New mandolin and selfmade accessories

[vojtechkral]

So, this is a sort of an addendum to my previous thread where I asked about buying a new mandolin ...

Long story short, I ended up getting the Loar LM-500 from folkmusician. Initially, when the instrument arrived (which was in May), I had somewhat mixed feelings about it ... a minor issue was there seemed to have been some small scratches inside the curl, which later turned out to mostly be just residue from some kind of a polishing agent that eventually wiped off.

Another thing is that I'm having a hard time hearing the difference from my previous $80 cheap mandolin. I mean when I really pay attention and try, the Loar does sound better, its tone is sweeter, less coarse. At the same time, though, it seems a littlebit quieter. Don't get me wrong, the new on is a beautiful instrument and eg. the tuners are way better compared to the cheap one. I guess I just had expected the sound to be more different. In retrospect I'm glad I didn't go for a more expensive mandolin than the Loar one, as it seems the quality would be lost on me

In any case, I ended up liking the new one despite some doubts, it's very nice to hold and play.

Ok, so the rest of the post is just a load of bragging on my part :D My playing got better since I last posted here, if I say so myself, and my fingers no longer hurt (not nearly as much, anyway). Over the summer there were about 5 opportunities to play and sing campfire songs with a group of friends, usually with other people playing guitars, banjos or ukes as well and I was thrilled to discover that each time I was able to participate more. My latest achievement just last weekend is to play and sing a folk song at the same time which I never managed before...

I also made myself a bunch of accessories along the way. The latest one is a hand-woven strap made during a medieval-themed summer camp a few weeks ago:

It's made of 36 fairly thick threads arranged in a simple pattern. I was really surprised how well it turned out (at least as my impression goes) as I'm not experienced in weaving very much

Another one is a 3D printed pick that I designed after one borrowed from a guitarist. It is made of a flexible/bendable material, which I found out I like:


The next one is also 3D printed and I actually made this one a while ago. It's a makeshift action gauge. Basically it has a sloped blade with a defined thickness at each step. The measurement is done by sticking it under a string and seeing which notch is the last to fit.


Last one is a wooden hanger on which I hang my mandolin. I'm a bit hesitant to share this one, I made it in a bit of a hurry and it's very rough around the edges... But I guess as long as it serves its purpose, it's ok...


What's next? I'm not sure. I read the forums every one and then and I keep being amazed. Meanwhile, I suppose I'll just keep practicing & playing...
If you know of a folk mandolinist whom you like and who posts to youtube or similar, I'll be glad if you share, I'll welcome an inspiration Cheers!

[Tim N]

Nice strap, and it looks good on the hanger. I think the inevitable comment that's going to come is: when are you going to 3D print a whole mandolin, and will it be a step up from the Loar...?

[Seter]

That action gauge is pretty neat.

[KGreene]

I'm diggin' the action guage too! …. Just an observation here, but I noticed you stated your pick is made of a 'flexible' material. I have a 'The Loar' 600 (which I like), but seems barely audible with thinner picks, maybe try some of 1.0 (or heavier); Prime Tones, Ultex, et. al. are reasonably priced and produce fairly decent volume, or if you have a hankering (dare I say), try a BC...… A CA bridge, J74's (or equivalent) and a good set up will make huge difference in sound and playability in comparison with factory set up.

Enjoy making it your own!

JMTCW

[vojtechkral]

Nice strap, and it looks good on the hanger. I think the inevitable comment that's going to come is: when are you going to 3D print a whole mandolin, and will it be a step up from the Loar...?

As a matter of fact, a colleague of mine printed a whole ukulele a while ago ... it's functional, but the sound is, uh, well, a bit plastic

maybe try some of 1.0 (or heavier); Prime Tones, Ultex, et. al. are reasonably priced and produce fairly decent volume

Ah, they seem have those in a local shop, I'll try one of those out. Thanks!

A CA bridge, J74's (or equivalent)

What's that? Sorry I'm not up to date on many of the mandolin acronyms

[Willem]

CA bridge is a bridge made by Cumberland Acoustics of higher quality/better wood the the stock The Loar bridges. J74's are medium gauge strings by D'Addario.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I have to agree with KGreene - 'Bendy' picks usually don't give much volume. They 'bend' rather than pick & usually the material gives a 'soft' sound anyway. Back when i was working,i was the principal production engineer in an aircraft company's ''Plastics'' dept. ( we also manufactured f/glass & carbon fiber components). I had access to dozens of different 'plastics', & i tried many of them as pick materials,& none of them were any good,especially the softer,more flexible ones.

Going off my personal experience,i'd most definitely try a few types of Dunlop 'Primetone' picks. They come in 2 types of the same material,& in different shapes & thicknesses. See here :- https://www.harmonycentral.com/exper...ulpted-plectra
Ivan

[Drew Egerton]

Cool stuff! I would be a bit concerned about hanging the mando by just the strap. I bet you could make a hanging that has 2 prongs to grab the headstock at the sides of the nut instead and not have to rely on the strap. Just in case something comes loose...

[vojtechkral]

CA bridge is a bridge made by Cumberland Acoustics of higher quality/better wood the the stock The Loar bridges. J74's are medium gauge strings by D'Addario.

Gotcha! I actually have D'Addario EJ73 ... I think that's the same except light.

[allenhopkins]

...I would be a bit concerned about hanging the mando by just the strap...

Amen.

[vojtechkral]

Heh, honestly, the strap is probably more durable than the hanger itself It's made of soft wood (paulownia) and is pretty thin around the screw.

I like the idea of a prongs-style hanger, however I'm out of raw wood for the time being and it's been kind of harder to acquire where I live currently...