Neat project... I came across a Veillette Avante Gryphon (12 string, 18.5" scale, tuned like guitar with unison courses, ~$1500) review yesterday and it got me to thinking that I might try something in that direction (without spending all that $$$). I just picked up my first mandolin and am simultaneously returning to playing guitar after a long layoff (or, rather, just playing very occasionally and casually for years). I only have so much brain power and am finding the scale patterns for mandolin a little tougher than expected. Maybe I could do my own conversion and tune it like a guitar...
It is a very good idea to use individual tuners. I will do the same for my next OM conversion.
I ave seen some just add two more tuners near the top of the head stock, but does not look pretty.
nice work Garry
My name is Rob, and I am Lord of All Badgers
Tenor Guitars: Acoustic: Mcilroy ASP10T, ‘59 Martin 0-18t. Electric: ‘57 Gibson ETG-150, ‘80s Manson Kestrel
Mandolins: Davidson f5, A5 "Badgerlin".
Bouzouki: Paul Shippey Axe
My band's website
Congratulations.
It looks beautiful, I like the cut away allowing easy access to higher frets.
Can you record and post some tunes ? I just did with my Oscar Smith.
With your string gauges, the string tension calculator gives this:
(click to see larger image)
The A string with 0.020 has very high tension, 30lbs compared to 20lbs for other strings !!!
You may want to use 0.018 to get around 25lbs.
I use the string calculator to figure the string gauges I have to use, it 's a very useful tool, easy to use. However, that's only the starting point, you need to swap out strings that are too tight, or too loose until you get good sound.
On my Jasmine S35 OM, I use 0.042, 0.032, 0.016, 0.012 as they are the A D B E of a guitar string set. But the 0.016 is too slack, 0.018 would be better. Other strings are fine.
Bookmarks