New family of e-mandos?

[mrmando]

Some of you old timers might remember Alex Gregory's Pentasystem instruments: a high-end 5-string mandolin, mandola, octave mandolin and mandocello, all based on the Fender Mandocaster and Stratocaster designs. Great instruments, but they ended up being too expensive for most of us mortals, and none were produced beyond the initial run of 72.

Well, comes another builder whom I won't name at the moment, trying to reinvent that particular wheel: Standard 14-inch 4-string mandolin (GDAE); 17-inch 5-string (CGDAE), 22.5-inch octave (GDAEB) and 25.5-inch cello (CGDAE).

Apart from the fact that the 17-inch instrument will never work because there isn't a string made that won't break when you try to tune it up to E at 17 inches and play it, what else do you notice in this photo that looks a little fishy?

[Tom Wright]

Photo looks fine, and the maker is mentioned in the photo filename.

I would guess the toggle switch chooses between magnetic and piezo pickups.

I don't understand the point of a 17" scale 5-string. For the sake of one string the others become a much bigger reach, forgoing the facility of the short mandolin scale.

[mrmando]

Photo looks fine

Nope. Look closer.

and the maker is mentioned in the photo filename.

Come on, don't give it away...

[Tom Wright]

Fret markers are non-standard, 9th instead of 10th fret.

Odd that only the octave mando has a fixed bridge.

[mrmando]

Good eye, but there's something else.

[Jess L.]

Good eye, but there's something else.

Too many knobs for only one pickup?

Not enough tuners? Would need more tuners *if* these are supposed to be double-strung instrument...

I dunno. I'm just guessing.

[MANNDOLINS]

Photoshopped...all except last one have same top

[Jess L.]

Photoshopped...all except last one have same top

Good catch. But... if the pictures represent prototypes that haven't actually been built yet, it could be forgivable to do such a digital mockup of what they'd look like... ? Need more info I guess...

[mrmando]

Jonathan nailed it!

But yeah, except for the 4-string, they're not represented as available instruments on the builder's site.

[thistle3585]

I missed the photo shop but I was going to say that the headstock on the first one is backwards compared to the others.

[MANNDOLINS]

I'm a winner...I'm a winner!! What'd I win...what'd I win!?!?

[Mandobart]

I use a pair of .0095 dadario's for the E's on my 17" 10 stringer. I have used .010's but they sometimes have snapped in play.

[mrmando]

I use a pair of .0095 dadario's for the E's on my 17" 10 stringer. I have used .010's but they sometimes have snapped in play.

.0095 works really well for me at about 15 inches. The old Kent and Kingston electrics were about 16 inches and it's really hard to find an E string for them that won't break, be it .009 or .010. It's a bit like playing a cheese slicer. I imagine the 17-inch experience would be even more difficult.