View Full Version : Points on Mandos
A.N. Orange
Dec-13-2004, 12:48am
I'm wondering what kind of tonal differences a three-pointed oval hole mando will have vs. a no point oval. Or is it essentially an aesthetic difference? Thanks.
duuuude
Dec-13-2004, 4:15pm
Pretty much just aesthetics.
I would doubt that the extra point makes much difference as it is a small block, and made from mahogany, adds little mass. However, the 3 point mandolin is a larger instrument, some 3/4" longer and 1/2" wider than the typical F-4 instrument. From my experience with the two that I have built, I would say that they have a "deeper" sound...especially noticable in the bass. It seems to be something beyond the big bottom end that the F-4's have.
Hans.
I was reading an article in a back issue of Mandolin World News over the weekend. #In a John Duffey interview he talked about a mandolin (I think that he built - don't have the article handy) with the points being hollow. #He did some experiments with filling the point with fine sand versus the points being empty and comparing the sound. #With empty points it had more bass.
fatt-dad
Dec-14-2004, 9:22pm
HERE (http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.bluegrass.sk/zvonky/images/clanky/duff1.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.bluegrass.sk/zvonky/english/clanky/vivat_seldomscene.html&h=289&w=281&sz=78&tbnid=PomppUVnIqAJ:&tbnh=109&tbnw=106&start=29&prev=/images%3Fq%3Djohn%2Bduffy%26start%3D20%26hl%3Den%2 6lr%3D%26sa%3DN) is a link to a photo of John Duffy playing his home made mandolin. Those are some points! (See the upper photo as the bottom one shows him playing a standard F-style mandolin.
f-d