Originally Posted by
exfish
I've toyed with the idea of getting a 4-string for doing cross-tuned fiddle tunes. Not really in the budget at the moment. In my research, I've seen some 8-string to 4-string conversions, but they have issues. One is that string spacing gets wonky. More importantly, the bracing and top on a standard mandolin are designed for 8 strings. reducing that to 4 means it's now over-braced, and the strings can't really drive the top. Tone and volume will suffer. It's a good argument for a purpose-built instrument, I'd say.