How important is longitudinal pumping?

[Stephen Perry]

Like violins, mandolins have the neck put into a block at the end of the body. This must pump the box through bending during playing, as with the violin. Possibly as string tension bumps up, bridge sinks, areas near the blocks on the top rise, and back flattens.

Any idea how important this is?

An alternative construction would be a through neck system, with the neck extending to the end block, largely isolating the top and back from the longitudinal bending force.

Anyone ever see a mandolin built that way?

[mandroid]

Mr Mann, in your state has a modified thru body build technique, as I have seen on these pages.

He uses a continuous strip from neck to tail, but thins it as it passes thru the body,
on the Acoustics he has built, so perhaps the effect is the same,

Just eliminates the neck to body joint, perhaps. thinning to be like the rest of the back carving

perhaps the 2 of you can meet an discuss the theories and science.

used to own a Fender 12 string [40 years ago] the neck was reinforced with a pipe thru the body.

[bennyb]

Manndolins (http://www.manndolins.com/index.htm) mentioned above by mandroid. Evidently he uses neck through construction for all his mandolins. He posts here from time to time.

benny

[Stephen Perry]

Thank you. Really a different approach than I was thinking - I'm thinking of removing the bending force, reducing static loading on top and back.

[hank]

I believe Hans has done some of this. Ken's thread about his new Stealth mentions it.

[Schlegel]

Thank you. Really a different approach than I was thinking - I'm thinking of removing the bending force, reducing static loading on top and back.

Do you mean like the Larson guitars with a steel rod running from neck to heel block?

[Stephen Perry]

I don't know about Larsen guitars. Depends on the function. Here the function would be to remove the bending moment from the top and back plates.

[hank]

See post # 107 Brentrup Stealth V8 it's Mine.
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=47480&highlight=stealth+it's+mine&page=5

[T.J.]

And, since it came up in another thread this morning, see my post from that thread here:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?p=759346#post759346

[T.J.]

BTW, Steve, loving the MD614 I got from you. I don't know when I'll have time to get the Mandovoodoo done on other instruments, but I'm a believer!

[MikeEdgerton]

Steve, take a look at this (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=58677) thread and follow the link to the luthier's site.

[Schlegel]

Yes, that's what I was thinking about, MIke, with the Larson construction... I had no idea anyone had done it in mandolins!

[barney 59]

I would think that an instrument with a moveable bridge and tailpiece would be much more affected by the lateral movement of the strings. The Larson Prairie States mentioned were guitars with a fixed bridge and would be more affected by longitudinal vibrations.

[Stephen Perry]

A violin has a movable bridge of great flexibility. Longitudinal vibration proves important according to various researchers. The mandolin has a stiffer bridge, but stiffer structure. Any research done? Certainly if one suspends the ends and presses the middle, the mandolin flexes.

[Jim Garber]

Interesting... this builder is being discussed on another thread: Dixie Michell (http://www.guitarcompanyofamerica.com/).

http://www.guitarcompanyofamerica.com/images/interior1.jpg

http://www.guitarcompanyofamerica.com/images/mandolin.jpg

[billkilpatrick]

i've seen photos of cigarbox instruments with a follow-through neck. here's a mandolin taken from smokinmandolin.com - "heavy metal":