Guitarra or similar styled mandola

[chinatogalway]

I have it in my head to get hold of an OLD Guitarra or similar syled mandola.....I don't want to spend a fortune on it, but I would like a scroll styled ( lisbon syled ), or carved head. This image has stuck in my head for years !

does anyone have one? can anyone point me in a direction of someone selling one. I DON'T WANT A NEW ONE, i have seen some on that auction. I did one a long time back but sold it, but it had a small body.

ANY advice, welcome and any leads to buying one can also contact me privately through my website.

Kieron

[Arto]

This eBay seller (http://stores.ebay.com/FOLKREPS) lists an impressive array of Portuguese instruments and accessories, including mandolas with Portuguese tuners.

Kieron, I DID notice that you were interested in a used instrument, not a new one, but I thought this site could be of interest to somebody. I think a while ago somebody was interested about where to find Portuguese style tuning machines (available here, too). I don´t know too much about the quality of instruments this guy is selling, I only bought some guitarra fingerpicks, but the communication was friendly and shipping fast.

Arto

[Paul Hostetter]

Their string loopwinder is essential if you play these instruments. And the double-looped strings are the Achilles heel as well.

Kieron, you refer to it as a mandola, and there are mandolas in this Portuguese body style, but the guitarra is usually tuned l-h: D, A, B, E, A, B. And it's hard to adapt anything with six courses to mandolin-brain.

The fancy gears and scroll are really gonna cost ya. The outfit Arto refers to sells a mandola of indeterminate scale with a standard headstock for $200 and one with the fancy headstock for $580. Don't you think that's a lot of extra loot for a decorative element?

[chinatogalway]

Well, yes it is not worth paying so much for a fancy head alone, but i had read that these guitarras were really not that popular these days and that especially the older ones, had been sold for very little.

I did own one of those mandola ones but the body is very small, but not a rich enough tone. I have a few old recordings on Andy Irvine playing his guitarra that has a wonderful tone. He used to actually play a 12 string, but only put on 8 strings. Same withthe waldzither as he removed the 9th string............the idea was to find an old one and cheap.


john pearse sells the string winders here (http://www.jpstrings.com/braccess.htm#Wizard)

Thanks for the advice Paul much appreciated

K

[Paul Hostetter]

Are you interested in a guitarra or a mandola? They are different instruments. And as elsewhere, mandolins and mandolas are different in size and tuning. If the one you was "very small, but not a rich enough tone" (typical for this design), maybe it was a mandolin and not a mandola? In any case, I'd never judge an instrument's basic sound based on a recording.

John Pearse and others sell that loop-making gizmo, but the Portuguese guys sell theirs for half the price.

[kww]

Paul Hostetter: it's hard to adapt anything with six courses to mandolin-brain.

True, but adapting a 6x2 instrument into a 4x3 configuration should only be a new nut and saddle. Pretty small modification, and mandolin or mandola tuning becomes feasible very quickly.

[Jim Garber]

Ron Fernandez (http://www.fernandezmusic.com/Port.%20Guitarra%20For%20Sale.html) imports and sells new ones.

An unusual old one
here (http://www.ga-usa.com/cglists/pcg.htm).

Jim

[Martin Jonas]

You may already know this, Kieron, but the higher levels of Boehm waldzither also had the carved scroll head, as well as very elegant inlaid scratchplates (the plainer ones have the Portuguese tuners but no scroll). There was a lovely one for sale on Ebay UK about half a year ago, which went for around 350 Pounds. It's the tone and functionality of the waldzither, but much of the visuals of the guitarra.

Martin

[chinatogalway]

It is funny you mention the C style waldzither that was on ebay , I was bidding on that and on the last day of the auction got food poisioning and spent 43 days in hospital............i REALLY wanted that.........now I have learnt how to use the high bid function, but yes one of those would be more than perfect !

[Paul Hostetter]

So it seems you're really into the young Andy Irvine look and less concerned about the actual instrument, particularly whether it's a guitarra or a mandola? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

[chinatogalway]

I never said I was in to HIS LOOK........If i wanted to do that i would need to grow some hair !

, i said I would like to find an old instrument that looks like that, as I have an early recording at this time and the sound of the instrument is superb.....I see the best way to find that sound,is to find that or very similar instrument. Isn't that the same as people hunting down old gibson f5's to try and sound like Monroe??

The fact that Andy took a guitarra and strung it up with 8 strings.......what would you call that? A mandola, a guitarra....I don't care too much for all these different instrument nmes, I was simply trying to locate an old instrument and the picture would help.

Thanks for all advice much appreciated.

I may have a mandolin sized guitarra for $150, if anyone has a bigger version I would love to hear from you

Kieron

[PseudoCelt]

Kieron,

There's a restored 1939 Coimbra-style giutarra with a scroll head for sale on eb*y.co.uk. It looks like it has a bigger body and a longer scale than the Lisbon models and could be a good size for mandola-type tuning. Starting bid is £195.

It says UK only, but it might be negotiable.

Link:

<a href="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Portuguese-fado-guitar-guitarra-1939-fully-restored_W0QQitemZ250049563325QQihZ015QQcategor

yZ10179QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem" target="_blank">http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Portugu....iewItem</a>

I've always kinda fancied one of these too (no doubt the Andy Irvine influence).

Patrick

[PseudoCelt]

Just noticed it says worldwide shipping, not just UK. Doh!

Patrick

[lucho]

kieron: better try out some laud tuning in perfect fourths if your guitarra is coimbra style and if it is the shorter lisboa style better try with different strings and get an alicate (plier) toi set the string with preston fan style tuning sytem.. you could check what I do with it at some of the links at http://festivalpo.blogspot.com/2006....as.html (http://festivalpo.blogspot.com/2006/07/hispanic-citterns-in-americas.html)
You could try out mandola tunings with a new tricordia mandriola setting filing the the nut and bridge but you might need to change the lower string courses....

salu2,

[chinatogalway]

thanks salu2,
sadly blogspots are BANNED in china, so I can not open your blog......sounds perfect for what I am looking for though

thanks again

KIERON

[lucho]

The longer Coimbra style guitarras have 47 to 49 cm. SL, whereas Lisboa style guitarras are only 44 cm. SL. therefore the longer scale guitarras are more alike spanish laud (46 to 48 cm SL). Therefore, you could use those string sets too if you are thing something like GDAEA.

[lucho]

the fado guitars have octave courses for the lower string whereas the laud uses unison courses all the way.... the tricky part is..... you will need alicates (plies) to set the strings for the guitarra.....