New garrison om

[John Hill]

I just came into possession of a very lightly used Garrison OM-20. Cedar top w/birch back & sides, 20.5" scale which is very comfortable for my hands and an easy transition from mandolin.

I can't really weigh in on the tone because the strings that it came with are shot and I'll have to see if I can snag a set somewhere (oh Steilberg Strings...hello!) tomorrow to do a full fledge test run. So far it seems warm & open, more for chords than fast melodies but we'll see.

Ideally I'd like to dig around & see if Thomastik has a set to fit the scale, love those flatwounds! Anyone else have a preference for strings at that short scale? I might try Otterly2k's string guage recommendation (see, I've searched) that end in "4" since she has a 20.5" scale also.

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

[steve V. johnson]

Wow, John, congrats!

The emergence of a rare Garrison! Coool.

Enjoy,

stv

[Richard Russell]

I used to own a Garrison Octave. Thomastiks were the perfect string for the one I had, the OM-4. They were on it when I bought it, so I'm not even sure which ones they were. Great sound. Not loud, but a warm, rich sound.

[John Hill]

I'll check with Juststrings.com to see if they recommend the Thomastik octave mandola's for the scale length. Glad to see that TI's were used on a Garrison OM before.

You never know when a quick perusal through Craigslist will payoff.

[JEStanek]

In this thread (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=16;t=50780) MDW is using the mandola strings on a 20.5" scale Trinity College OM with no nut/bridge modification.

Also, those Garrisons are a pretty rare find. I've never seen any decent photos of one, could you post a few pics, please?

Thanks and enjoy it.

Jamie

[John Hill]

Let's see if this works:

[John Hill]

Pic of the front:

[John Hill]

Soundhole:

[John Hill]

Headstock:

[John Hill]

One last pic of the birch back:

[John Hill]

Thanks for verifying the TI's on the short scale Jamie.

[Steve L]

This is the first good look I've had at a Garrison. They look pretty nice.

[JEStanek]

John... Not verifying the TIs on the 20.5 scale...
In that linked thread MDW put D'Addario Mandola strings on not TIs.

MDW Wrote:

I've been searching around for a good set of strings for my 20" scale Trinity College Octave. The D'Addario J-80 were the heaviest I could find but they never seemed quite heavy enough for my taste and the G string (.46) seemed floppy. The other brands were even lighter. After checking the string tension I tried a set of D'Addario J-76 Mandola strings (.52 C (tuned up to G) string) but these were too heavy and difficult to fret even though the neck and top handled the heavier load. This week I strung up with a set of J-72 light mandola strings (.49 heaviest string diameter). What a difference! The J-72's on the 20 inch scale, tuned GDAE, feel nearly perfect. They have good tension, rich tone, louder/rounder tone, and are still playable. These are it for me until Mandohack develops a set of Jazzmando flatwounds for the octave.
____

That Garrison really looks nice. #I hope since Gibson acquired them they'll become more available.

Jamie

[John Hill]

Thanks again...I obviously didn't read the link! Looks like it's off to FQMS to pick up some J-72's.

[otterly2k]

With the TI's, you have to be careful - the top section is wound with thread, and you have to make sure that the non coated section will clear the nut. I looked into it at one point for my OM, and came to the conclusion that it would not work b/c of the distance from tp to nut. So make sure to measure that -

[JEStanek]

Probably a similar issue with Ted's JazzDola strings... Those are e-mail questions away from having answers.

Jamie

[John Hill]

I checked with Ted and he says the Jazzdola strings are for 16-17" scales & won't work on the octave. I do have a fresh set of J-72's and they sound very nice. I think the previous owner had a weird amalgamation of string types on when I got it! Having the wound A string makes a world of difference in tone & feel.

So far so good. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[scgc.om]

Never knew that Garrison made OMs . . . looks pretty nice.

Questions: 1) does it have the patented Garrison internal bracing (carbon fibre??)?; 2) is the bridge a bit skewed - to be shorter scale length on treble (not bass) side.; 3) how much $ - wondering if it's in my price range.

Lastly, you mastered the art of posting pictures - how about some sound clips . . . ?

cheers

[John Hill]

1. It does have the Garrison carbon fiber bracing.

2. The bridge is a bit skewed but frankly it was shipped that way (I bought it used) so I don't know if it came from the factory like that. I'm going to take it to a pro for a set up eventually & I'll have a definite answer to the location. It sounds great so it's probable that it's supposed to be like that.

3. I do have a podcast page & I'll let you know when I have something recorded with the OM. Recorded with the new awesome V-Picks.

[Richard Russell]

My experience with my Garrison was that the TIs were PERFECT for it! I once tried the D'Addario J80s (I think thats right?) and they were terribly jangly and the sweet voice was lost. I quickly switched back! I just put the old set back on. I think whatever you can do to find the heavier guage strings that sound right to you is the way to go. Building up your own set by trial and error may be the best. If I had kept the Garrison, I would have simply stayed w/ the TIs. They were absolutely the most perfect string I have ever had experience with. The stock tuners on these Garrisons are economy tuners, yet, the TIs really locked into tune, and I rarely had to tune much at all! And the tone was so pure from the TIs. Worth every penny paid. I bought the Octave from Frank Russell who posts on the cafe actively. You may want to PM him and ask which set he put on when he bought them. They were perfect in length, the thread wrapped area was exactly where it should be above the nut.

[MandoSquirrel]

Make sure you try the RIGHT T-I's; Elderly says of the 164 set,"The strings are 30.5" (78cm) long, 20" (51cm) between silked ends. The head-end silk covers about 9" of wire and the silk may extend back past the nut." I have those on a 16" scale 'Dola, & the silk on the shorter C string almost clears the nut.
Under Mandola, Just Strings lists the 174, which apparently is the size for Octave mandolin, or over 16 inch scale 'dolas..

[Newtdude]

Hi John -- Gosh, what a lovely instrument!!! I particularly like the grain on the cedar top.

[John Hill]

Thanks skuchta it is a pretty instrument. I do have a sound clip recorded but my podcast isn't uploading it after 4 attempts so I'll have to check out other options. So far the J-72's seem to be doing an excellent job and if I had one complaint about the Garrison is that the action is a touch high for my tastes and I'll have it set up eventually but I'm pleased with it overall.

[AW Meyer]

Not meant to be a highjack, but did you know that Garrison has been bought out by everyone's favourite company, Gibson?
http://www.gibson.com/allacce....ion%20o (http://www.gibson.com/allaccessFeatures.aspx?aliaspath=/AllAccess/Gibson%20Announces%20Acquisition%20o)

[John Hill]

Not meant to be a highjack, but did you know that Garrison has been bought out by everyone's favourite company, Gibson?
http://www.gibson.com/allacce....ion%20o (http://www.gibson.com/allaccessFeatures.aspx?aliaspath=/AllAccess/Gibson%20Announces%20Acquisition%20o)
Yeah, that was discussed in this thread. (http://www.mandolincafe.net/cgi-bin/ikonboard.cgi?act=ST;f=12;t=45158;hl=garrison)