The majority of the audience probably didn't give it too much thought.

[Martin Jonas]

..

[Jeroen]

Hello? That's Stuart Duncan (Stuart Duncan) and he is playing an electric guitar (electric guitar) which come in boo-koos of funny shapes.

What was the original question again?

[jefflester]

It's Stuart Duncan.

Here's the thread I made about this instrument last May:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41105

[Joe Mendel]

The pickup look like they might be made by Carvin, they look just like these: http://www.carvinguitars.com/guitarfeatures.php

[MikeEdgerton]

...Here's the thread I made about this instrument last May:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=41105

You know, I thought that looked familiar but I figured it was just old age playing tricks on me. Thanks for posting the link.