Tone deaf solid bodies

[rimspoke]

AT LONG LAST I AM MAKING MUSIC ON A TONE DEAF MANDOLIN .

THIS HAS BEEN A 2 1/2 YEAR PROCESS . I HAVE DABBLED IN LUTHURY SINCE THE
1970's BUT ALL OF MY PREVIOUS INSTRUMENTS HAVE BEEN ACOUSTICS .

THE TONE DEAF DESIGN IS AN ATTEMPT TO APPLY LES PAUL GUITAR PRINCIPLES TO
THE MANDOLIN .

THIS INCLUDES THE CARVED MAPLE TOP / MAHOGANY BODY , RADIUS FINGERBOARD , TWO HUMBUCKER PICKUPS , TUNE-O-MATIC BRIDGE AND A STOP TAILPIECE . IT EVEN USES THE SAME KIND OF NECK JOINT .

THE BODY SHAPE WAS DERIVED FROM THE GIBSON EM-200 FLORENTINE WHILE THE
HEADSTOCK IS A MODIFIED SNAKE HEAD .

#001 HAS CREME BINDING , HONDURAS MAHOGANY BODY , BARDEN TWO-TONE PICKUPS , GRAINED IVROID TUNER KNOBS AND ABOLONE FINGERBOARD INLAYS .
#002 HAS BLACK BINDING , AFRICAN MAHOGANY BODY , LOLLAR / BARDEN PICKUPS , STOCK GROVER TUNER KNOBS AND MOP FINGERBOARD INLAYS .

THE TUNE-O-MATIC BRIDGE , STOP TAILPIECE AND NUT WERE MACHINED FROM
STAINLESS STOCK AND POLISHED .

THESE GUYS WERE CORED OUT BEFORE ASSEMBLY BUT ARE STILL PRETTY HEAVY .
THEY ARE VERY SOLIDLY BUILT AND HAVE REMARKABLE SUSTAIN .

THE CASES WERE MADE FROM BREEDLOVE CASES THAT WERE GUTTED AND THE INSIDES REDONE TO FIT THE TONE DEAF SHAPE . I LIKE THE EMERALD GREEN LINING .

THESE CAN POSITIVELY SCREAM THROUGH AN AMP ! IT's A BIT SHRILL . I PLAN TO
CHANGE THE VOLUME POTS TO 250k IN AN ATTEMPT TO MELLOW IT OUT .
I MAY END UP PUTTING A LOLLAR PICKUP IN #001 AS WELL . ( IT's A JAZZ PICKUP )

I AM STILL LEARNING HOW TO OPERATE THIS THING . WE HAVE OUR FIRST OUTDOOR CONCERT NEXT SATURDAY . I'M NOT SURE WHAT TO EXPECT .

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae254/rimspoke-photos/?action=view&current=100_2521.jpg&newest=1

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae254/rimspoke-photos/?action=view&current=100_2567.jpg&newest=1

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae254/rimspoke-photos/?action=view&current=100_2524.jpg&newest=1

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae254/rimspoke-photos/?action=view&current=100_2566.jpg&newest=1

[Mike Bunting]

You may be tone deaf but most of us aren't deaf, how about using lower case. (Upper case is the equivalent of yelling in the digital world.) :)

[rimspoke]

No matter how many times i hear it , i can't find anyone who knows who made up that rule .

Besides , everyone likes a loud mandolin .

[Frank Silver]

Nice work ! - Yes, you could lose the upper case.

[rico mando]

i really like the work you did on the bridge. the rest is awesome as well but i like how you have paid attention to every detail and have made an authentic mandolin with all mandolin appropriate parts

[Dfyngravity]

That is one great looking e-mando. If you aren't taking orders yet you might get ready too as I am sure there are a few people around that would love to get there hands on that.

[rimspoke]

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae254/rimspoke-photos/?action=view&current=100_2521.jpg&newest=1

[nobullmando74]

You may be tone deaf but most of us aren't deaf, how about using lower case. (Upper case is the equivalent of yelling in the digital world.) :)
:))

[Ben Milne]

nice looking instruments... well done.

have you been taking progress pics along the way? If so I'd love to see a thread (perhaps in the electrics forum) with progress shots along the way... the chambered body is intriguing particularly.
any insights into why you've used a stainless nut? do you think that this may contribute to the shrill sound?

