More "Woody" Sound

[Ben Somerville]

Hey guys,
I have an eastman 515, and I'm looking to make the tone more woody. Would that be something that I could easily achieve? (get new strings, picks, bridge, etc.) Or is that something I can't fix without getting a new mando. I love my eastman, but it's not quite as woody as I would like.

Thanks!

-Ben

[Tim2723]

You might try flat-wound strings. They give my mandolin a very mellow, woody kind of sound.

[wildpikr]

Also, maybe try a different pick [type, thickness, shape, etc. which is discussed ad nauseum in other threads]. Experiment with right hand position, how hard you play, etc. Hope this helps...

[Rob Gerety]

Two good ideas, I used flatwounds on mt Eastman - they were great.

[Jim Broyles]

Actual woodiness comes from the...wood... that your mandolin is made from. If it doesn't sound woody enough for you now, it will likely not sound woody enough for you after you change every possible changeable thing on it. You can make it darker with flats and rounder, thicker picks, but woody - if it's not there now it probably won't ever be.

[Tim2723]

It all depends on what we mean by 'woody'. Strings and picks are cheap enough to try.

[SternART]

Be careful it is a slippery slope.........MAS could set in.

[sachmo63]

Don't try to fight it, sell that sucka and buy yourself something that sounds like you want it to sound............

LOL

[Ben Somerville]

Actual woodiness comes from the...wood... that your mandolin is made from. If it doesn't sound woody enough for you now, it will likely not sound woody enough for you after you change every possible changeable thing on it. You can make it darker with flats and rounder, thicker picks, but woody - if it's not there now it probably won't ever be.

Yeah that's kinda what I thought. I'll try the flats though. Are there any particular brands that anyone would recommend?

Thanks!

[Ed Goist]

Actual woodiness comes from the...wood... that your mandolin is made from. If it doesn't sound woody enough for you now, it will likely not sound woody enough for you after you change every possible changeable thing on it. You can make it darker with flats and rounder, thicker picks, but woody - if it's not there now it probably won't ever be.

Here is an alternate interpretation: 'Woddy' is the opposite of 'Tinny' or 'Metallic'. Hence, anything that makes a mandolin sound less tinny, makes it sound more woody.

I'd say that this interpretation is what leads some to recommend changing strings and/or picks to get the desired effect.

[Jim Broyles]

Well, I had an Eastman 515, and it was a great sounding mandolin. It just didn't sound very "bluegrass" to my ears. It had a more modern mandolin sound - clear, sustain, etc., etc. Nothing I did made it sound like I wanted it to sound. So I sold it. My current mandolin sounds "woody." A cast tailpiece, a Tone-Gard and and an armrest have made it more playable and louder, but "woody" was built in.

Ben - try the LaBella JM11's from JazzMando. Least costly of the flats I have heard of.

[Ed Goist]

Jim, I'd say that you are basically correct. If the woddiness isn't there to begin with, all one can do is make the mandolin as 'non-tinny' as possible, but this can only go so far.
Eliminating 'tinniness' gets you some of the way there, but for the mandolin to truly sound 'Woody' it needs to be in the wood and craftsmanship.
This is a neat thread.

[JEStanek]

Here's a direct link to the JazzMando.com JM11 Strings (http://jazzmando.com/jazzmando_jm11_flatwound_strings.shtml). I like the sound of them on my mandolins. Plus they last a lot longer (2-4x) than J74s.

Jamie

[Tavy]

I put TI stark strings on my Eastman 504 - and it definitely mellows out the tone - helps to bring out the sound of the mandolin rather than the sound of the strings :)

I also like a good stiff pick - again it gives a more positive sound, and less "twang".

Oh and the TI's last forever, which is just as well considering the price!

[Jon Hall]

Other strings that might produce that tone are GHS Silk and Bronze or GHS Silk and Steel.

[Willie Poole]

Ben, try picking the strings right over the extension of the fingerboard, that usually makes a less tinny sound, if you don`t have an extension just move your hand closer to the fingerboard and play and see what happens.....Willie

[Ben Somerville]

Thanks guys,
Jim, I agree with you that the eastmans tend to sound more modern. What kind of mando did you get that had that more woody sound?

I do use a stiff pick, and usually play over the fingerboard, so I'm not sure I can get much farther, but I'll try the flats and see where I get.

-Ben

[Rob Gerety]

What kind of mando did you get that had that more woody sound?

Can't speak for Jim - but - think old and think Gibson.

[Ben Somerville]

Oh and I forgot to ask... I was looking at those JazzMando strings and it said they were for jazz/classical. I'm in a bluegrass/gospel band with six other members. Will flatwound strings cut through that big of a band?

