bowlback with triple course strings

**billkilpatrick** · Jun-03-2004, 1:53am

for 'dem 'dats got, there's a beautiful - though pricey - catania mandolin with triple courses up for auction on ebay italia: MANDOLINO CARMELO CATANIA Numero oggetto: 3727283631

the seller is in florence and does not want to send the instrument via the post. if one of you in the good ol' usa (or extra continental) wants to buy it, i will be more than happy to pick it up for you and keep it snug as a porverbial bug at my house till you arrive in sunny italy for that long awaited holiday...

no need to hurry.

ciao - bill

**Jim Garber** · Jun-03-2004, 4:11am

If you think that an 8 string is trouble, wait until you try 12. I never quite understood the concept except as a feeble attempt to increase the volume or as a strumming instrument fort backup chords.

Jim

**Eugene** · Jun-03-2004, 9:38am

Like Jim says, these go for rich, chordal voices, but I find them remarkably lacking in dexterity. Oscar Schmidt in Jersey City made a ream of the things in the early 20th c. Entry-level junk far outweighs quality stuff in the 12-string-in-4-course-mandolin department.

**billkilpatrick** · Jun-03-2004, 10:40am

well!....

i want you to know i'm mighty disappointed in you(se). here i go and offer a totally sefless, purely altruistic...da da-da... to go all the way up to firenze (what a chore!...what a slog!...) to ensure that you've spent your money properly and cart (lug?...) something all the way back to my humble abode to hold in safe-keeping for...oh, i don't know....years maybe?... and all i get is a lot of highly informed flak from a couple of nagging nabogs of negativism.

(this offer will be repeated at odd intervals whenever i see something available here abouts that i want to hav...that you simply shouldn't be without.)

humph - bill

**Jim Garber** · Jun-03-2004, 11:01am

Bill:
I am so sorry to offend you. In that case, Eugene and I will do penance and buy up all the 12 string mandolins in Firenze and then come visit you to pick them up. The two of us will commence to tuning them one by one and play Lara's theme in your honor.

Thanks for the extremely generous offer. #

Jim

PS I will also bring my quadruply-strung charango to go with it.

**Eugene** · Jun-03-2004, 11:18am

Oops...sorry, bill. If you're really into slog, please don't let my old-man-like rant stop you from enjoying a trip to Firenze to pick up a 12-stringer. Sure, I'd be happy to visit you and do penance...but buying any 12-stringer is pushing it. Can I just say a few Lord's prayers and "Hail Mary"s instead?