You are correct, 13 is crooked. I'll fix that when I get around to it, but for now, I'm playing it as is.
Type: Posts; User: Bob Clark
You are correct, 13 is crooked. I'll fix that when I get around to it, but for now, I'm playing it as is.
I considered that but decided not to go that route. Tavy did a beautiful 5 course instrument with fan frets recently (you probably saw the thread about it) but I went this way, and it is quite...
I have completed the prototype of a five-course flat-top Cgdae mandola with a 15.5" scale length, that I have posted about in '. . .What's on your Bench' while it was in progress. While I say that I...
What a lovely instrument. Just beautiful.
Hi Tavy,
I am very excited to see what you have done here. I'm currently working on a 5 course, ten string instrument and have wrestled with some of the same issues you have discussed here. My...
Hi Dave,
Right you are, my friend. I've gone in the opposite direction and examined fret-to-fret intonation in instruments from builders I really respect and found their intonation to be...
Hi Dave,
Good questions, thanks for asking.
I agree that it's easier to cut the slots prior to tapering and affixing the fretboard, but I have a specific reason for doing it this way. I've had...
Oh yes, you'll definitely be seeing more of those!
Here's my Barn Cat Mandolins Tomcat model prototype, in the white. It's a ten-string, five course mandola, cgdae. 15.5" scale length. More photos as it comes along. I tried a bunch of different...
Hi Richard,
You're onto something there. The same cat appears elsewhere on the mandolin, and as long as I can pull it off, there you'll see what she's looking at. Stay tuned. . .:grin:
Beautiful job, Jo. As always, really lovely work. Thanks for posting it.
Just incredible! Such musicianship, tone and taste. This approaches perfection.
That's a good idea, or maybe a round soundhole drop-in carving that contains a cat silhouette. I'll give it some thought and see what I can come up with. I have to finish this mandola first. In...
I thought I'd fill you in on the latest instrument I'm working on. It's been a while since I've posted because, between farmwork and playing, I've been way too busy. I need to slow down! It's OK...
I make it a point to never perform in anything that has buttons that could scratch the back of my instruments. I prefer to wear a vest-type sweater than a sport coat. I can do this with or without...
I just look out the window. Do whatever works for you.
That sound you hear is my cats hissing at you. Be afraid. . .very afraid. HissssssHisssssHisssss
Actually, the 5 refers to the minimum number of cats one should have at any given time.
I tune or at least tweak the tuning regularly, even when playing for my own enjoyment. It's more about training my ears to recognized a well-tuned instrument than anything else. If I don't play in...
Hi Acharman,
For now, I'm sticking with nylon, but will try other options in the future. I want to keep that one thing constant as I make small changes in the instruments, as I build them. Once...
Thanks Richard and Susan. You're thinking along the same lines I am. That should worry you!
The mandola model has been in the planning stages from the start of my building journey and will be...
Hi Jim,
Only two of the piccolo mandolins I have built have had single strings; just the two nylon-strung ones. Each of the steel-strung piccolos, and regular mandolins for that matter, have been...
I have just finished a nylon-strung, 4 string piccolo mandolin I've been working on for several months. It's for a very patient musician in California, and I certainly appreciate his patience.
...
To be clear about Piccolo mandolins, they are not just a smaller mandolin. Piccolo mandolins are the sopranino member of the mandolin family. Their bodies are proportionately smaller than a...
Hi Jim,
I really enjoy your piccolo mandolin posts, being a piccolo mandolin enthusiast myself. I thought I'd post a photo of the trio of piccolos I am playing these days.
The first on the...