F5 mandolin

[Lane Pryce]

Hey Yall. Anyone know where I can purchase an F5 suitable for a 3 year old? He has a 1/32 size fiddle which he loves but he is showing much more interest in my mandolins. Thanks in advance. Lp #

[Bill James]

I see that Jamie Wiens has built a piccolo mandolin.

Honey...I swear it's for the kid!

[grandmainger]

How about a yukulele?

[mandofiddle]

I got my 2 and a half year old a little guitar made in China when we were down in Puerto Penasco, Mexico. I think we paid $15 for the thing, and he absolutely loves it. Perfect size for him too.

[Tom C]

Just use a mando with just 4 strings for less tension and see what happens.

[Bob A]

My 22 month old grandson loves to strum on an old Greek baglama I bought off ebay. It's a bowlback instrument, with a long neck and small bowl, strung with 3 double courses, tuned Dd aa d'd", so it's basicaly an open tuning. Looks like a miniature bouzouki. Mine happens to be a pretty good one, so the intonation works way up the neck, but he's not interested in that yet.

The strings are exceptionally light. I think any real mandolin has way too much tension for a kid's fingertips. Ukes are nice, with the nylon strings and kid size. Also, Mid-Mo makes a Kid-Mo, which I hear is very nice for the younger set.

[Philip Halcomb]

I bought my 9 mo. old boy a little ukelelelele *or however you spell it* because he started wanting my mandolin when I played. So I gave it to him and he has a ball picking the strings on it. It'll probably be another year before he actually learns a tune ha! Anyway a year two years, I'll post a MP3 when it happens!

[Lane Pryce]

Yeah we have a soprano uke that he calls the ookie-pookie. However he really wants a mando. Lp

[WireBoy]

Its spelled 'ukulele'. #

mahalo