Jim Williamson
Sep-10-2006, 2:42pm
My father bought a beautiful 12 string mandolin in Naples in the late thirties, and it has recently been restored to excellent condition.
Currently it is set up with the three strings in each set tuned normally. When he bought it however it was tuned with one string an octave out to give a richer sound.
The luthier who restored it had never heard of such an arrangement, but my father would like it set up as originally tuned.
Does anyone know how a mandolin is set up that way? Is the octave higher or lower - or does it differ depending on the string? Which strings should be used - presumably not the same as on the strings tuned normally.
I'd be grateful for any information. My father is 90 passed and likes the instrument but each time it is brought out he clearly hankers after the original setup. I never heard it before the restoration and would like to try it, too.
Currently it is set up with the three strings in each set tuned normally. When he bought it however it was tuned with one string an octave out to give a richer sound.
The luthier who restored it had never heard of such an arrangement, but my father would like it set up as originally tuned.
Does anyone know how a mandolin is set up that way? Is the octave higher or lower - or does it differ depending on the string? Which strings should be used - presumably not the same as on the strings tuned normally.
I'd be grateful for any information. My father is 90 passed and likes the instrument but each time it is brought out he clearly hankers after the original setup. I never heard it before the restoration and would like to try it, too.