View Full Version : c.1915 Leland Piccolo Mandolin 10 1/4" scale!
Jake Wildwood
May-11-2011, 6:01pm
Hey folks, finally finished up this sweet little fella... very loud, very rich, and surprisingly deep and sparkly tone. I love it, as I knew I would... :D
Can't wait for the local jam this weekend to try it out, as it'll be a great counterpoint to another mando player who's been coming recently. It's pretty ridiculous but stretches from the 1st to the 9th fret are very fast and don't need a position change...!
Here's a link to the full blog post with lots more photos:
http://antebelluminstruments.blogspot.com/2011/05/c1915-leland-piccolo-mandolin.html
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Sound clip will be on the way in a little bit. It's amazing.
crazymandolinist
May-11-2011, 8:41pm
I love that. Are there sound files? Not sure there are many available for piccolos.....
Jill McAuley
May-12-2011, 12:34am
Definitely looking forward to hearing that one - nice job on it Jake!
Cheers,
Jill
Wooo-ah, what a crazy little thing :)
Love to know what these sound like!
Jim Garber
May-12-2011, 12:19pm
While we are waiting for Jake to make his recording I had recorded my Leland piccolo here (http://paperclipdesign.com/piccolomando/piccolo03.mp3).
There was some discussion about it on this thread (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?3852-Piccolo-Mandolins&).
Jim, that's one nice sounding instrument - I'm not quite sure what one would do with such an instrument - but it's an appealing idea for sure ;)
Paul Busman
May-13-2011, 5:00am
Does it make that G chord pinky stretch any easier? ;-)
Jake Wildwood
May-13-2011, 9:56am
Recording done!
Tavy: It's great for playing in the high bits of a standard fingerboard continuously (ie, when you're trying to cut in the higher register over other instruments while playing at the same time... I find myself doing this a lot in jams). It also lets one play in C with some lovely drone opportunities, without having to go to a lower tone (mandola).
Paul: I'd let you know if I had a useful pinky on the left hand to do one with! All three-finger chords for me... :D ...strangely enough chords don't feel as cramped as they should be, though the 1st position E shape (1220) isn't so nice.
Here's the clip:
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Jim Garber
May-13-2011, 10:04am
The funny thing about these little guys: I find it harder to get used to the shorter scale than, say a longer mandola scale, for some reason.
Nice playing and nice sound, Jake!
bratsche
May-13-2011, 11:06am
Nice tone (and playing)! I'd never heard one of these before. I thought they'd be much harsher, less mellow sounding, somehow.
Jim, I don't find that odd (or "funny") at all! I have trouble getting used to a 13" bowlback scale. I don't think I could even play one of these piccolo thingies! But then, mandola scales are the norm that I'm used to.
bratsche
SHORTY
May-13-2011, 11:07am
I really enjoy the piccolo sound. Is the scale as a standard mandolin?
Jake Wildwood
May-13-2011, 11:59am
Shorty: nope, shorter -- 10 1/4" -- I'm using 28w, 22w, 12, 08 strings on it, but it could probably do with something like 34w, 24w, 14, 10 -- this one happens to have a long-sunken top so I don't want to cause any more trouble with it. Strings feel great save the C maybe could go to a 30w pair.
Jim/Bratsche: I agree -- a little difficult to get used to playing it. I'm having to look at it so I don't over-shoot at the moment. Mandola and up is definitely easier to get used to as I think it's easier to compensate for under-shooting vs. over-shooting, especially if one's used to playing guitar or tenor banjo.
Lovely recording job as ever Jake!
OK I'm sold... ;)
Jake Wildwood
May-14-2011, 3:17pm
I had a bunch of fun with it at today's jam in the shop -- it takes a little bit getting my head around not trying to think of the chord shapes being mandolin-pitch chords, though -- but for hanging around playing tremolo and little fills for long periods of time in the same range as the higher bits of a regular mandolin... this thing rocks.
I'm totally hoarding this fella. :D