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    Re: Stradolin fret slots

    I've seen old Gibsons that were worse. And also on a few small shop mandolins from the 1970's through the early 2000's, where I suspect that they laid off the fret slots using one of those old...
  2. Thread: Tam Lin

    by rcc56
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    Re: Tam Lin

    The Tam Lin legend is ancient, dating back to at least the mid 16th century.
    One of those strange, lurid, and explicit ancient ballads from the British Isles.
    A maiden is walking through the woods,...
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    Re: Low, Low Frets on SOL

    If the flat tops aren't messing up the intonation and you don't mind your fingertips bumping into the board, you can leave it alone.
    But if you notice a lot of soreness in your left hand, wrist, or...
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    Re: Norman Blake is 86

    They are living as quietly as possible, and both doing quite well.
  5. Thread: Washburn F-5..

    by rcc56
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    Re: Washburn F-5..

    Washburn is on my short list of brands I advise folks not to buy.
    For reasons stated above.

    Eastman is quite reliable. Your chances of getting a lousy instrument from them are small.
  6. Re: What are some of the best Mandolins that you all have played?

    Some of the best?

    A few old Gibsons that were head and shoulders above their litter mates.
    A couple of Gilchrist's best efforts.
    An exceptional two point oval hole D'Angelico that went through...
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    Re: Gibson's 1923 F-5 Master Model Reissue

    Why?? Here's a few things that those of us who repair instruments have found.

    Some modern glues are good for instrument building, some are not.
    Titebond Original has held up well over the years....
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    Re: Is this good for braces?

    It all depends upon its lateral stiffness. Bracewood must be pretty stiff. If that's good, any pieces with vertical grain should be usable.
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    Re: Gibson's 1923 F-5 Master Model Reissue

    Actually, those of us who have worked on a number of 40's through mid 50's Gibson guitars might say "Only a Gibson isn't glued enough."
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    Re: Old Gibson needs fixin'

    Gibson's wide-bodied mandolins were built from 1937 until 1942, when the script logos were standard.
    The block letter logo was first used in 1946 or 47, after the wide body mandolins were...
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    Re: Can I say tap-tuning on MC?

    I just took a brief look at Adrian's Maestronet link.
    Interesting.
    As far as numbers are concerned, Strad didn't have a frequency counter. He might have had a tuning fork. Did he have perfect...
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    Re: String gauge for Gibson H-1 Mandola

    I currently string mine 12 - 20w - 32 - 49 or 50. It sounds strong enough for me. I've tried 22's and 34's also.
    Pete Ostroushko strung his about the same-- I measured the gauges of the set he...
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    Re: Nashville Visit Advice

    You inquired about lodging.
    I don't think you'll find much in the downtown area except hotels and motels.
    You might find some AirBnB places in the residential areas.
    But you might want to consider...
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    Re: Other branded Martin Mandolins

    From what little I can glean from the work of Mike Longworth and Richard Johnston, the majority of Martin-built Ditson instrument were made between c. 1915 and perhaps 1925. Ditson went out of...
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    Re: Other branded Martin Mandolins

    There's not much information available on Martin/Ditson mandolins.
    Martin made instruments for Ditson as early as 1903, and their relationship continued until 1930.
    If it's a flat back mandolin, it...
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    Re: Learning mandolin as a fiddler?

    I've taught both instruments for many years.
    The biggest difficulty is learning the difference between the pick and the bow.

    On the violin, the bow does whatever is necessary to follow the...
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    Re: Happy Birthday Doc Watson

    While Doc was the Rosetta Stone for flatpicking for folks from my generation, I'll always remember his fingerpicking.

    There's a couple of million of us who can double-thumb a guitar pretty well,...
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    Re: Roni Stoneman R.I.P.

    She, along with sister Donna, now 90 years old, were/are our last direct link to the birth of American country music as we know it. And both were much better musicians than most folks realize.
    ...
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    Re: Wurlitzer Mandolins? Mystery Maker

    A real Larson:

    212256 212257

    Note the body shape-- the upper body is one continuous inward curve from waist to neck. I call it the Larson parabola.
    ...
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    Re: Wurlitzer Mandolins? Mystery Maker

    The instrument in the previous post, whoever made it [not Larson] has been modified with an interesting but definitely not original bridge.

    A black line under the fingerboard binding can be found...
  21. Re: Could I leave mando in car in winter while skiing?

    3 scenarios:

    1. You take your current instrument, get lucky, and it survives with no damage. Cost: $0
    2. You buy a Rogue or a Dirty Thirties mandolin and take that one instead. Cost: $110...
  22. Re: Could I leave mando in car in winter while skiing?

    No.

    A student of mine had a good late 40's Gibson guitar, and left it in his car all day in a parking garage on a 20 degree day.
    When he showed up for his lesson, I saw light through the...
  23. Re: What are the chances that a moderately-priced mandolin sounds

    Everything is relative.

    When I got my first mandolin in the late 1970's, we didn't have the choices that we do today. The only new instruments available were Gibsons; Japanese made Alvarez,...
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    Re: Bauer Mandolin value

    Bauer instruments aren't among the select few that bring significantly more than most bowlbacks. I'd say in the neighborhood of perhaps $150 to $300, if the cracks aren't too bad and the neck joint...
  25. Thread: Seam question

    by rcc56
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    Re: Seam question

    Hard to say for sure from pictures. It could be in the finish or in the joint itself.
    It wouldn't hurt to rub some hot hide glue into it for safety's sake.
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