Bacorn debut

[mrmando]

Well, my Bacorn 5-string got its public debut the other night. I had been keeping it under wraps to avoid MAS-related spousal disapprobation -- but since I've sold a couple of instruments recently, perhaps the spouse is more favorably disposed toward my having a new one. She sang with me and didn't seem to mind the new axe.

Pickup response on the Bacorn is much smoother than the other e-axe I played: my National Silvo, which tends to be hotter on the G string than the others, and is playable only with the volume knob turned all the way to the right and the tone knob cranked all the way to the left. The Bacorn's new mammoth-ivory bridge looks and sounds lovely (thanks to Kurt Gisclair of Husky Acoustics). For the record, I played it on a cover of "The Facts Don't Matter (Just the Feel)" by Tonio K. and 16 Tons of Monkeys, while the Silvo was employed on a rockabilly version of T Bone Burnett's "The Power of Love." The two e-mandos were among eight instruments I played for the gig. Here are details if you're really curious.

[mandofiddle]

You got pics of the Bacorn? I'd like to see it

[mrmando]

Here's a photo from the gig; it's tiny though. And yes, that IS a 1917 Gibson K1 mandocello in the background...

[mandofiddle]

Does it look like the Bacorn on the Cafe Electric Eye Candy page?

[mrmando]

Yes, the finish, Les Paul shape and pickup are the same. However, mine has an angled bridge/tailpiece for better compensation. Even so, the intonation on the old bridge was pretty bad ... it's a lot better with the new ivory bridge.

[berkeleymando]

I thought the Bacorn had a brass bar-type bridge: did you remove that? I'd love to see a picture of the new bridge set up as I am pondering various emando bridge setups at present. Thanks.

[mrmando]

The original brass bar on this Bacorn had no string slots. The strings just kind of laid across the bar, and the intonation wasn't the greatest. The original owner, Torrey Hency, took it to luthier Jack Chase of Wichita, KS. Jack took a few bites out of the bar to aid the intonation, but it still wasn't quite up to snuff. He and Torrey got to talking about Torrey's ideal axe, and Jack built it for him: an acoustic/electric 5-string with fanned frets. Once that was done, Torrey sold the Bacorn to a pawn shop, which put it on eBay. That's how I got it. I showed it to Kurt at Wintergrass, and he offered to build me the fossil ivory bridge.