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Hi all. I recently bought (rather impulsively) a used Gold Tone octave. It's about 22.5 scale. I'm finding it easier to play than I'd expected but I'm also wondering about capoing it at the second fret and then tuning it gdae. It seems to me that since there are 20" octaves this ought to work ok. The strings on it are old and flabby and don't work well capoed so I'm going to get new ones. But just wondered if anyone had any thoughts.
Yes, I’ve done exactly that; my previous OM has a similar scale length to yours and I found it a stretch so capped at the second fret. My current one has a 20” scale and the manufacturer recommends 014/.022w/.032w/.045w which work well. I’m guessing if you tuned FCGD and capoed at the second fret they would seem similar - or use a string calculator for a more precise result.
Strings are like tires: you WILL need new ones. With benign finger chemistry, I get maybe 10,000 miles of driving for each set of strings. Heck, many pros change strings for each show, and some of us hackers change strings more often than we fill the tankQuote:
Originally Posted by Cary Fagan
The side benefit is that (most) strings are cheap, so it's not overly expensive to experiment w/ different gauges. Juststrings.com and/or Stringsandbeyond.com should make it easy to mix & match.
I play a 22.5" scale Weber OM, and I've thought about doing this. Maybe not now, but I'm not getting any younger, and my hands get sore after playing enough faster tunes. It's an idea I'm sort of keeping in reserve for the future.
My current strings are a D'Addario EJ80 set with a heavier string on top -- .013, .022w, .032w, .046w. Tuning down to FCGD, I would probably start with something like .014, .024w, .036w, .048w and adjust as needed. Maybe a little heavier on the bottom, because the .046 at full scale could use some beefing up.
Keep in mind that you may lose a little sustain with a capo at the second fret, compared to open strings at the same pitch. Heavier strings will help compensate, but there is still a relationship between scale length and sustain. The effect may or may not be noticeable, depending on how your instrument is built. This is why I'm putting off the idea as long as possible, until my hands really can't handle the stretch. I love the sustain on this OM.
Thanks all for the quick responses. I found some EJ80s in my string box so I'll try them first. I'm not sure if I want to stay with the capo, but figure I'll try it. And this octave has more than enough resonance to spare some.
i would recommend the John Pearce strings, imo much much better than D'Addario, but try what you have and see...
Have you found a good capo?
I'm so tempted to do this with my Weber A style, but I feel like it will be admitting I can't handle the Octave I bought, hah. I do get better tone capo'ed up 2 strings, but I might be fine with just more practice. Tempting.
Nothing wrong with using a capo. In fact it is a great way to get mandola tuning on your octave mandolinQuote:
Originally Posted by danostrowski
I know a guitar player who is doing that.
I do it myself on my electric TG, which is a modified traveller guitar, and which I use for practising abroad in a scale length as close to the one of my OM as possible.
So, it's perfectly legal.
Yeah, but turning it into a Mandola is a specific purpose, I just feel like it's kind of a handicap to capo it for easier playing and I might as well see if I can stretch my fingers with practice and not need it.Quote:
Originally Posted by colorado_al
Maybe if I get super frustrated.