Is there any mando content here?

[delsbrother]

OK, so I look at this thing and think:

1. Is fifths in electric bass scale possible?

2. Oooh, points! Knobs! Switches!

3. Love the Travis Bean-ishness!

[Christian McKee]

That's HOT, HOT, HOT!

John Paul Jones seems to get away with a fifths tuning on his triple neck monster. #I don't remember what the tuning is, though. #That is a SWEET looking instrument, regardless.
A friend of mine says it's an early Kramer, and that they suffered from the same kind of tuning problems that sometimes afflicted the TB guitars, due to temperature changes and the metal neck.

Christian

[SnapCut]

WOW, I love the look of that
Is it like an octave mando?
I only play regular mandolins so far. Would I be able to play that?
Is it to late to edit my letter to Santa?

[delsbrother]

Nah, it's an 8 string bass, so that means looooong scale and (presently) cable-like strings. But with retuning, restringing and/or creative capoing, who knows?

If it's not apparent from the file name, it's at Gruhn's. It's also fairly cheap by mandolin standards. But I have to do more homework on it - sometimes odd-yet-cool-things-from-the-past have hidden issues (usually the things that made them not catch on).

Just noticed, though... This predates the Pentasystem instruments. Though obviously not intended to be tuned in fifths, this might be an easier way to experiment with those ideas without having to visit the Maestro.

[Christian McKee]

I found some decent information just by googling Kramer. Among other things, I learned it's a solid aluminium neck with a few little pieces of wood for playing comfort!

Christian