Ric Style Octave Mandolin Build

[Wrnchbndr]

I went on the internet and using photographs of John Lennons Rickenbacker 325 Capri, was able to get a decent outline of the body. I made six bodies and six necks. I also discovered that the original Capris had bodies about 2" thick so I did the same. The body is ash and constructed in a very similar fashion to the original with the neck glued in from the back and then a book-matched cap glued over the joint covering the entire back. The heel of the neck extends well past the neck pickups so there is never going to be a problem with the neck joint. They are semi hollow via two large cavities routed on either side and I have a photo of this prior to installing the back if anyone is interested. The necks are made from maple and Lyptus with the maple glued up with opposing grain orientation. The trussrod is a dual action rod. I built five guitars with a number of different finishes but the sixth body and neck became this octave mandolin. I decided not to cut a sound hole. I tapered the neck a bit more to get a narrower width at the nut but kept it a bit wider than typical for a mandolin because I'm a guitar player (1.5" at the nut). The finish is Mohawk Musical Instrument Lacquer. The pickups are humcancelling Hofner bass reproductions from Allparts and they chime delightfully. Its strung up with unison strings for pairs 1 and 2 (.011/.011 and .018/.018) and octave split strings for 3 and 4 (.013/.028 and .018/.044) on a scale length of 24.5". The compensated bridge and the tailpiece are hand made from aluminum stock from McMasterCarr and I used parts the obvious parts from a trapeze tailpiece from Allparts. The intonation is not adjustable due to the adjustable height bridge posts being studs screwed into the body but the intonation is quite good. There is only a volume control as I can't see ever wanting to take away the chime with a tone control. The two pickups provide a wide tone pallet via the 3-way switch. The pickguard(s) and rear cover plate is the last of what I had on hand of .090 celluloid tortoise material and I hope to find another source for this because nothing else comes close to the look of the real vintage celluloid despite its habit of catching fire. The frets are stainless steel .078 from Jascar. I will keep this instrument for myself but plan to build more.

[mrmando]

Nice work! If you make more, remove the markers from frets 9 and 21 and place them instead at frets 10 and 22. That's one detail that many guitar builders miss when they first set out to build mandolin-family instruments.

I prefer a little shorter scale for an octave mandolin but there's no reason this can't work. I wonder how it would perform as a mandocello.

The only downside is that Rickenbacker (so I've heard) is aggressively litigious and might go after you for intellectual property infringement.

[Wrnchbndr]

Hopefully I'll stay under the radar. I never advertise my guitars for sale or put them on ebay or reverb. I don't build for the money - it would take the fun out of it for me. But maybe I should reconsider getting this close to the Ric. I think they are super cool looking guitars. I really appreciate the neck joint idea and the stability of the wood making the neck blanks the way they do. Other than that, its all a matter of appeal although it does sit nice on your lap.

Getting the 4th String down to C for a mandocello at a 24.5" scale would really be pushing things for a fretted instrument IMO. I've been on an adventure for short scale basses for years. 26 or 27" would work. I totally agree that for a mandolin player a shorter scale would be more appropriate. There are a lot of chords that become near if not impossible to play down on the early frets and I have big hands - not an instrument for everyone.

I debated the placement of the position markers. As a guitarist first, it was damn if I do and damn if I don't.

[Nevin]

Very cool. If you are not selling them you have nothing to worry about with Ric.

[Martin Ohrt]

Very nice instrument! Hope this won't cause any problems for you!

[belbein]

Hopefully I'll stay under the radar.

You're not "under the radar" when you post publicly. Which you just did. Café posts come up on Internet searches.

[Wrnchbndr]

I don't believe that I have broken any rules and am not at all worried This is an instrument that ric does not and has never manufactured. Its an exploration of design by a hobbyist and the similarity to any existing patented or copyrighted product is tongue and cheek at best -- and that is what I intended. There is no attempt in any way shape or form to pass it off as something made by the actual ric company. It is not for sale and posting on the internet in this forum or others is only in the spirit of sharing the "Hey, look what I did - ain't it cool and fun?". Somewhere else on the internet is an electric mandolin that I built in the spirit of a Gibson LP Goldtop and another based on a Gibson double neck SG complete with a bound fretboard with those annoying nibs that Gibson does. I'm no threat to Gibson or Ric and have no intent on making a profit on a design or legal thingy they own. There is no victim. Maybe during an internet search they'll see what I did and say, "That's really cool and fun, let's make those."

[Verne Andru]

In the unlikely event Rickenbacker would come after a hobbyist building for their own pleasure the matter would be one of "trade dress" not the type of instrument itself. In "trademark" land, which is what trade dress falls under, the question is one of "likelihood of confusion" in the marketplace - i.e. potential customers would confuse your offerings with those of Rickenbacker. But since trademark matters turn of "use in commerce," and that is not something you are doing, then I think it matters not.

Trademark law really doesn't have anything to do with the rights of the entities selling the product, it's actually consumer protection law that's supposed to be designed to make sure customers know the origin of the goods/services they are buying so they can make informed purchase decisions.