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Thread: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

  1. #1

    Default 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    I want one of these bad but many people say the 18"scale is too short for GDAE. Anyone try this? Also wondering if the scale is too short for DGBE. I'm just not interested in learning chords for the CGDA tuning.

    Thanks. BB

  2. #2
    Registered User Mandobart's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Too Short? Maybe too long for standard mandolin strings tuned GDAE. I have two OM's with a longer scale tuned GDAE no problems, but using OM strings tuned an octave below mandolin. It's meant for standard CGDA mandola tuning, but I'd bet you could get nickel wound OM gage strings and tune it up GDAE.

  3. #3
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    No, you'd need very heavy strings for the low G, and I bet they'd sound floppy no matter what. CGDA is the way.
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

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  4. #4
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Quote Originally Posted by pekoe1111 View Post
    ...I'm just not interested in learning chords for the CGDA tuning...
    They're the same chord fingerings, they just have different values: e.g. the "D" chord on your mandolin is a "G" chord on the mandola. So you start out doing a lot of "head transposition," but after you get used to playing mandola and mandolin, you don't have to think about it any more -- just comes automatically. If you're considering "guitar" (DGBE) tuning anyway, you're already making it more complicated than CGDA tuning would be.

    Or, go heavy, make an octave mandolin out of it; pretty short scale for an OM, but with beefy strings, might work. Or, get an octave mandolin (there's a couple solid-bodies in the classifieds now, including a Valdez for $750 that looks cool), and avoid dealing with a different tuning altogether.
    Allen Hopkins
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  5. #5

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    i think i tried it with single strings at .050/.040/.026/.015 but i did not like the tone .

  6. #6
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Quote Originally Posted by rico mando View Post
    i think i tried it with single strings at .050/.040/.026/.015 but i did not like the tone .
    .050 isn't close to being heavy enough. I have an OM with a scale of about 20" ... for GDAE tuning I string it .056/.038/.024/.013. To get the right tension at 18" you'd have to go even heavier, probably .060/.042/.028/.016 or thereabouts. I just don't think it will work. There's another thread with a guy asking whether 480 mm is long enough for a mandocello. (It isn't.)
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  7. #7

    Default What Strings Come on the Airline Mandola?

    Mine will get here on Monday and I'm wondering what strings come on it - round or flat? I do want to try the GDAE tuning at least once, so I guess I'll do that with round bronze because that is least expensive - right? Then I'll likely go to flat wounds when I find something I like z(they are more expensive, correct?

    Thanks,

    BB

  8. #8

    Default Re: What Strings Come on the Airline Mandola?

    Quote Originally Posted by pekoe1111 View Post
    I guess I'll do that with round bronze because that is least expensive - right?
    Wrong . bronze is not magnetic. use inexpensive electric guitar strings

  9. #9

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    What do you think of this tuning?

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdQoH...e_gdata_player

  10. #10

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    i did not make it past 2 seconds into the video beforte i had to turn it off

  11. #11

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Oh, c'mon. What's not to love about Banjo Bill?

  12. #12

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Ok, so I'm pretty clueless and can't even read music, so here's a basic question. Someone said playing the same chord shapes just make different chords. So on my mandolin tuned GDAE, here are the shapes I play. Can you tell me what these shapes make in CGDA?

    2002 (D)

    0023 (G)

    0230 (C)

    2200 (A)

    1220 (E)

    0220 (Em)

    4002 (Am)

    2001 (Dm)

    2301 (F)

    4022 (B7?)

    Thanks!

  13. #13

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Oops...

    5200 (Am)

  14. #14
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    On a mandola tuned CGDA:
    2002 = G
    0023 = C
    0230 = F
    2200 = D

    and so on. I'm not going to continue with all the chords, because by now you're recognizing the pattern: it's the "4 chord" of whatever the mandolin fingering produces. In other words: your making a "mandolin D" chord on your mandola. Count up four -- D, E, F (or on the D scale, F#), G. The D chord fingering on the mandolin produces a G chord on the mandola.

