View Full Version : Tone questions
OK, after hanging around here a few weeks--as long as I've had a mandolin--I know that bluegrass players prize volume and bark. The thing is, I like bluegrass, but I'm not really planning to play much--about 75% of what I've been playing with since I've had a mandolin is early Bob Dylan stuff (get the chords, then look for some melody parts, maybe nice run from one chord to another, that sort of thing.) (side note: I've been the worst guitar player in the Northern Hemisphere for nearly 30 years now; realized I was bored with guitar and tried a mando after hearing "Cadillac <something>" playing near here recently.)
Now, I'm not going to be doing much playing with other folks, and when I do, it's not going to be much more than minimal bluegrass. I *think* that what I want in my next mandolin is sweet balanced tone, and a clarity of notes--but volume and "bark" aren't important to me. (I've GOT a mandolin I love playing <thanks, Fatt-Dad!>, a Fender electric-acoustic sort of like a Thinline Telecaster, and it's great, but I think I'd like having a little more acoustic volume on tap also.)
So--WHAT am I looking for in a mandolin? How does one describe it? Are there some brands or types that are particularly suited to my needs?
Many thanks! From Ken, the OTHER newbie in Raleigh NC.
(PS, if Dr. Dale reads this msg, I've got a funny pain in my left shoulder when I go like THIS--what should I do?) ;-)
[I]
Phantoj
Oct-06-2004, 2:56pm
Sounds to me like you're looking for a model with a round or oval soundhole... a more mellow tone but still plenty of volume.
...but then, I'm just a newbie, too.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wow.gif
I think you're right. Depending what your budget is.........well, that about says all.
"I've got a funny pain in my left shoulder when I go like THIS"
A common complaint by players of Pacific rim instruments due to the skinny flat fretboard. The gross contorting of the fingers & wrist place rotational strain & misalignment of both the shoulder & rotator cuff. This tends to increase both with age & in severity & there is no known cure. On the bright side most player's (as you've discovered) soon find themselves in the throws of M.A.S.......& tend to move up to a better instrument & find great relief.
As an aside you'll find the community at large most forgiving & acknowledging in your plight as they themselves have been there...
That will be $75
# #Thank You# # Dr. Dale #Board Certified BS Specialist
If you'd like an appointment to discuss the merits of tone please schedule another visit with the cashier/receptionist.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif
As an aside you'll find the community at large most forgiving & acknowledging in your plight as they themselves have been there...
My names GVD I'm a mandoholic
GVD
Eric F.
Oct-06-2004, 6:13pm
Hey AC4RD, how much do you want to spend? I think you want an oval hole, too. Though I have to say a Breedlove Quartz with f holes might just be the instument for you. Clarity and balance galore, at least in the one I used to own.
"I've got a funny pain in my left shoulder when I go like THIS"
A common complaint by players of Pacific rim instruments due to the skinny flat fretboard. The gross contorting of the fingers & wrist place rotational strain ...
If you'd like an appointment to discuss the merits of tone please schedule another visit with the cashier/receptionist.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif
My regular doctor just says, "Well, then, don't DO that!" ;-) Thanks to all for the input! --Ken
johnwalser
Oct-07-2004, 6:07am
Because of my eclectic taste in music, I need to work at developing a richer tone and sustain from my mandolins. Mandolins seem to respond greatly to changes in tailpieces, strings, bridges and even nut material. For my jazz, ragtime, Broadway, 60s rock, classical, Cole Porter, Gershwin and other odd mix of things I like to play, the following items are what I'm happy with at the moment. Allen tailpieces, Tone Guards, Sullivan bridges, Thomastik Infield strings and bone nut material and trying various set ups until I hear "The Sound" I have in my head. I have a 30 year old Epiphone 2 point oval hole that finally, after a full year, I got to make "my" sound. But, I also have an F hole scroll that makes "my" sound in spades. Now for that electric sound, I have a Schwab 4 string playing through a PX4 into a Polytone Mega Brute that does very nicely. Hope some of this might be helpful,
John