What's that instrument Tim O'Brien is playing?

[grandmainger]

http://www.acousticguitar.com/Media_Files/People/Artists%20and%20Faculty/TimOBrienAG160-300-0306.jpg

It's from the article currently linked from the cafe's front page. link here... (http://www.acousticguitar.com/article/160/160,6876,FEATURE-1.asp)

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Germain

[Jim Garber]

Nugget octave mandolin based on twenties L5 guitar.

Jim

[bradeinhorn]

to be slightly more speicific:

"People ask about this instrument all the time. People think it's an old guitar converted to a mando thing, but it's really another triumph by Mike Kemnitzer of Nugget mandolins. Nugget wanted to make me either a mandola or an arched top guitar, so I said, "Hey, let's combine those ideas into an octave mandolin/bouzouki!" He finished it in 1989. It was an experiment that worked , and I don't know how I ever played music without this thing. I has four pairs of two strings like a mandolin. I tune it, low strings to high, thusly - gG / dD / AA / EE. (Cap letters mean an octave below a normal mando and the lower case letters mean the same octave as a mando, i.e., it has a twelve string guitar effect on the lower two pairs.) The pattern is a slightly shrunken version of the prewar Gibson L-5, ala Mother Maybell Carter. It has a satin finish that gives it a vintage look."

[grandmainger]

Thanks for the info. It looks lovely. Interesting tuning too... I wonder what strings he uses on the g and d.. Does he just "stretch" the G and D?

[chuck.naill]

Eastman makes these mandocello's now.

There is never a loss for new instruments to learn to play. Now I "need" one of these to.

Chuck http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[steve V. johnson]

Chuck wrote, "Eastman makes these mandocello's now."

Awwwwwww.... Now I'm excited.

I'm off to look for Eastman's version!

stv

[JEStanek]

Eastman has a prototype out on it... Go to Eastman website (http://www.eastmanmusiccompany.com/) then the forum, mandolin forum, Mandocello page. Not sure when normal production on these will happen.
Photo from their page (linking didn't work..)
Jamie

[Jim M.]

I wonder what strings he uses on the g and d.. Does he just "stretch" the G and D?
No, if you string in octaves you have to use a thinner string for the higher note, which can lead to intonation problems because the bridge is compensated for the thicker strings.

Also, Bill Bussman makes a great archtop, guitar-shaped octave mandolin (GOM). I have one, and it's definitely a keeper.

Here's one that belongs to a Cafe member. It's a blond like mine:
http://image14.webshots.com/14/5/65/62/174556562DWaoqu_ph.jpg

[amowry]

Also, mandocellos are tuned a fifth lower than octave mandolins, so the Eastman instrument may be a different beast. I haven't looked at the specs to see how big it is, but octaves seem to work pretty well when they are around 14" at the lower bout.

[grandmainger]

I wonder what strings he uses on the g and d.. Does he just "stretch" the G and D?
No, if you string in octaves you have to use a thinner string for the higher note, which can lead to intonation problems because the bridge is compensated for the thicker strings.
That's what I thought... I wonder where he gets regular GD mandolin strings in that sort of length though...

[Fuzzyway]

Can't tell by looking at Tim's Nugget whether it accepts ball end strings or not, but Bill Bussmans oldwave GOM's use regular guitar ball ends strings.

Tim O's Nugget definitely inspired me to get one of Bills, and I'm not a bit sorry.

Best, Fuzzy

[Jim M.]

I wonder where he gets regular GD mandolin strings in that sort of length though...
I don't know what Tim uses, but I use a variety of guitar strings.