Ivroid

[Rick Schmidlin]

Does it effect sound http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[sunburst]

Nope.

[Mandolusional]

Maybe it does if the binding constricts the size of the F-holes. I read an interview with Doyle Lawson who mentioned the sound of the bound sound holes and their size on his Gibson signature model.

[Frank Ford]

That's right - the size of f-holes has a well documented effect on tone. #The smaller the hole, the lower the pitch of the resonant air.

Note, for example, the size hole Gibson used on the Tenor Lute (the body and tuning are same as mandola) - much smaller and narrower than on the mandolin, in an effort to coax that low C out of a relatively small body.

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Museum/Mandolin/Gibson/TenorLute/TLViews/tl3.jpg

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Museum/Mandolin/Gibson/23Loar72052/23Loar72052Views/1923loar7205207.jpg

[sunburst]

Yes, I thought someone might bring that up, but it wasn't really the question.
If you make the F-holes smaller it can affect the sound, but it will affect it the same whether you make them smaller with ivoroid, wood, white plastic, tortoise plastic, etc.. Similarly, if the holes stay the same size but are bound with ivoroid, white plastic, tortoise plastic, etc., the type of binding will not affect the sound.

[david blair]

Makes it sound just like a plastic elephant.

Thanks for the photos Mr Ford. But dang you! Now I have T-LuteAS. Is that a 20" scale?

It's always interesting to me that archtop guitars have seemingly narrow soundholes compared to a mandolin, for instance. I kinda thought that for some it was plan "B" after making the holes to big.