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View Full Version : 14.5 inches too long for an emando?



krishna
May-18-2005, 5:50pm
Just wondering what the players of Schwab E Mandolins think. How was the transition to this length when you got the mando? Would you have prefered to have it 14.0? Are there any other big makers with this scale for emandolins? Thanks for any replies...Kerry...Also,what does Kevin do for neck reinforcement? This question comes after reading the thread in the repair section on Carbon Fiber reinforcement instead of truss rods. Very informative for anyone building these...

johnwalser
May-18-2005, 6:16pm
My Schwab 4 string is 14.5", my two Fs are 13 7/8" and my Banjo Mandolin is 13 1/2". I barely notice a difference when making the transition from one instrument to the other. It really isn't that much difference in finger stretch and the brain seems to adjust quite easily. The 14.5" just gives GREAT sustain for me.
John

berkeleymando
May-19-2005, 12:02pm
I intially had a Schwab five string with the 14.5" scale - I liked it a lot. However, at present I have a four string MLS model Schwab with the 13.75" scale which feels more familiar when switching from my acoustic. The longer scale was good, just different and it did have unbelieveable sustain.

Lee
May-19-2005, 12:36pm
The switch is not a problem. The longer scale really does help the low string vibrate better IMHO.
Typically the emando is strung with lighter gauger slinkier strings than an acoustic so the neck is plenty stering without the truss.

mrmando
May-19-2005, 1:01pm
14.5" is the scale on my Yanuziello 8-string and it's barely noticeable.

krishna
May-19-2005, 1:50pm
Lee, are all three of those yours? They look amazing! #So they must be older ones because Kevin is just useing Bartolinis now, right? Also, are you saying in your post that there is no truss rod? MrMando, 2 questions...do you have any postable photos of your mando, and from your knowledge of your emando site, are there a lot of makers useing both truss rods and carbon fiber?

mrmando
May-19-2005, 4:44pm
Well, there are no postable photos of my particular Yanuziello mando. There are plenty of photos of me playing it, but I was naked when they were taken. There is a photo of a very similar mando at emando.com.

I don't know of any maker using both truss rods and carbon fibers. They use one or the other. Most handmade mandos over $1,000 will have some type of neck reinforcement.

Lee
May-19-2005, 4:49pm
Aw shucks, yep, all mine.
The one on the left is very old, before serial numbers. It's also #a very thick body and weighs a ton, though I think it sustains better than the other two. The middle one is #68 (I think). It's the one I bought first, sight unseen, from Elderly. Pre-internet. I tracked down the builder at Hoffman Guitars and I'm told #his brother started building these first, and he got into it later after the first brother bowed out. #These all have Seymour Duncan humbuckers. It took a few tries before SD got the windings to meet the Schwabs satisfaction, then they ordered a bunch. #After they were all used up, the switch was made to the Bartolini's. No, I don't believe he uses a truss or any other neck reinforcement system, though I may be wrong. They've remained dead true.
The 4-string on the right was purchased last but still bears a two-digit serial number. #It's the "Standard" model with a solid ash body instead of maple with top veneers as on the other two "Deluxes". #Personally, I like the solid ash body more so than the other two, mostly because with no binding the edges are much more rounded and comfortable. #The middle one gets the most use and the tuners need replacing. Plus I left it in a hot car once and the foam inside the case stuck to headstock and looks nasty. Not sure how to remove that. #Now I always wrap them in a piece of old bedsheet to keep the finish away from the foam.
I play them plugged straight into a good tube amp. #A B1uesboy or vintage Champ for growl. #For cleaner tones a Holland Lobo (Deluxe Reverb clone) or Top Hat Club Royale for the EL84 thing. No pedals or effects, though an octave pedal is fun ocasionally. And I play into an old Ampeg GU-12 which has the greatest reverb and tremolo.
It's amazing how some tube amps react differently with the neck/bridge pick-ups in tapped/untapped configurations. Some amps have definate preferences and provide a wide array of tones. Some amps all sound the same.

krishna
May-21-2005, 4:50am
Lee, I got an email from Kevin. He puts truss rods in all his instruments. The neck has to come off to adjust them, and he says to his knowledge,no one ever has. He has never used Carbon Fiber. If you ask about the foam thing in REPAIR section, I'm sure Sunburst,or some such luminary would be able to talk you through it...Thanks for all the info...Kerry