4-5 string electric

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Tony,
A 4 string will sound more like an electric guitar than an 8 string will. And then if you tune it CGDA (as I and others have done) it'll sound more like an electric guitar than if you leave it GDAE.



Daniel

[TonyEarth]

Thank you for being so helpful.

[Chief]

Don't know if this is allowed- but I have a blue Bluestar Mandoblaster 5 string for sale. Contact me for details if interested. Thanks, Steve Johnson

[Ben Milne]

NFI here... but there is a 5 string emando built by Cafe member G.D. Armstrong in the classifieds ATM. - price seems very reasonable and looks to be a somewhat simple though lovely looking instrument.

[TonyEarth]

By the way, how big a range of different types of music/sounds can one get on... lets say.. a mandobird viii with.. a vox da5 amplifier? could i get a bluesy sound but a Boston guitar solo kind of sound as well? this is all hypothetical, thats IF i had these, could i do that?

[rico mando]

I do can't say if you can

[TonyEarth]

... what? what do you mean?

[rico mando]

sorry -to properly answer your ?

the cheap pick up in the mando bird put through some modern effects processors will achieve a incredible array of sounds.the pick up them selves are not hot enough to really overdrive a old style tube amp.
i own mando bird 4-string and a fender 5-string(both listed in classifieds)
a 66 fender mando caster
a steve ryder 5-string (1 single coil 1 humbucker)
i made a 4-string with two steve ryder humbuckers on it (pic as avatar)
barcus berry magnetic pick up on gibson F-9

the two instruments with the steve ryder pick ups will over drive my gibson goldtone amp (8-tubes/ 2- 15 in speakers) easily
the others don't. the barcus berry does but the acoustic mando feeds back easy

so yes you can get many different blues and rock or mod synthesizer stuff out of the bird with a good effects processor. my favorite is the boss GT-10.
but a clean patch to the amp may need max volume to over drive
hope i have not confused you more

[TonyEarth]

wow... thank you, you are very helpful!... and yes, i am just slightly confused, but thats just because i'm not very good with technology or names of amps and stuff, but i understand you in general. Thanks

[TonyEarth]

oh and by the way, are there any cheaper but still "good" (i know this is very unspecific) effects processors you would recommend?

[rico mando]

well if you just want blues then a single pedal might give you better quality for less money.but there are lots of cheap stuff like digitech rp-50 and others. there is probably some good used stuff out there that people might sell cheap or just give you. there has been lots of upgrades every year for the past 15 years so some people are sitting on out dated but decent stuff. if you can get to a music store they might have lots of stuff you can try. there is some good cheap stuff but not quite stage quality out there now. i have a roland micro cube amp that runs on power or batteries that comes with a lot of effects on board. you can patch it to another amp for gigs

[Soundfarmer Pete]

Effects wise, another fun route is using your computer. I often fool around with Amplitube or my Line6 Guitar Port.
If using a laptop for gigs though, it`s a good idea to delete the "bing bong bung bing" noise when Windows starts up (just in case you`ve already plugged the `pooter into the PA :-)

[rico mando]

a friend of mine swears by using his lap top.if you have the computer skill i think you will love it. you can totally use it on stage but you have to have it set right to avoid unwanted sounds. should be as good as anything you can buy.

[TonyEarth]

well, the only thing i have on my laptop is garageband, with which you can plug in your computer and it has a few effects, but i'm not sure how good it is. with live recorded instruments that aren't plugged in, effects aren't very good. probably the best thing to do for me was what rico suggested about going to a music store and trying out different stuff. another question... do amps with built in effects sound the same as an amp connected to an effects processor?

[rico mando]

far to many variables for a strait answer to your question.a cheap amp is a cheap amp and cheap effects are cheap effects. should be similiar if you have the same quality gear separate or as one unite . but a nice quality tube amp will sound better than a cheap one but good effects in a really cheap amp will still sound cheap. you get what you pay for there is some inexpensive stuff that will get you started then you can upgrade if it becomes your thing

[Daniel Nestlerode]

I love the versatility of software amp simulation, but the purist in me hates the fact that when you plug your mando into a MIDI interface you're turning an electric signal into binary code. It is a removal of the source from the output.

What I mean is, if I can manipulate the software with an electric mandolin attached to a MIDI converter, then I can manipulate the software with a computer keyboard too. Seems to me that the mandolin becomes merely a convenient input device rather than the reason you play in the first place.

I know, I know. I think too much!

Daniel

[rico mando]

your absolutely right daniel but i'm afraid you probably just confused the heck out poor tony

[TonyEarth]

well... man you do understand me.. haha. but i understand the general message behind all the confusing terms

[Dave Greenspoon]

I'm surprised that no one has mentioned Cafe member and builder Andrew Jerman. You can order a basic electric build from a great person and builder. NFI, just the happy steward of #11. Here's the url to Andrew's site:

http://www.crossroadswood.com/index.html

Good luck on your search!

[Daniel Nestlerode]

Tony what I mean is...
When you plug the mando into a computer, it does not carry the electric signal produced by the action of the strings over the pickup. It turns that signal into 1's and 0's, completely removing the real physical connection between the mandolin and the sound coming out of the computer.

I prefer that real, direct relationship between an instrument and amplifier. Natural overdrive over programmed overdrive. Though I do use a pedal-type effects for overdrive, flange, and chorus when necessary.

Daniel

[mandroid]

add Steve Ryder, offers E mandos with a pickup for each string to use polyphonic synth's such as Roland's.
GI 20 is a pitch to Midi Converter.

[Flattpicker]

I think that once you go from playing acoustically to electrically you are taking a larger step than going from analog electric to digital electric. OTOH, I am used to playing electric guitar and I accept it as valid, and I share your distrust if not disdain for the digital realm. I think it depends on the individual effect, the manufacturer, etc.

[TonyEarth]

Tony what I mean is...
When you plug the mando into a computer, it does not carry the electric signal produced by the action of the strings over the pickup. It turns that signal into 1's and 0's, completely removing the real physical connection between the mandolin and the sound coming out of the computer.

Oh, i see what you mean now, daniel. i think i kinda agree with you.

before getting a mandolin and posting on here, i never would have known that what there was such a variety of instruments, or different ways to play it. guess it wasn't as simple as i thought. i think i'm pretty sure that for now, maybe next christmas or so, ill get an electric mandolin. i say christmas because i think by then i can be sure i'll have enough money to spare, and to have decided on an instrument, amplifier, etc. the range is so big its hard for me to choose. there are also very few videos or recordings of electric mandolins being tested or played in different ways, styles, with different effects. i guess i'll depend on luck!

[TonyEarth]

Well, i know this is an old thread, but i just wanted to ask something. i saw that almuse also makes mandolins, and some of them look pretty cool. do you have to call or send an email to buy one? or is there some website or store that sells them? still havent gotten an electric mando btw. im trying to get the most info i can on a mandolin for an intermediate.

[Jim MacDaniel]

I think he sells them direct, but I see no purchase option on his web site. But he provides an email link and his phone number, so you might want to drop him a note or give him a call.