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I cranked the bridge higher than ever on my Chinese mando. Like, almost two pennies' thickness at fret 12.

Bigger sound! Stronger fingers!

I like.

Recommend.

I enjoy practicing hard and playing the h__ out of a well-setup cheapo, myself.

Thanks for all the insightful replies - I have learned a lot.

I'm tired of my lo-buck, good-playing, weak-sounding Chinese mandolin. Thinking about cutting a hole in its top for an electric pickup and turning it into a faux EM-150. I'm an experienced electric...

My entry was "Tranquility Base", after the site of man's first landing on the moon. I was hoping it would evoke thoughts both of peacefulness and bold exploration.

I've toured the Collings...

The winners were Lucy, Sunburst Trophy Wife, Nigel Tufnel, Plink Freud, Bach n Blue, PluckN A.

Huh?

When I wrote my entry, I kept in mind what music means to me: mystery, spirituality, a chance...

I wish to humbly suggest that practicing scales and arpeggios for two hours will do more to improve your mandolin tone than any of the suggested alternatives.

With all due respect, I believe that...

Practice with the lights out, or with your eyes closed.

Set the metronome to a speed you like, conceptualize whatever you're going for - melodies, arpeggios, chords - and remove your eyes and...

Thanks for the thoughtful and clever replies to my geezer rant.

It's all good, different strokes for different folks, YMMV, etc.

For me, part of the definition of being a "good musician" is...

(GEEZER RANT)

Often I see players constantly retuning their instruments at every spare moment between songs - sometimes within songs - their eyes glued to the little screens on their electronic...

Someone should manufacture a wooden-cased electronic tuner with an "antique" style that fits aesthetically with an A- or F-style mandolin.

Or even better, one that clips at the back of the...

I put in four to eight playing hours a week on my mandolin. Last string change was maybe five months ago. They still seem good, or maybe my hearing is gone. Seems like my guitar strings don't last...

I found a hunk of plastic in the alley and I've cut several thick rounded-triangle picks from it using sheet metal snips, then sanding the edges down.

Cheap, fun, a new sound.

In my experience, the mando sound projects directly in a straight line from the mando top.

For this reason I try to aim the instrument toward the audience, wherever I happen to stand.

I know...

A Fender person promptly responded to my email, to say that he would forward my suggestion to the marketing department.

Thanks for the useful replies. I'll probably wind up with a modern solidbody such as the ones mentioned.

Since I am an aficionado of the vintage Fender design aesthetic, I would enjoy owning one...

I realized that I'd like to own a Fender Electric Mandolin, original design, but cannot afford one. So I sent an email to the Fender company suggesting that if they built some, they'd sell them,...

FWIW, as an intermediate jazz player I find two-note "chords" - intervals of fifths and sixths - to be easily grabbable by ear, when I jam with Jamey Aebersold. Once I get these intuitive, then I...

"Jungle Boogie" by Kool and the Gang, followed by "Let's Groove" by Earth, Wind and Fire, followed by "Soul Finger" by the Bar-Kays.

Sends me into a trance state.

This is why I will never...

Jamming with a few other players the other night, I noticed that I was right-on to my own electronic tuner, but flat to the other two players, who used their own tuning devices. I tuned up to their...

What's the best Chicago-area mandolin shop? There aren't enough mandos to check out for possible purchase, in my Midwestern burg.

Thanks in advance for your informed opinion.

The chord info is just what I was looking for.

Thanks much.

Who is the world's fastest singer?

I used a Sharpie to trace a few rounded-triangle pick shapes onto a compact disc. Using a heavy scissors, I cut them to shape in a sink full of water, then smoothed their edges with an emery board. ...

Thanks for the helpful replies.