This is the third go at trying to make the smallest possible mandolin for the traveller. Not quite pocket sized, but it will fit in a suitcase of the size that you can take onto aeroplanes and stow in the overhead. To overcome the obvious lack of an acoustically functioning body I am playing around with cheap piezo cable pickups, an 9V amplifier and a 1.5" speaker that might fit in a computer. That is not quite working as well as I had hoped as yet, but these cheap Chinese piezos mean that lots of experimentation is possible. Having the tuners at the wrong end makes it a lot more balanced. 13" scale and just under 19.5" long. It is mostly one piece of timber with other bits glued or screwed on.
I am coming to the US next month for three weeks and wanted something I could put in my suitcase going into the hold without worrying too much about it, though it could raise a few eyebrows with the X-ray folks.
cheers
Bookmarks