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Thread: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

  1. #26
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Quote Originally Posted by martinedwards View Post
    I HATE maple fretboards!!

    I have one in the workshop as a template and that's IT!!

    it's not a TOTAL EVH tribute, just a mandostrat with the paint, That'll be shocking enough for most folks


    "No maple fretboard?"

  2. #27
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    OK troops, this morning before work I made a neck plate and screwed the neck on.

    I gotta say this lump of ash looks too nice to cover up.....

    and there isn't a floyd of course......

    so there is a strong possibility that the EVH idea may be binned in favour of a natural finish strat.......

    Then I looked at some pups actually in situ, and there's just not enough room for both the bass pups to fit in there.......

    this simplifies things as I won't need to squeeze in a switch, just a tone & a volume.......

    so then I got a sheet of black polystyrene sheet and rough cut a scratchplate..........

    sorry Eddie, your tribute will have to wait!!

    this just looks too nice to cover up!!

    I'll post a pic or two when I get home.

    M
    Quote Originally Posted by stout1
    Now, thanks to Martin and his guitar shaped mandola, I have been stricken with GBMAS, guitar body mandola acqusition syndrome
    hey!! I got my own Syndrome!!!!

  3. #28
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    tuner holes cut.....fretted....... some sanding done......pup cut out in scratchplate......



    still a LOAD of sanding to do all over, but I'd love to think I could get a first coat of clear on before the weekend.........
    Quote Originally Posted by stout1
    Now, thanks to Martin and his guitar shaped mandola, I have been stricken with GBMAS, guitar body mandola acqusition syndrome
    hey!! I got my own Syndrome!!!!

  4. #29
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Dude! Stop hijacking your own thread!

    Looks to be coming together nicely... Looks like a little P-bass now.

    Anyway, all this strat-mando talk reminded me I owned this thing (is losing track of how many emandos you own a bad sign?):



    It started off its life as an electric cavaqinho (which I suppose it still is) but I keep it tuned in fifths. I don't think they make them anymore - at least the website for the manufacturer (Malagoli) only shows pickups now. I got the pic from the Internet Wayback Machine. Check out the other groovy colors!

    Anyway, back in the day, I got this from a Cafe member (Mad Dawg) who was considering importing them. They were real inexpensive, like $300. It sounds good and plays fine; but I've since gotten other instruments that I play more.

    I forgot how Strat-ish it looked. If the finish wasn't so nice (or if you could somehow find another one in Brazil) this would look really cool in EVH livery...

    Now I have to see if I can play "Mean Street" on this thing... (without a Floyd Rose)
    Last edited by delsbrother; Nov-06-2008 at 9:08pm. Reason: added wayback link

  5. #30
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Now THAT is VERY nice!!

    if only the head was more strat and less tele......

    I've never liked tele heads......

    Ah well summing up my build?

    I raided the scrap box for a lump of Ash & a strip of Maple.....

    added a Stewmac EIR fretboard.....

    4 tuners, 2 knobs and a broken bridge off a squier strat....

    and half a precision style split bass pup......

    and in 5 days during lunchbreaks and after work.....

    Tadah!!!





    beside a big sister to give an idea of size.......

    Quote Originally Posted by stout1
    Now, thanks to Martin and his guitar shaped mandola, I have been stricken with GBMAS, guitar body mandola acqusition syndrome
    hey!! I got my own Syndrome!!!!

  6. #31
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    there's a bunch to tidy up....

    the back plate needs to go on, the knobs need changed and the frets need levelled a little, but this is SO much fun to play!!!



    even my 5 yearold daughter got in on the act.....

    though I have to admit, it looks more like her size!!

    Quote Originally Posted by stout1
    Now, thanks to Martin and his guitar shaped mandola, I have been stricken with GBMAS, guitar body mandola acqusition syndrome
    hey!! I got my own Syndrome!!!!

  7. #32
    Formerly Know As B-MAN Bret Roberts's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Thank you for that, I really enjoyed coming along on your journey.

