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I've had this crazy idea rattling around in my head for a while, and I can't shake it, so I might have to just go for it.
StewMac has their Mini T-style kit in stock at a great price right now. I'm thinking about picking it up, narrowing the neck a bit, dropping a tuner, and setting it up as a five-string mando.
Surely someone on here has tried this already. I'm not that original. What kind of trouble am I in for?
Has anybody figured out a solution for taking the bridge/saddles from 6 to 5?
Jake Wildwood made me up a 5-stringer from a Squier Strat. He drilled holes above & between the existing holes.
Attachment 188166
Can those holes be drilled with a hand drill?
Pretty sure that's what he did.
That's extremely helpful, thank you. The mini-T comes with an ashtray bridge with barrel saddles, but this would allow conversion to rectangular saddles. You don't have any problems with your action or maintaining tension with the base of the saddles raised like this, do you?Quote:
Originally Posted by Seonachan
No problems, other than tuning issues caused by the tremolo, which are not relevant to a Tele.
Great. I really appreciate that feedback.Quote:
Originally Posted by Seonachan
My intention was to tune this up like a mandola with a high e, but I'm worried I won't be able to get there on a 16.3" scale.
You might be interested in this thread:
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...r-kits-on-sale
Did you ever try it? Looks like this scale is about an inch and a half too long for what I'm thinking.Quote:
Originally Posted by Scotter
How about mandola tuning?I drilled 1/8” holes in a bridge plate with a colbalt bit.Hard to line them up exactly.Need a template.
I like the mini les Paul model as an 8 string mandola.Could get the saddles from a 12 string bridge.
I have a mini Les Paul with a 19 inch fretboard. I'm thinking about setting it up for CGDAE - or maybe pitched lower with a capo to bing it to CGDAE. I tried to do this with a high B string once before, but the B string kept snapping.
I have the mini les Paul and made an eight string guitar tuning.it is now a lap steel.photo of it on Jan 26 2020Attachment 188243
The mini les Paul I said could be a mandola is the stewmac kit like the op Tele.The eight string conversion was posted Jan 26 with photo.Was strung withQuote:
Originally Posted by mandolinstew
double octave strings.different scale lengths
I do want to tune it as a mandola, but with a fifth string tuned to high e. It's going to be tough, I suspect, with a 16.3" scale.Quote:
Originally Posted by mandolinstew
I'll probably replace the bridge plate to a through-body model, so I won't have to worry about working around so many existing holes in the back of the bridge, and I can space them out where I want them. Then I'll need to replace the traditional two-string saddles with block saddles, or maybe the more narrow, modern one-string barrel saddles.