Tom Wright
Jul-15-2010, 11:05pm
Found this maker, Thomas Buchanan.
http://www.folkmandolin.co.uk/index.htm
He makes a 10-string mandolin-scale (slightly long) with oversize body. What intrigues me the most is the glued-on bridge saddle, like a flattop guitar or classical. He says it is brighter and longer sustain. I would guess it is mainly that it has a less thumpy attack, not like a archtop, (mando or guitar). Would be a good match to my solidbody electric, which is Fender-style, with bolt-on neck, no slant and low bridge.
Since I plan to play a fair amount of Bach on it, as well as solo jazz, I like the idea of the flattop sound. I am encouraged to think that its larger body, roughly twice in volume of the maker's folk mandolin, will have a rich low end, and make a 5-string version satisfying.
I have come to believe I don't actually want the doubled strings of mandos, citterns and such. Single allows more left hand expression, mainly vibrato, but bending also. To get decent projection I can use heavier strings than I would on a regular mandolin. And the cleaner picking is better for busy string crossing, I find. Hard to trill a doubled string by hammering on, but I can do it on my 5-string just fine.
Why not guitar? I have spent most of my musical life playing strings tuned in fifths, and just know where a whole lot of notes are. The work I did in recent years learning to play and write jazz on 5-string electric fiddle, and then on viola, translates perfectly, and even gets better on mando.
I can play rock guitar but not anything requiring real proficiency, as I define it. And it's way easier to fly with a mando as carryon.
http://www.folkmandolin.co.uk/index.htm
He makes a 10-string mandolin-scale (slightly long) with oversize body. What intrigues me the most is the glued-on bridge saddle, like a flattop guitar or classical. He says it is brighter and longer sustain. I would guess it is mainly that it has a less thumpy attack, not like a archtop, (mando or guitar). Would be a good match to my solidbody electric, which is Fender-style, with bolt-on neck, no slant and low bridge.
Since I plan to play a fair amount of Bach on it, as well as solo jazz, I like the idea of the flattop sound. I am encouraged to think that its larger body, roughly twice in volume of the maker's folk mandolin, will have a rich low end, and make a 5-string version satisfying.
I have come to believe I don't actually want the doubled strings of mandos, citterns and such. Single allows more left hand expression, mainly vibrato, but bending also. To get decent projection I can use heavier strings than I would on a regular mandolin. And the cleaner picking is better for busy string crossing, I find. Hard to trill a doubled string by hammering on, but I can do it on my 5-string just fine.
Why not guitar? I have spent most of my musical life playing strings tuned in fifths, and just know where a whole lot of notes are. The work I did in recent years learning to play and write jazz on 5-string electric fiddle, and then on viola, translates perfectly, and even gets better on mando.
I can play rock guitar but not anything requiring real proficiency, as I define it. And it's way easier to fly with a mando as carryon.