    Always wanted to do a "Ted Nugent" style zebra stripe e-mando,
    oh well, maybe some day.
    "I'm not a loser. The fact that I didn't put a gun in my mouth years ago - that little fact makes me a winner, baby. (Al Bundy)"

  8. #33
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Wow, that thing is TINY! Either that or you're HUGE!

  9. #34

    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Too small for a hurley...

  10. #35
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Just got a return email from Erico at Malagoli, and alas, the mini-strat cavacos are no more. However he did point me to this site on Guitarra Baiana that has more than you ever wanted to know...

    Armandinho obviously raiding EVH's pants closet
    Last edited by delsbrother; Nov-07-2008 at 4:47pm.

  11. #36
    I Am The Slime F5GRun's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Wow that thing is small, or are you 9 ft tall? Any sound clips?
    "Because of you I close my eyes each time I yodel"

  12. #37
    Recipient of medication Cliff D's Avatar
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    Smile Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Hi Martin
    Your creation looks goods so far! can you post a pikky before you do the Van Halen paint job!:
    Oops, now found I didn't make of to the end of the thread: disregard!
    Sorry madam, but we are fresh out of bull-dogs today!

  13. #38
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    That does look miniature! Did you use a standard scale length? Your two knobs are jammed in there pretty tight, eh?
    I always design my emandos on the large side to avoid the comical appearance (no offense intended). The bigger I can make 'em the less I hear, "Izzat an electric ukulele?".
    too many strings

  14. #39
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    scale is standard Stewmac 13 7/8"

    I wanted it to be in proportion and look like a strat and not a big body with a tiny neck.

    the knobs are too big (and definitely too cream!!) something WILL be done about that.

    I have been having SO MUCH fun playing this.....

    even with the frets still needing levelled (the 9th fret is high so the 8th might as well not be there) and the nut is still a hair highit is just a real laugh to play.

    I love it to bits!!

    and as for being confused for a Uke, most of the folks I know don't know a uke from a mando from a hole in the ground so that doesn't really apply!!
    Quote Originally Posted by stout1
    Now, thanks to Martin and his guitar shaped mandola, I have been stricken with GBMAS, guitar body mandola acqusition syndrome
    hey!! I got my own Syndrome!!!!

  15. #40
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    oh all right then!!

    soundclip.

    dry through the Squier SP10, then the SP10 really fizzy distortion.

    only other processing is a little delay on a last note of a phrase.

    REALLY weird having to think about where to put my fingers on blues runs because of the different tuning from a guitar!!
    Quote Originally Posted by stout1
    Now, thanks to Martin and his guitar shaped mandola, I have been stricken with GBMAS, guitar body mandola acqusition syndrome
    hey!! I got my own Syndrome!!!!

  16. #41
    Recipient of medication Cliff D's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Good work! I attach a pikky of an electric uke, just to demonstrate that there are similar(ish) looking instruments out there. I have yet to see a uke styled as a strat, but I have a feeling I will!

    So, how about turning out another but with a 17" scale length? Arguably that would be more of a mandola!
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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    Sorry madam, but we are fresh out of bull-dogs today!

  17. #42
    Luthierus Amateurius crazymandolinist's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    Nice job. Sounds really nice and looks so cute I wanna just stick it in my pocket! I probably could too!

    Not to steal your thunder, but I'm currently building an emando too, it's going to be a neck thru explorer style mando. Made the "wings" out of black walnut, and the neck is a spalted sycamore/black walnut composite! I'll post some pics when it's done!

  18. #43

    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    He's got them back on Ebay:

    Strat Mandola

  19. #44
    ISO TEKNO delsbrother's Avatar
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    Default Re: anyone ever seen a Van Halen mando?

    If you're willing to install your own tuners/nut/bridge (or go with 5 strings instead of 8) there are tons of cheaper alternatives.

    For example, THIS.

    I'm going to guess it's made of plywood or nato or something cheap like that, but heck, I think Eddie's first was made of poplar...

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