Converting a chiquita to 'lectric octave.

**Kid Charlemagne** · Jul-29-2007, 7:32am

So I finally found one on Ebay the other day and got it for a pretty decent price. For those who don't recognize the name, the Erlewine Chiquita is a 19" scale "travel guitar". If you've seen Back to the Future, it's the little weird-looking guitar that Marty McFly uses to blow out the amp at the beginning of the movie.

Anyway, with a scale that short, the thing is begging to see duty as an electric octave. Problem is, I don't quite know the best choice for string gauges. I'm figuring on tuning it in 5ths, starting w/C as the lowest (if possible) and ending on B for the highest. That may be a little low and/or a little high, and I'm open to suggestions as to whether or not that's a good idea.

I know Martin has 4-string sets (GDAE) on emando w/G as a 0.044 and E as a .012. Is there any sense in just going with a .056 for a C string, or will it most likely end up too floppy to be of much use?

Any advice from you veterans would be most welcome.

**Martin Jonas** · Jul-29-2007, 9:08am

Hmm. This electric octave conversion (which I've bought but not received yet) has the same scale length as the chiquita and the seller supplies it with a 13-56 set for GDAE tuning. That sounds pretty heavy to me (I use the same gauges for GDAE on a 17" scale acoustic), but tuned a fifth down I would think it's too floppy. After all, that's the mandocello C, which I think will be difficult on a 19" instrument.

Martin

PS: When you mentioned "chiquita", I thought you were referring to this one...

**mrmando** · Jul-30-2007, 2:14am

I'd suggest FCGDAE if you can find like a .007 for the E string. To get the mandocello C at 19", you'd need a bass string ... like .080-.090.

**Kid Charlemagne** · Jul-31-2007, 4:26am

Not a bad idea, mr. I assume you're suggesting that the F be the same note as the first fret of the ol' guitar? That would be a decent register right there.

Heck, I may break it down to a 5- or 4-string if it looks like 6 is just too much. Although I like the idea of a 6-string-in-5ths instrument, the fact of the matter is that you either end up too high or have to start too low.

EDIT: I just went and fooled around w/PowerTab (which has a handy little note checker thingie) and that tuning would be pretty sweet if I could pull it off. Now, I wonder how likely I am to find a string small enough to get an E5 out of it.

**mandolooter** · Jul-31-2007, 10:41am

Yo Kid, without the doubled strings its basically a electric tenor guitar with a few extra strings and not a "octave mandolin"...2 way different animals tonewise. A 6 string tenor is quite intriguing tho if ya find a way to pull it off! Someone here on the cafe makes electric bridges...maybe getting one of those and stringing it up with double courses would work and ya'd get that true octave sound also. Just a thought...

Either way a sound clip would be nice, ya got my attention with this project!

**Kid Charlemagne** · Jul-31-2007, 6:34pm

I'll make sure to try to record something, 'looter!

I'm not a big fan of the paired-course electrics, to be honest. Both my emandos are 5-strings, after all.

I suppose that's true, though. A guitar-sized instrument tuned in 5ths is closer to a tenor guitar than an octave mandolin. Hadn't considered that.

I'm looking forward to seeing how it ends up sounding, though. If worse comes to worst, I might just leave it as a guitar. But I'm too interested in seeing the potential of an electric tenor guitar in my playing.

I'll let you know how it turns out.

**Kid Charlemagne** · Aug-23-2007, 10:56am

Well, thus far I've experimented a few times with different tunings and found that CGDAEB is possible. The C is definitely too low to do much of anything on, but at the very least if I happen to finger a note on it accidentally it'll not be out of tune with the rest.

Likewise, the B is just a bit on the high side, but it works all right.

I'm still trying to figure out exactly how to fit it into what I play, but I'm enjoying the process. Eventually I'll get to where I can use it how I want to.

**mandroid** · Aug-23-2007, 1:24pm

If the lowest string © is too floppy-heavy consider taking it up an octave. the inversion on chords somewhat soprano uke like,
but the notes will still be there.

**fred d** · Aug-23-2007, 1:41pm

I converted a 3/4 guitar, to a tenor guitar and made it fretless and think it has a wonderful, tone, tuned GDAE and use A glass slide

**Kid Charlemagne** · Aug-24-2007, 4:28am

Originally Posted by (mandroid @ Aug. 23 2007, 14:24)

If the lowest string © is too floppy-heavy consider taking it up an octave. the inversion on chords somewhat soprano uke like,
but the notes will still be there.

It's actually not really all that floppy, surprisingly. Since the Chiquita is so short, the strings are actually a bit on the floppy side when tuned to standard guitar EADGBE. I kept expecting the high E to snap on me when I took it up to B, but it held on all right. The rest of them had no real trouble at all. All in all, I think it benefits from use as a tenor guitar.

I may try your idea for the low C though. I'd been thinking I'd try using it like the 5th string on a banjo, but I really have no idea how the 5th string on a banjo works - it's a drone string, ain't it?

Once I get some recording gear up and running, I may try to record a clip or two. It's got a decent, if somewhat mid-heavy, tone to it.

**mandroid** · Aug-24-2007, 12:36pm

since we are, stepping outside the 'box', the thought of the 1st string , rather than cranked to a brittle-high B,
take it an octave down. 2/2, a whole step, lower than the A, then.

the 4 in the middle for the melodies would be in the ascending
5th's usual relationship, the 2 on the outside something different.
so as I see it as C and D could use the same size string,
the larger G between them,
A and B same size string , thinner E between those 2.

cGd AeB

on my 4 string electrics the thinner strings seem rather invisible in the magnetic field,
and so a weaker signal output.
higher tension and higher pitch would have the vibration nodes not moving far in the magnetic field, either .

'Dola tuning and fatter strings [14" scale] does certainly fix that.

**delsbrother** · Aug-24-2007, 2:32pm

Oooohhh. I'm gonna try some of this stuff on my mini-mosrite guitar! I'd given up on it as a six string/fifths because of horrible intonation issues. Never thought of going reentrant!

**Kid Charlemagne** · Sep-07-2007, 11:40am

Well, the Chiquita is still tuned CGDAEB. All except the C string are quite decent for the most part, particularly when I use the G only occasionally.

I'm going to be using the instrument onstage in about a week, so we'll see how it goes then. Aside from a slightly longer stretch on the fingers, it's surprisingly easy, and I actually really like the deeper tone that I can get from the instrument.

Definitely would be nice to have an instrument intended for this sort of thing with a scale length that wasn't much shorter or longer, but this one is a pretty good substitute, and it looks darn cool, too.

**mandroid** · Sep-07-2007, 12:24pm

the Fan Fret system, I think, would be a benefit on such an instrument.

**Kid Charlemagne** · Sep-07-2007, 12:30pm

Definitely. I hope to get one of these made one day when I'm no longer a poor student.

I don't want to venture into crazy Charlie Hunter territory, but I'd love to have a 6-string in 5ths that was fully useable over the entire fretboard.