View Full Version : thickness
keymandoguy
Aug-19-2004, 8:39am
What is the best thickness for a maple mandolin top F style ? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
I have yet to see a maple toped F mando.
Chris Baird
Aug-19-2004, 12:34pm
I suppose you mean spruce top and that is the golden question and one which will probably never have a concrete answer. I think you are asking what would be too thin and I would say less than .090" in the recurve and less than .160" in the center (this being for some real stiff red spruce, a softer spruce would undoubtedly need more thickness).
buckhorn
Aug-23-2004, 2:27pm
i got the thickness down to about .060 at the recurve by accident with my first and it was a disaster. after a few weeks of stringing, the area in frount of the bridge started to sink and it would not stay in tune. the area under the tailpiece buldged up and then split open wide enough to stick a pick through. i had no thickness gage in the first one, but made one up right after this trick happened. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/sad.gif