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What a fascinating thread! When I think of ragtime, players like Rev. Gary Davis or Blind Blake come to mind more readily than Scott Joplin (although his compositions are outstanding, to be sure). ...

Well, it's a small, specific thin but it's proved to be a great tip -- how to wind strings when changing them. I learned here to wrap the string around the post and then pass it through the hole in...

Another vote for the LS-10. I've gotten excellent results using it with a mini-tripod. It's rugged, compact, versatile, and the recording quality is excellent.

This may sound odd but I had this issue once and eventually realized that the callus on my finger was sufficiently asymmetrical to push one string in the pair more aggressively than the other,...

What I've found works well is to put some cardboard baffles in with the peanuts. That way, separate sections filled with peanuts are sort of walled off and the case can't shift so that it ends up...

Most bowlbacks have tailpieces that have a raised ridge stamped into them. So, of you look at the butt end, mandolin face down, the tailpiece has a flat section that comes to a decorative point...

Late to the party, I realize. The comment about neck angle is important. My Martin 0-17T needed a reset and benefited enormously from it. As most of you probably know, a neck reset isn't...

Tenor banjo: GDAE. Tenor guitar:DGBE. I don't play much tenor anymore but when I was playing Irish dance music on tenor guitar, I found the Chicago tuning to make the stretches a lot easier. My...

Bob Shane of the Kingston Trio also played tenor and ukulele before taking up six-string. Although Nick had a Martin 0-18T signature model in his honor, on the earliest recordings, he actually used...

Very nice!

Dan -- I haven't and I've actually wondered the same thing. I would assume a spruce top would be louder than all-mahogany but would lack that earthy mahogany tone. Mine isn't a particularly loud...

I have a Regal equivalent of the one in the classifieds. The fact that the action and intonation are good is a big plus. Those are often problems on these things. I remember a salesman at Gruhn's...

My '45 Martin 0-17T has an ebony rod in the neck. I guess it was built before the war-imposed restrictions on metal use were lifted. I've had the neck reset due to geometry changes but the neck...

I really like the early Vega mandolins. They have a very sweet tone and are well-built instruments. I often find that I prefer the tone of the mahogany to the rosewood examples, actually, despite...

Round number -- thirty, already?

Happy birthday!

That's not a Howe-Orme. American Conservatory is a Washburn line.

Something in the neighborhood of 14 7/8" is normal for these mandolas, while the mandolins run around 13 1/8". When this one with a 14" scale showed up, it puzzled folks, and it still does. I don't...

Turns out it is in the database: #H-140, which actually makes it a mandola (although Howe-Orme mandolas aren't much bigger than modern mandolins and this one is recorded as having a 14" scale).

Robertr: What's the serial number on yours? I don't think I've seen this one before and I'd like to add it to my database.

All we can say with confidence is that they're not carved, although some replicas have been made with carved tops. I would assume that they're steamed and then put into a mold. If they were heated...

I agree with Jim. The domed top accommodates a lot more string tension and generates a lot more tone. Other guitar-shaped mandolins lack this advantage.

The neck joints are mortise and tenon and...

Very nice mandolin. It's hard to find examples in good shape. Most eventually need a neck reset, so it's nice to find one that's already had the work done. Most people who haven't heard one of...

Schertler

A 1917 F4 should have the fancy Handel inlaid tuner buttons, which were gone some time in 1918. If it has those, it's likely a 1917 or earlier model. There are other details that might narrow the...

I have a teens Gibson oval hole and a L&H from the 20's and have compared their tone. The L&H has a replacement neck with ebony reinforcement but the body is original. I don't think the neck...