4 String Slide-Mando

[Zemper]

I tried playing some "slide mando" and it had a really cool sound to it.... I tried it on my el cheapo kentucky A style, with 4 strings on, and it was a lot of fun. Its nice because of the small scale because all the notes are close together. Its also cool because of the mandolins are tuned to the 5th rather than the guitars 4th.....

I have been thinking about picking up a vintage Fender Mandocaster, and now I really want to since I started using this slide technique. My question though, is has anyone played a mandocaster? Aside from the 4 strings, how do they sound? I bet it would sound cool with a slide thrown on there...

Also Im going to a luthier school in two months and wanted to build a 8 string neck with a Fender paddle style headstock.... I dont think the original bridge would work, but I'll see what I can fab..... Any thoughts?
Thanks, Adam Aftab

[jim simpson]

Zemper,
You can pick up a current Fender electric (5-string) for little cash ($300 or less). They sound good and you'd save a bit of cash (Hey, I just saved a lot of money on my car insurance) Sorry!
I tried the 8 string and the 5 string electrics and found the twin string amplified tuning frequencies too anoying. I also found the C string on the 5 string to sound wimpy but you could just leave it off.
Jim

[Zemper]

Yeah good point, I have one of the early Fender FM 8 strings, and I really like the feel of it, but it has to be in perfect tune to sound good. But I tell you what, when its in tune its a great mando for the money....

I just figured the early Mandocasters would have that vintage fender sound, kinda like comparing a korean strat to a pre cbs..... Any thoughts?

[thistle3585]

Sam Bush took four strings of his National and plays slide with it. Sounds incredible. I think its tuned to an open D. Last time I saw him, he played some Hendrix on it.

[Lee]

A very decent poor man's alternative to the "mandocaster" is a 4 or 5-string BlueStar MandoBlaster. Elderly carries them and you'll frequently see them used too.

[mrmando]

I guess the question is whether you have 1600 spare bucks lying around. The action on the Mandocaster is pretty low, ain't it? -- and wouldn't you want higher action for slide? Maybe you should look into a Kentucky KM300 or Mandobird.

[Jeffers]

Yes, experimented briefly with slide. Having never played guitar and never tried playing slide before I was very pleasantly surprised. Not actually used it yet but there are some cool "riffs" to be found I'm sure!

5 string mandos: While an extra string would be handy for melody and double stops, doesn't it make it a lot harder to play chords? Do you have to only hit four strings most of the time? Is this a big adjustment to make to your playing? Always wondered. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[mandroid]

The johnson resonators ought to do the trick, new 400, 500 with engraving, and there is a lower cost copy of the gibson 6 string mando-guitar for open tunings just like lap steels,.
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[Yellowmandolin]

I played one of the new fender 5 string e-mandos. The C was a real pain and the neck size was kinda weird too. I guess it has its uses, I just wouldn't want it.

[Zemper]

ya youre definetly right, it has its uses, but its not for me either.... I found a mandocaster for 1200, trying to get them to go to 1000....If not I'll forget about it for now, but thanks for all the feedback you guys are always the most helpful people out.....

[Dennis Schubert]

What little I know about slide mandolin is an extension of bottleneck guitar playing. IMHO, if you are going to commit this mando to slide only, use heavier strings -- so they won't "bottom out" as easily -- and slightly raised action, but not too high to play fretted notes. Suggested tunings:

OPEN A: AEAE or "Black Mountain Rag" (bottom to top)with the 5th note on the first string open, root on the 5th fret. OPEN G, or GDGD, is an obvious variant.

OPEN D: ADAD (bottom to top) with the root note on the first string. Can be raised to BEBE or lowered to GCGC as the song requires, and as string gages permit. Might be a bit easier to start with, as the melody lays out nicely on the first string.

Neither tuning has an open 3rd so they can sound ambiguously major or minor as required. Closer intervals than these 4th & 5ths will probably require special string gages to even out string tension.

[mandroid]

several of the older wood body dobro mandolins i've seen / played; were so badly in need of a neck reset, bottle neck was the only as-is use for them.
oh well,
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[Yellowmandolin]

Isn't Sam Bush's slide mando a dobro mandolin. His problem was that the bridge was way out, so he just raised the action super high. He plays it like a slide guitar, though.

[mandroid]

with a flat neck-angle on those, thats the #choice; cut down the bridge, and the clearance below the strings to the coverplate becomes small.
or take the neck off and reset it to a playing angle. #
or, choose door #3 and put a taller nut on it and use a steel/bottleneck.
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