Also are the strings you've used on the lower courses phosphor bronze? (maybe some nickel strings would help achieve a more balanced response)

Is there any reasoning behind the method you've used string the instrument with regards to the tuners? I would think it would only serve to confuse using the layout shown in your pictures.


oh and yes, lay off the all caps...

[rimspoke]

I DID POST SOME CONSTRUCTION PICTURES IN THE E-MANDO SECTION BUT
THE ARCHIVES DON'T SEEM TO GO BACK THAT FAR .

THE WHOLE THING IS EXPERIMENTAL . THE CHAMBERING WAS DONE ON A MILLING MACHINE TO THE BODY SECTION . IT IDEA WAS MOSTLY TO CUT DOWN ON WEIGHT .
IT ALSO PROVIDES PASSAGES FOR THE WIRING AND ALL SUCH AREAS WERE LINED
WITH COPPER FOIL TAPE BEFORE ASSEMBLY .

THERE IS A LARGE NON FUNCTIONAL CHAMBER IN THE UPPER BOUT THE CONTAINS A $2 BILL , HIDDEN FOR ALL ETERNITY OR UNTIL SOME FUTURE ARCHAEOLOGIST X-RAYS THE THING .

THE STAINLESS NUT WAS DONE TO MATCH THE STAINLESS BRIDGE . PERHAPS IT DOES MAKE IT BRIGHTER . IT's AN ODD DESIGN WITH A TAB ON IT THAT HOLDS THE TRUSS ROD COVER .

THE CROSSED STRINGS IS ONE OF MY OWN PECULIARITIES . I STARTED DOING THIS WITH MY 12 STRING GUITAR AND MANDOLIN BACK IN THE LATE 70's .
THE TOP STRING IN EACH PAIR GOES TO A TOP TUNER AND THE BOTTOM STRINGS
GO TO THE BOTTOM . THERE IS A REASONING TO THIS MADNESS .

THE #001 MANDOLIN IS MINE BUT THE #002 MANDO IS MY SON'S & HE STRINGS HIS INSTRUMENTS CONVENTIONALLY .

THE STRINGS ARE PHOSPHOR BRONZE . THE NICKEL WOULD STRINGS SOUND LIKE A GOOD SUGGESTION . FOR NOW , WE ARE WAITING ON SOME 250k POTS THAT I
THINK WILL HELP WITH THE SOUND . THE #002 WILL BE WIRED WITH THEM SO I WILL BE ABLE TO MAKE A DIRECT COMPARISON BETWEEN THE TWO .

IF I LIKE WHAT I HEAR , THE #001 WILL GET THEM TOO . I MAY CHANGE OVER TO THE LOLLAR PICKUP AS WELL . IF THAT HAPPENS , I WILL MAKE LITTLE STAINLESS COVERS
FOR THE BARDEN PICKUPS THAT WILL MAKE THEM MORE CLOSELY RESEMBLE THE LOLLARS .

THE ALL CAPS HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY WAY OF DOING THINGS . KIND OF LIKE THE CROSSED STRINGS . I'M DOING IT NOW BUT I THINK THAT HAVE FINALLY FOUND
AN EDITING ROBOT THAT CAN DEFEAT ME .

[Steve Sorensen]

Nice work. Very cool and attractive.
Too bad your numbering system looks like the way big makers mark refurbished seconds.

PS - I agree with the previous posts -- The all caps thing is really dopey . . . there is a fine line between unique and screaming for attention. Based on the quality of your work, I think you might back away from that line.

Steve

[Jim MacDaniel]

WOW! NICE LOOKING MANDOLIN!!!

(ooops -- sorry, I caught myself yelling over the din of this thread ;) )

[Pen]

Nice looking pix. Not sure about the details behind the instrument. I just can't bring myself to read all caps content.

