Search:

Type: Posts; User: sblock

Page 1 of 20 1 2 3 4

Search: Search took 0.03 seconds.

  1. Replies
    23
    Views
    6,233

    Re: GHS Silk & Steel Tension

    As mentioned earlier (please refer to post #4 in this thread), the string tension to achieve a given note, played at a given scale length, depends on the mass per unit length (that is, the linear...
  2. Replies
    42
    Views
    5,833

    Re: Just tried a Blue Chip pick on my mandolin

    Well, not ALL $50 picks sound better. But some of them do, and I would count Blue Chip picks among those. Likewise, not all $50 bottles of wine taste better, either...
  3. Re: Northfield Airloom Tura case versus Hoffee carbon fiber case

    I've looked carefully at the available pictures, and zoomed in on these to the extent possible, but I cannot tell from the photos whether EITHER the Hoffee or Tura case latches have locks. I happen...
  4. Northfield Airloom Tura case versus Hoffee carbon fiber case

    Maybe it's just me, but the newly announced carbon fiber Tura Airloom case from Northfield looks a whole lot like the carbon fiber mandolin case made by Hoffee. Colors aside, the outer shell looks...
  5. Sure looks to be a Hoffee-inspired case with an...

    Sure looks to be a Hoffee-inspired case with an Ikea-inspired name! :grin:
  6. Replies
    6
    Views
    1,659

    Re: Snark supertight question

    "Two bars" sharp depends a lot upon the tuner, since one bar could mean practically anything the designers wishes. It's a bit like bars of reception on your cell phone! The string could sound a bit...
  7. Replies
    12
    Views
    2,465

    Re: 3 unrelated mando questions

    1) The Silver Snark should work just fine, but I have not yet tried one on a mandolin. The other Snarks work perfectly well. Have you tried moving it around to different positions? Are you placing...
  8. Replies
    11
    Views
    2,726

    Re: Another take on the "Virzi"

    Virzi tone producers were first developed for the violin, not for the mandolin. A number of violins and violas from the 1920's to 1930's have these installed. Lloyd Loar had the idea to install them...
  9. Replies
    35
    Views
    8,813

    Re: Why Can't Mandos Have A Fixed Bridge?

    Here's my answer:

    Since the downbearing force on the feet of a floating mandolin bridge is easily around 100 lbs, there is no slippage that occurs between these feet and the mandolin top itself. ...
  10. Replies
    45
    Views
    8,567

    Re: Blue Chip v Primetone?

    Although it is indisputably true that picks thicker than roughly 1 mm (40 thousandths of an inch) tend to be extremely stiff and scarcely bend at all when striking the strings, there is nevertheless...
  11. Replies
    35
    Views
    8,813

    Re: Why Can't Mandos Have A Fixed Bridge?

    The short answer is that carved-top mandolins are not flat-top guitars, and they follow rather different construction and design principles. The modern carved mandolin design (e.g., A- and F-type...
  12. Replies
    45
    Views
    8,567

    Re: Blue Chip v Primetone?

    This perspective is very interesting to me, and mostly (although not completely) correct, in my opinion. A good part of tone is certainly in the hand -- great players seem to be able to coax a...
  13. Replies
    13
    Views
    2,573

    Re: Armrest and Toneguard

    The armrest goes on first. It uses a viola-type clamp with a cork liner that holds onto the top and bottom of the mandolin. The ToneGard goes on second. It clings to the sides of the mandolin (not...
  14. Replies
    7
    Views
    2,279

    Re: String spacing at nut and bridge

    You got them from me! :grin:
  15. Replies
    7
    Views
    2,279

    Re: String spacing at nut and bridge

    ...
  16. Replies
    20
    Views
    3,412

    Re: Determining a fair sale price

    I've always wondered what's meant by the phrase "honest play wear." Is there some form of "dishonest play wear" to contrast it with? I suppose one could argue that deliberately distressing a new...
  17. Re: D'Addario is discontinuing EFT76 mandola strings

    You are correct that Mapes does not manufacture any flatwound (like Thomastik) or flat-topped (like D'Addario FT) strings -- theirs are all round-wound. However, they make available wound versions...
  18. Re: D'Addario is discontinuing EFT76 mandola strings

    Have you considered trying Mapes strings? These are comparatively inexpensive (just $6 to $8 a set), coated, and available in whatever custom gauges that you care to specify! Just go to their...
  19. Re: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

    A proper repair would likely cost more than the asking price of this mandolin. You are probably better off saving your money and buying a mandolin in better condition.
  20. Re: got a live one here folks, and he is coming in hot

    Do not buy a mandolin with a back whose seam is separating like that. Also, avoid any F-model mandolin with a superfluous strap button at the base of the neck.
  21. Replies
    36
    Views
    4,339

    Re: Mandolins as a work of art

    Well, that picture shows a picture of Gibson F4 model, sometimes known as a "three-point," dating from around 1900 (or, possibly, it's a replica of one). It has a scroll and three body points, an...
  22. Replies
    36
    Views
    4,339

    Re: Mandolins as a work of art

    Ah, yes, the bedpan! Longtime readers of the Mandolin Cafe know that bedpans can be turned into a form of resonator mandolin, known as the commodium. Read about it here:...
  23. Replies
    36
    Views
    4,339

    Re: Mandolins as a work of art

    Both musicians and makers alike have long prized the aesthetic qualities of musical instruments, placing value in their looks, as well as their sounds. This duality goes back as long as human...
  24. Replies
    208
    Views
    23,339

    Re: To be or not to be (a bluegrass player)

    Polls are funny things. The answers you'll get depend a whole lot on context, and on exactly how you phrase the question. A great many mandolinists play at least some bluegrass music. Some...
  25. Replies
    53
    Views
    9,768

    Re: Tuner for tap tuning

    Dear Peter,

    Thanks for adding your perspective on this, which I appreciate. And I find much that I agree about. With all respect, though, I think you have confused the terminology just a bit....
Results 1 to 25 of 500
Page 1 of 20 1 2 3 4