Newbie question!

[Nicholas L]

Hi! I'm planning on ordering an IV mandolin kit without the holes cut out so I can put an oval hole in. The only thing is, the kit comes with tone bars, and I've only ever seen oval hole mandos with x-bracing. I guess my question is, is it ok to use tone bars on an oval hole mando instead of x-bracing? If so, how should the bars be positioned? Sorry for the newbie questions. Thanks!

[pops1]

I had a Woodley that had tone bars but the hole was on the G string side of the mandolin. Very nice sound, completely different look. Usually the Gibson ovals had a transverse brace behind the sound hole that would be perpendicular to the tone bars.

[Willie Poole]

Some years ago I was talking to Charlie Louvin at a festival and asked him about Ira`s mandolin and he told me that Ira was a good luthier and he had installed tone bars in his F-4 oval hole mandolin....I can`t say that is true but Ira`s mandolin did have a different sound to it than most oval hole mandolins...I guess as long as you position the just so they miss the oval hole it would be OK, some builers on here say that the placement of tone bars makes little or no difference in sound...Also they say that if it is an arch top mandolin tone bars are not really needed for top support, just for tone....Maybe some builders will chime in and answer your questions, this is the place to ask them for sure...

good luck with the build....

Willie

[Nicholas L]

Thank you pops1 and Willie!

[Bill Snyder]

The "tone bars" are also x braces if that is what you use them for. They just provide you with brace stock. If you want longer x-braces then just get some more brace stock. Otherwise you can use the ones provided.

[Nicholas L]

Thanks!