CervenySatek
Mar-15-2005, 10:42am
Does anyone out there know what it is?
Steve L
Mar-15-2005, 10:47am
My old Oliver Ditson/Martin is 13 1/8"
Paul Hostetter
Mar-15-2005, 11:58am
The Martin A and a few of their other mandolins such as the Style 15 and Style 20s had that remarkably standard 13+" Neapolitan scale (which is also the standard violin scale). Martin's official specs called it a simple 13" but of course by the time you adjust for compensation, the actual string length is longer. Gibsons (and a couple of special Martin mandolins, the 2-20 and the 2-30) are one long fret longer. In other words, capo the Gibson at the first fret and you have the Neapolitan scale.
I never understood why Gibson extended the mandolin scale to such good effect, yet shortened the standard mandola and mandocello scales from their average counterparts in other mandolin and violin families.
Here's a Martin 2-20. Yes, the bridge is in the right place. (I know - eek!)
http://users.bestweb.net/~rgamusic/Instruments/Art/14_Martin.jpg