Search:

If by "dots" you mean standard notation, then I'm in a similar place with the mandolin. I find the notation to be easier to sight read and to gain a broader understanding of the piece of music. The...

Here is an easy solution. The Tef file is a Tabledit file I created from the OP's post. One way to get the counting is to type the notation into a tef file for playback. Turn on the metronome so you...

Wagon Wheel doesn't fit the style of the jam you were leading - a bluegrass jam. I would shout the word Bluegrass, but I'm beginning to realize the we live in a genre confused world. Folks play...

Hard to say without seeing the 1918 and watching you play both, but my general recommendation would be to put mediums on the A9 to get the most from it, and to put lights on the 1918 to protect it. I...

For me, most often the purpose of measuring strings is to determine what gauge is on an instrument, i.e. medium, light, some fancy mix, something unusual, etc, so I can replace them with a similar...

I use a micrometer to check strings. I think it happens regularly that some strings measure slightly less in decimal places than specified. For instance, if I'm looking for a .024, I'll sometimes get...

This has been an ongoing debate in my band for the past year. I play bluegrass style upright bass (1963 Kay), but not in my bluegrass band. When I play in other bluegrass groups, I think in terms of:...

I buy a $5.00 PreVal sprayer at Home Depot and spray 3 mist coats of Zinser Sealcoat for the sealer. The Zinser is wax free and I think it is approx. a 1 lb. cut. I add just a little Grain Alcohol...

Just my 2 cents. Getting control of D-U alternate picking on the mandolin is a must. It helps keep you in time with most music and keeps you out of trouble with knowing where you are and where you...

Saddle height does make a difference in volume and a tonal difference in conjunction with the rest of the set up and how you play. Measure your current action at the 12th fret, then raise the saddle...

I'll argue against. Just my 2 cents. A completely loose or slack truss rod is an invitation to rattling and buzzing sounds inside your neck. Some builders plane a fret board with a slack truss rod,...

I don't know if Eddie Turner was a Cafe member, but I know there are friends of his here due to the prized custom mandolins he played. He started a gospel bluegrass band in 1977, and he played...

I like "self-guided". I have had one formal mandolin lesson and one formal guitar lesson, both group lessons from the same teacher back in 2009. I had played the guitar as an amateur,...

No mandolin content, but this has had me occupied for the past 6 months. Ready for oil varnish.

209065 209066 209067

I used fish glue on the most recent one I repaired. Easy clean up, no marring of the Martin finish, and it appears to be holding quite well after a few months.

I don't agree that the Paganoni is "not collectable". In any event, it is a top tier mandolin even with the substantial surgery, and it deserves to be protected. That said, it's yours so you can...

Very nice!

A couple of observations. I saw an interview with Dickey Betts recorded in the early '80s. He was asked what happened to Southern Rock; why did it disappear. He said it is alive and well in...

Measure the hole carefully. Millimeters. As Mike indicated, Stew Mac has pearl dots. Look here to see the sizes. They will get you on the shipping. You may have to sand down the thickness a little.

It's a shame that you confessed this error publicly, as the penalty appears to be drawing and quartering. However, you described the exact reason to carry a capo and the exact circumstance in which...

Three thoughts:

1. The very first interpretation of any song is the melody you hear in your head when you try to sing it. Attempting to sing it or hum it is essential. Then find those very notes...

No disrespect for the beautiful instruments in this thread. Clearing off my bench is my main motivation to build an instrument. It gets like this very quickly after a build or repair. Well, not...

The blues are in the mandolin. Problem is the mandolin has such a happy voice. Bill Monroe's (and others') blues always sound so happy to my ear. There are a few Grisman bluegrass tabs on the...

The big change that I see is that basically anything now can be called bluegrass if the players include a banjo and a mandolin. The traditional bluegrass style of rhythm is no longer required.

Yeah, I thought it was going to be the CF. I now foresee many hours in Home Depot tapping on PVC to find the woodiest tone.