Lary Udienhizer
Aug-22-2009, 10:36pm
Im new to these forums, but not to mandolins.
So, I have a mandobird, and a Michael Kelly Dragon Fly Custom III with a fishman bridge pickup. And over time Ive realized, that the mandobird is very fidgety. Ive gotten false tones on days when the weather is off, I cant dial in the tone just right and yeah, it jsut isnt quite what Im looking for. But in all honesty, I still really enjoy it, I mean the thing can take a huge hit of distort and effects and still kill more feedback than I thought.
So here is my predicament. Im having a bit of trouble with it, and decided it might be time to move on. And here are a few questions I though you guys might be able to help with.
In all honesty, I love the sound of my MK put through my amp, and it can also take alot of distortion, but it, like any acoustic rig, it has its limits. It of course has its feedback and what not, but I absolutely LOVE the tone it puts off. I dont even hardly have to dial in my amp but just a little. My first question, cant I just fix this with a noise gate, like the boss NS-2?
Also, I was looking at some hollow body guitars to make a mando crossbreed thing, and just considered doing a quick FCGDAE tuning, which requires a bass G string to pull off (tune down to F [I got the OK from a guy who makes his own strings, and he said that is should work just fine]). And by the time I get all the tension set an stuff, I just thought, well it might not sound good because the pickups may not be able to handle the bass. Would this be a relatively decent idea to replicate/make an electric/acoustic/bouzouki/guitar/mandolin crossbreed? This is a pretty complicated question, because it involves moving a bunch of stings around along with that bass G string.
Now back to eMandos. I saw a brand called Blue Star that makes a 5 string electric mando, which I love the idea of. Ive always wanted a lower tuning on a mando, and that 5th string brings it home with the lower range. What exactly is Blue Stars rep with this Mandoblasters, and do any of you guys own one?
The one thing that this Mandoblaster doesn't have that I did want, was multiple pickups, to get the broadest range of sound possible. So there are three other things I looked at, including the Eastwood Mandocaster, 8 string solid body. But the one thing this doesnt have is the 5th string I wanted, but I thought that could just be fixed by tuning it mandola style.
Along with this, I found Fender's deep dark secret known as the Mandocaster which are pretty infamous in the world of eMandos (in my opinion). Back in the original production run, they released the FM-60e. A holowbody, 5 string, double pickup monster. When I fisrt saw this I thought, "Wow, that is exactly what freakin' I need." But as with most mandocaster stuff, its sparse on the internet. Have any of you guys owned/played one, cause I know where I can buy one (on the internet :confused: ) and I kinda want to plan out my finances before Im tempted to just sell the Mandobird and go buy the FM-60e without knowing what it sounds like. Also, how much of a distort hit can it take before the gates of hades open and release the accursed banshees of feedback? This is my favorite choice so far.
My last option, but most workable one, is to have a custom one made by Steve Ryder. ( http://sjryder.com/electric_mandolins.htm )
Here, I was thinking about getting a custom EM-45, but thats talking $800+. I defiantly do not have any of ascertaining this money very quickly, but I would like to know, is it worth saving up for? It is a solid body, but it has two pickups and the 5 string option I was looking for, so its just an investigation for now.
Of the Mandoblaster, Eastwood Mandocaster, FM-60e, or the custom, which should I pick? I play anything from straight up acoustic Jazz (no amps) to full on classic rock, and Im trying to get a mando that can cover the largest portion of acoustic tone and straight up Led Zeppelin crunchiness. (So thats is why I just automatically selected the FM-60e, but I dont know quite what Im buying if I did decide to get it... Yet...) I use a Behringer Vtone GMX212.
Any suggestions? Im open to other models if you bring em to my attention. Thank you
So, I have a mandobird, and a Michael Kelly Dragon Fly Custom III with a fishman bridge pickup. And over time Ive realized, that the mandobird is very fidgety. Ive gotten false tones on days when the weather is off, I cant dial in the tone just right and yeah, it jsut isnt quite what Im looking for. But in all honesty, I still really enjoy it, I mean the thing can take a huge hit of distort and effects and still kill more feedback than I thought.
So here is my predicament. Im having a bit of trouble with it, and decided it might be time to move on. And here are a few questions I though you guys might be able to help with.
In all honesty, I love the sound of my MK put through my amp, and it can also take alot of distortion, but it, like any acoustic rig, it has its limits. It of course has its feedback and what not, but I absolutely LOVE the tone it puts off. I dont even hardly have to dial in my amp but just a little. My first question, cant I just fix this with a noise gate, like the boss NS-2?
Also, I was looking at some hollow body guitars to make a mando crossbreed thing, and just considered doing a quick FCGDAE tuning, which requires a bass G string to pull off (tune down to F [I got the OK from a guy who makes his own strings, and he said that is should work just fine]). And by the time I get all the tension set an stuff, I just thought, well it might not sound good because the pickups may not be able to handle the bass. Would this be a relatively decent idea to replicate/make an electric/acoustic/bouzouki/guitar/mandolin crossbreed? This is a pretty complicated question, because it involves moving a bunch of stings around along with that bass G string.
Now back to eMandos. I saw a brand called Blue Star that makes a 5 string electric mando, which I love the idea of. Ive always wanted a lower tuning on a mando, and that 5th string brings it home with the lower range. What exactly is Blue Stars rep with this Mandoblasters, and do any of you guys own one?
The one thing that this Mandoblaster doesn't have that I did want, was multiple pickups, to get the broadest range of sound possible. So there are three other things I looked at, including the Eastwood Mandocaster, 8 string solid body. But the one thing this doesnt have is the 5th string I wanted, but I thought that could just be fixed by tuning it mandola style.
Along with this, I found Fender's deep dark secret known as the Mandocaster which are pretty infamous in the world of eMandos (in my opinion). Back in the original production run, they released the FM-60e. A holowbody, 5 string, double pickup monster. When I fisrt saw this I thought, "Wow, that is exactly what freakin' I need." But as with most mandocaster stuff, its sparse on the internet. Have any of you guys owned/played one, cause I know where I can buy one (on the internet :confused: ) and I kinda want to plan out my finances before Im tempted to just sell the Mandobird and go buy the FM-60e without knowing what it sounds like. Also, how much of a distort hit can it take before the gates of hades open and release the accursed banshees of feedback? This is my favorite choice so far.
My last option, but most workable one, is to have a custom one made by Steve Ryder. ( http://sjryder.com/electric_mandolins.htm )
Here, I was thinking about getting a custom EM-45, but thats talking $800+. I defiantly do not have any of ascertaining this money very quickly, but I would like to know, is it worth saving up for? It is a solid body, but it has two pickups and the 5 string option I was looking for, so its just an investigation for now.
Of the Mandoblaster, Eastwood Mandocaster, FM-60e, or the custom, which should I pick? I play anything from straight up acoustic Jazz (no amps) to full on classic rock, and Im trying to get a mando that can cover the largest portion of acoustic tone and straight up Led Zeppelin crunchiness. (So thats is why I just automatically selected the FM-60e, but I dont know quite what Im buying if I did decide to get it... Yet...) I use a Behringer Vtone GMX212.
Any suggestions? Im open to other models if you bring em to my attention. Thank you