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Type: Posts; User: Walt

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    Re: 14” octave string set questions

    Honestly, the strings weren’t super slack. I think Billy Gibbons plays with .007-.038 strings, and I have to imagine that those are more slack than what I had. I think you have to just attack the...
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    Re: 14” octave string set questions

    For science:
    https://youtu.be/zkBtpPUrr8k?si=WpmBNyUTerqU1J-r
    This is my 18” electric octave capo’d at the fourth fret, which puts it a little over 14.25”. Then I tuned it down to G D A E with the...
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    Re: 14” octave string set questions

    Yes, the U-Bass, like the Ashbory bass, has silicon strings. What would be interesting to dig into instead are the octave violin strings. Are they just very heavy gauges? Or is something else going...
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    Re: 14” octave string set questions

    If you don’t have much to lose and want to try it, start using a string tension calculator set for a 14” scale. My electric octave is around 20lbs per string. That was a nice round number to start...
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    Re: 14” octave string set questions

    My 18” octave mandolin. .056-.013 gauges. Was basically going for an electric guitar in a mandolin form factor. It works for that. 18” is basically the crossover point, IMO. Longer than that and you...
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    Re: Sourcing Archtop Spruce Billets

    Thanks everyone! Will check it all out.
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    Sourcing Archtop Spruce Billets

    Hey everyone, I’m planning a 16” L-5 inspired guitar and maybe a K-5 ‘cello this year. It has been more difficult than I thought to find archtop guitar spruce billets. The place I used before is out...
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    Re: About to embark on a "baritone" 5 string ...

    Thanks. That mandocello in my signature line was built by the great Joe Mendel. It was 27” and had a fantastic sound. With yours being an electric with single courses, you have a lot of flexibility...
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    Re: About to embark on a "baritone" 5 string ...

    What final tuning are you shooting for? CGDAE?
    I just finished an 18" octave mandolin (electric 4 string), but I'm using custom gauges to get the tension/tuning where I want it. Beyond the...
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    Re: Guitar shaped mandola or octave

    I don’t have any insight on what box dimensions are desirable for those instruments (but IMO, the fact that we have guitars ranging from 0 to Jumbo means there’s room for variety in box size). A...
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    Re: String tension & neck stability question

    Check out one of the online string tension calculators to get you in the ballpark of where you need to be with regard to tension.
    Even string output is always an issue with magnetic pickups. Plain...
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    Re: Post a picture of what's on your bench?

    Almost ready to wire up the electric octave mandolin. It’s nice getting to pop into the world of guitar tuning machines.

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  13. Re: String gauges needed to tune mandolin to E like Yank.

    I don’t know a lot about Yank Rachel, but I’ve been playing with string tension calculators for the past few weeks. D’adarrio had a great calculator that disappeared from the interwebs a while back....
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    Re: How hard/wise is it to replace a fingerboard?

    Nice! Mine was built back in 2019. Here’s probably more info than you want on mine, lol: https://youtu.be/SbkOEdjRj50?si=uQ9_X5lrOpuipMHM
    I’ve had it for sale on and off in the classifieds, so I...
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    Re: How hard/wise is it to replace a fingerboard?

    Jerry, out of curiosity, what year/number is yours? I think I own a close sibling to it. Mine has block inlays, but is otherwise same specs (yours has nicer maple and mine has been through several...
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    Re: Mandolins too twangy

    Which set of strings are you using? What kind of pick? Does action feel low or high?
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    Re: Anyone Spraying Shellac?

    Thanks! Very good to know. I've heard people talk about "blush," but I never knew exactly what caused it.

    I ended up just sanding it all back, taking it as an opportunity to focus a little more...
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    Re: Anyone Spraying Shellac?

    Thanks, y'all.

    Yes, John, I set the bridge and tailpiece on there last night just to see if it made it look better--and it did.

    In any case, looks like I'm going to get a second try with my...
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    Re: Anyone Spraying Shellac?

    Thanks all for the advice and tips. I ended up getting a $15 HVLP gun from Harbor Freight and it seemed to work great. Like I mentioned, I'm used to using the aerosol Zinnser, and this feels like a...
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    Re: Anyone Spraying Shellac?

    Thanks much, John and Richard!
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    Anyone Spraying Shellac?

    For those spraying shellac before french polishing, what sort of setup and cut do you use?
    For the last few builds, I sprayed a couple of coats of off-the-shelf aerosol Zinnser before moving into a...
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    Re: Question about Mandolin Kits

    Of course it could be amazing in the hands of a really accomplished builder. I mean, one of the coolest guitars on the planet is made out of chopsticks and a broken piano!...
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    Re: Old Woodworking Machines

    As much as I love owning and working on OWWM, and as firmly as I’m currently stuck down the rabbit hole, I personally own the Dewalt 735. I’ve come across several old planers that I’ve almost pulled...
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    Re: Post a picture of what's on your bench?

    I'm almost done with this electric octave mandolin. It will have four single strings and a relatively short scale (18"). Shooting for something in an octave mando range in a mandolin/mandola-size...
  25. Re: Need style help for Eastman MD 315 F-style Grover tuner choic

    I think it all looks normal. The back looks like quartersawn maple—that’s why you have the straight grain lines. And a lot of maple is unfigured, in which case you wouldn’t see much, or any,...
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