    So, "A is D, Am is Dm, F is Bb," so on and so forth. When playing the mandola along with mandolin players, you just have to be aware of the relationship. They're playing a tune in D, you play along using "A" mandolin fingerings, and you're in D too.
    Allen Hopkins
    Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
    Natl Triolian Dobro mando
    Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
    H-O mandolinetto
    Stradolin Vega banjolin
    Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
    Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
    Flatiron 3K OM

  15. #15

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Thanks, Allen!

  16. #16
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Quote Originally Posted by rico mando View Post
    i did not make it past 2 seconds into the video beforte i had to turn it off
    Dude, you have to get one of them hats.

  17. #17
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    That Banjo Bill is one funky dude. The hat was uber cool.
    Chief. Way up North. Gibson 1917 A model with pickup. JL Smith 5 string electric. 1929 National Triolian resonator mandolin with pickup. National RM 1 with pickup. Ovation Applause. Fender FM- 60 E 5 string electric (with juiced pickups). 1950's Gibson EM-200 electric mandolin. 1954 Gibson EM-150 electric mandolin. Custom made "Jett Pink" 5 string electric- Bo Diddley slab style. Jay Roberts Tiny Moore model 5 string electric.

  18. #18

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    i do not have the ears for that hat .

  19. #19

    Default Got the Airline

    Got the Airline the other day and love it so far (my first electric instrument!). Getting used to the new chords (not much of a picker yet). Build quality is nice, action is good out of the box. Bought a Fender Mustang 1 practice amp and am having a ball with the modeling.

    One thing I am finding is the C string is so low that it sounds pretty muddy (obviously when played electric). I find myself staying away from it for some chords because it overwhelms the sound. I figure I just have to mess around with the amp settings.

    This Saturday is its first "public" event - should be fun to see everyone's face when I take it out of the case. Thanks to all for the advice.

    BB

  20. #20
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    What's the gauge on that C string?
    Emando.com: More than you wanted to know about electric mandolins.

    Notorious: My Celtic CD--listen & buy!

    Lyon & Healy • Wood • Thormahlen • Andersen • Bacorn • Yanuziello • Fender • National • Gibson • Franke • Fuchs • Aceto • Three Hungry Pit Bulls

  21. #21

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    No clue on the gauge as it came on the instrument. Wondering if intonation is off. Tuner jumps around a bit when testing at 12th fret, but tuning shows a flat note when fretting the C strings on the second fret.

  22. #22
    Work in Progress Ed Goist's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Does anyone know if the Eastwood Airline Mandola has a radiused fretboard? (The Eastwood website doesn't say).
    BTW, I'm thinking the string gauges recommended to make this a short scale OM would be something like 14-26-38-52. I'd also probably go single strings for the OM (strung like Jeff Bird's EM-200).
    c.1965 Harmony Monterey H410 Mandolin
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  23. #23

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    I have one. It looks like the fretboard is radiused. Nice instrument and lefty too. The string tension in C tuning using the factory strings, whatever they are is not at all tight, so I don't know if a lower tuning would be optimal.

  24. #24
    Work in Progress Ed Goist's Avatar
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    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Mike Robinson of Eastwood Guitars has confirmed for me that the fretboard on the Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola is flat.
    I was very impressed to get such a prompt reply to my query.
    Unfortunately, the flat board takes the instrument out of consideration for me.
    c.1965 Harmony Monterey H410 Mandolin
    "What a long, strange trip it's been..." - Robert Hunter
    "Life is too important to be taken seriously." - Oscar Wilde
    Think Hippie Thoughts...
    Gear: The Current Cast of Characters

  25. #25

    Default Re: 18" Scale Eastwood Airline Electric Mandola - GDAE or DGBE?

    Have you tried a tenor guitar ed? i love mine .i have a goldtone acoustic and a eastwood electric . the fret board is flat on these and the eastwood has a wide neck .

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