[Dfyngravity]

I don't know, I think that mandolin looks great. Writing in all caps, what's the big deal? So far I haven't read anything in the posting guidelines about writing in all caps. I can read in all caps just as well as all lower cases. If that's your thing, that's cool with me. Soon you will just be known as the guy who writes in all caps, makes really cool looking e-mandos and everything will be fine :mandosmiley:.

[delsbrother]

In my experience, people using all caps often just don't know how to type. Depending on their age, it may or may not be a skill they want to pick up. The bad part is many people won't bother to wade through the formatting to read the message. For example, I find it very hard to read all caps so I don't know if any of this pertains to the OP. YMMV. Thankfully, there were pictures!

Nice mandolins, in any case! :)

[John Gardinsky]

Never mind the typing skills and those that police them. You did a fine job on those e-mandos.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Those are fine looking instruments by any standard. Given that the weight of the body is more than that of a standard 'hollow-bodied' arch-top instrument,did you consider using Mini-Schaller,Guitar style tuners.
I feel that as good as the 'best' may be,Mandolin tuners are way behind the ease & functionallity of their Guitar counterparts. I have Schaller 'standard' tuners on my Guitar & they're as easy to tune as could ever be wished for & they don't slip.
Re.typeing in capitals - i sometimes use caps.for emphasis,but more often i use either 'bold' or 'italics' these days. If somebody wishes to use all caps.,then they're not neccessarilly 'shouting'. I can live with it,
Ivan

[rimspoke]

THE TUNERS ON BOTH OF THE TONE DEAF MANDOLINS ARE GROVER MINI TUNERS .
THE ONES YOU SEE HERE ON #001 HAVE GRAINED IVEROID BUTTONS MACHINED TO FIT THE GROVERS .

http://s977.photobucket.com/albums/ae254/rimspoke-photos/?action=view&current=100_2525.jpg&newest=1

MY MAIN ACOUSTIC IS A 1916 GIBSON A-1 THAT I HAVE CHANGED OVER TO SCHALLER 18:1 PLATE TUNERS .

[Eric Hanson]

Consciously choosing not to follow this thread any longer due to all caps.

[Jim MacDaniel]

Again, I really like your design -- the world needs more two-point emandos. :mandosmiley:

Not meaning to belabour the all-caps sub-topic, but while interpreting all-caps as shouting is arguable, paragraphs of all-caps does in fact decreases their readability. We typically read by recognizing word shapes, or groups of word shapes, and using all-caps in effect reshapes words into a solid block shape, forcing readers to read each individual letter. As a result, reading speed is markedly decreased, and thre reader's eyes have to work harder. (Related article at adobe.com (http://www.adobe.com/devnet/livecycle/articles/graph_effective_form_design_02.html); plus an abstract of a related study from 1946 here (http://psycnet.apa.org/index.cfm?fa=buy.optionToBuy&id=1947-00703-001&CFID=8057077&CFTOKEN=90732385).)

[Randi Gormley]

Actually, we were taught in journalism school that when you are preparing radio copy, you use all caps. probably for the reasons jim gave above -- it slows you down and forces you to see what you're looking at. The way to cure that in a forum is to take off the caps lock key.
i'm not knowledgeable about e-mandos. I had one that I didn't like, but it wasn't particularly good. One thing that i do remember about it was it was very heavy, and i wondered if a hollow body instrument would be lighter. is the weight of an e-mando part of its charm or a problem?

[Paul F]

When we read, we recognize words in part by the 'shape' of the word (the length, balance of upper and lower case letters, etc.), and not by the order of letters alone. This means that when we use all upper caps, it is actually harder to read because we lose those cues. This can be demonstrated experimentally. So writing in all caps is not just a stylistic thing, it is less friendly to your readers.

[JeffD]

I have not seen the crossed strings like that. Beyond how cool it looks, is there further justification for this? Accoustic advantages, string tension and breakage? Less retuning?


Beautiful.

[Soundfarmer Pete]

ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! (shhhhhh)!
I think Rimspoke could sell the odd bridge/tailpiece set (and I`d be first in the queue).
CheeryBye