I used to have a similar problem with my OM, when I didn't have a case for it and used a case for a half-acoustic guitar instead. I filled the gap with a piece of pipe insulation jacket.
But I think in your case (pun intended), a rolled-up dish towel would suffice.
the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world
Thanks - pipe insulation is a good idea, and I think I have some left over from another project!
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Towel is a better idea. REMEMBER....sometimes foams are made with chemicals that can react and RUIN a finish if it's the wrong combination of the two.
Use a towel, that way you can wipe your instrument down after playing too.
Certainly. A towel is cheap, readily available, and takes less time!
Last edited by Kalasinar; Jan-12-2018 at 8:50am.
Roll up a small towel or piece of cloth. People have been doing that for years. Stay away from anything that might have vinyl in it as it will kill a lacquer finish.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Excellent! I’m taking a trip to Canterbury Hobgoblin tomorrow to try some mandolins. I must say, since following your adventure getting one I’ve been rather interested to try a Hathway. I’ve always been very shy to try the mandolins there, but my curiousity is too great now!
If my experience in the London store is anything to go by there's no need to be shy, they're very welcoming.
Have fun!
Is that a piccolo mandolin? Seems very small. And the maker did not have a case for it? I wonder if there is a teardrop uke case that fits it better. Otherwise, I agree that the towel method works nicely and is safe for the instrument.
Jim
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1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
You either need a case to fit it perfectly or to modify the case so that it fits. Pretty obvious, I know, but I have a number of cases and, looking at two in particular, I had Keith Calton make me one for may first Kimble and the internals were made to fit it perfectly. My second Kimble came in an Ameritage case which has two (fixed but separate and original) pads beneath the main body to ensure that it is held securely. Fortunately it wasn't such a tight fit as to prevent me adding a Toneguard!
Eddie Blevins in Blountville, TN, is making an f-style octave mandolin for me. Cases for OMs are hard to find. We both agreed that Cedar Creek was the route to take. I chose the accoutrements for the case and Eddie supplied the OM dimensions. They'll deliver the case to Eddie and he'll fill it up and ship it to me. I said all that to say this, consider having a custom case made, especially if you have a sizable investment in the instrument.
David Hopkins
2001 Gibson F-5L mandolin
Breedlove Legacy FF mandolin; Breedlove Quartz FF mandolin
Gibson F-4 mandolin (1916); Blevins f-style Octave mandolin, 2018
McCormick Oval Sound Hole "Reinhardt" Mandolin
McCormick Solid Body F-Style Electric Mandolin; Slingerland Songster Guitar (c. 1939)
The older I get, the less tolerant I am of political correctness, incompetence and stupidity.
If you have a piece of pipe insulation,cover it with non-reacting fabric of some sort to match or contrast with your case interior. I'd maybe steer away from trying to stuff anything behind the existing lining. Sometimes the lining materials can be very thin & if it's stuck down well to the padding underneath,it could tear,
Ivan
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Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.
When I told that story about my OM and the piece of pipe insulation, I forgot to mention that he OM has a robust coat of laquer that withstood any contact with polymeric materials without a trace left behind so far. Sorry for that.
the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world
Not sure what mine’s finished with so I won’t take a risk. I’ve found some cheap,plush covered mini cushions that will do the job I hope. If not I’m only a few quid down..
Eoin
"Forget that anyone is listening to you and always listen to yourself" - Fryderyk Chopin
Quoted from the Fylde website:
Every instrument receives up to twelve coats of lacquer, carefully checked and sanded down in between coats. The final coat is allowed to harden for two weeks before final sanding and then buffed by hand to that famous Fylde "mirror" finish.
the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world
If in doubt, fire an email off to Roger Bucknell, via the Fylde "contact us" link. I had a query re. dating a mandolin and the size of a truss rod nut late last year and I had my answer within a couple of hours.
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