[Ben Somerville]

Can't speak for Jim - but - think old and think Gibson.

I don't think I'll be able to afford one of those any time soon! I played a Morgan Monroe once and it had a good woody sound. Does anyone own one of these?

[Jim Broyles]

My mandolin cost me $269.00 and when they were being closed out they were as low as $179.00. I am referring to a Fullerton Gloucester. If you can find one, scoop it up. My other mandolin was almost three times the price new, and It has great tone but it is not nearly as loud as the Gloucester. That one is a Washburn. Play as many as you can and buy one which sounds like you want. FYI, and FWIW, when I got my Washburn it had the JM-11's on it. As soon as I put GHS Silk & Bronze it came to life. But try them. It's cheaper than a new mandolin.

[Ben Somerville]

My mandolin cost me $269.00 and when they were being closed out they were as low as $179.00. I am referring to a Fullerton Gloucester. If you can find one, scoop it up. My other mandolin was almost three times the price new, and It has great tone but it is not nearly as loud as the Gloucester. That one is a Washburn. Play as many as you can and buy one which sounds like you want. FYI, and FWIW, when I got my Washburn it had the JM-11's on it. As soon as I put GHS Silk & Bronze it came to life. But try them. It's cheaper than a new mandolin.

Thanks,
So did you like the tone of the Gloucester better than the Eastman?

[Steve Ostrander]

I like the high-end Kentucky mandos (km900, km1000, km1500) Quite woody and have good volume. They run from about $900 up, new, so they are a good value as well. (NFI)

[Jim Broyles]

Thanks,
So did you like the tone of the Gloucester better than the Eastman?

Not for nothin', but what has this thread been about:confused:Yes, that's why I brought it up.

[Mandolin Mick]

Your best bet is to make sure that it's played in ... then it'll open up and sound woody ... ;)

[man dough nollij]

You might try some Sam Bush monel strings. They seem to have a quicker decay, which sounds more BG to me.

[Ben Somerville]

You might try some Sam Bush monel strings. They seem to have a quicker decay, which sounds more BG to me.

Thanks, I'll experiment around with strings and picks.

[mandolinplucker]

Without going broke buying boutique picks for 15 to 30 bucks try a few different picks. I have found that different pics result in very different sounds. I found picks like gibson thick or fender thick picks sound bright. The other end of the scale is golden gate or dog picks. They have a darker mellower sound. Then there is the shape of the pick. A rounder tip isn't as bright as a pointed one. Then there is the angle of the pick in relation to the string. If you hold the pick 90 degrees to the direction of the strings you will get a brighter sound than if hold the pick at a slight angle. This also helps me to smooth out my tremolo. This is all from my personal experience but I think you will be surprised at the difference. As mentioned before, if that is a new mandolin, it needs to be played before it will develop its sound. I have been disappointed with each of the mandolins that I have made. They have had to be played for a few months to open up and sound loud and mellow. That all being said sometimes the mandolin is a dog. I have a high end morgan monroe that was, is, and always be a dog. You can change tailpieces, bridges, tuners, nuts, ect on a dog and you still have a dog.

[mandroid]

Guthrie or Harrelson ?

[i-vibe]

Oh and I forgot to ask... I was looking at those JazzMando strings and it said they were for jazz/classical. I'm in a bluegrass/gospel band with six other members. Will flatwound strings cut through that big of a band?

i've seen folks on here say they have no problem getting sufficient volume w flats....i've seen some say they play in loud BG groups and have no problem being heard.....both causing me to wonder "wow, what kind of loud#@@ mandos do THESE folks have?!?!!?!!"

....because i've tried them on a few of my different mandos, and as much as i dig the tone and LOVE the feel....i've always noticed a very signifigant drop in volume.

these days the only mando i use flats on is my old ac/el KAY that pretty much never leaves it's case unless it's plugged in.

as is always the case....ymmv.

[Cheryl Watson]

I've never played an Eastman that sounded "woody" to my ears but the flatwound strings idea just might work to tone down the brightness. You will also loose cut and volume to some extent.

[re simmers]

Work on striking the strings with pick completely flat.....not turned towards the edge (except when chopping). Herschel's instructional DVD explains this real well.

Also, a heavier pick, at least 1.12, and the pick should not be shiny and smooth. The pick should be a flat finish.

Experiment and see where it sounds the most woody; start close to the bridge and move up until you hear wood!

That's just what has helped me or..........maybe it's just because I believe it. ~o)

Bob