Josh rieck 5-string: check this out!

[mrmando]

Just got this in the mail (the photo, not the instrument). The builder, one Josh Rieck, would like your feedback on his design. (joshrieck@hotmail.com)

I'll start: The recessed headstock, Novax fretboard and compensated bridge/tailpiece look like they'd make for good playability and appropriate string tensions. Overall, I like the design...looks like Buckleman meets Wishnevsky (there's that comparison again). Negatives: unless the action is very low, it looks like the C and E strings are too close to the edges of the fretboard. I don't know what that pickup is; it looks like one of the cheapies Fender used on its Korean-built 5-string, in which case an upgrade is called for. Personally, I think the horn & point are a little too slim and inelegant, but that's a matter of aesthetic taste.

[mrmando]

Just because something is named after a person doesn't mean he originated it ... Murphy's law, for instance.

I had never heard of the orpharion ... very interesting.

Anyway, Jacob, I'm not the moderator here, but you're off topic. Did you have any remarks about Josh's mandolin?

[mandroid]

Any measurement numbers on the string length data? an interesting way to get 5 5ths range, but;
I think one would have to be retrained after spending years in learning scales and chords on parrallell fretted instruments.

Ill ask @ link, and report back

[delsbrother]

Is it semihollow? Or are those f-holes "all show and no go?"

I'm not a huge fan of emandos that purposefully try to look like mutated acoustic mandolins (I much prefer the ones that try to look like mutated electric guitars..) IMO if you're going to go kooky on an emando you should go all the way.. Novak's own emandos look kinda like old National map guitars. Definitely weird. And of course Steve Wishnevsky's stuff.. I'd lose the f-holes (unless they were functional), beef up the treble cutaway point, and lose other points entirely. I actually like the scroll - looks like the one on Prince's guitar!

As far as the Novax boards go, I've played some guitars that felt really good, but when I tried a shorter scale emando I couldn't adapt (though maybe I just didn't try hard enough). I know Ted (Mandohack) and Peter Mix of Rigel spoke highly of the playability of the Novax in these scales. Definitely a try-before-you-buy kind of thing. YMMV.

[shreak]

Hello,
I am the builder of this mando. I tried to post the instrument myself but I couldn't connect to the server.
Anyway, the scale lenghts are 14 and 16 inches, the instrument is fully hollow, but as you can see it is a cocobolo top so it isn't exactly a great sounding acoustic instrument. The NOvax fingerboard is, imo, pretty darned comfortable. I have played mando for a few years and guitar my whole life and I really expected to have a hard time learning to play this instrument, but much to my supprise, and I have got this same response from a number of other players, it feels quite natural. However I don't know if I will be doing it on the next instrument, it was kind of a pain.
Thank you for your feedback, this is my first electric instrument and I got a lot of ideas from playing this and from your feedback about what to do for the next one, which is in the works.

Quick preference question for any emando players. DO you prefer 4 or 5 strings? I think I know the answer but going with 4 string solves some problems on the building end.
Thanks again
Josh

[Lee]

Great effort, Shreak!
The treble point needs some re-design. The f-holes don't seem not to match the same design scheme. The headstock is too short and stubby. Personally I like 5-strings. If 4, I like the lower 4. And I'd prefer the strings spaced closer together; not so much splay as they get closer to the bridge.

[mrmando]

Josh told me the pickup is a Kent Armstrong, so please ignore my earlier comment about it looking like a cheap one. Lots of e-mando builders are using Armstrongs. I kind of like the homage to the old Gibson 3-point mandos.

[Christian McKee]

Aesthetically it's very reminiscent of a bass guitar that Les Claypool plays a lot, not sure who's responsible for it...

There's a picture on their website at this link: http://www.primusville.com/band...._3.html

Who'd have thunk...

Christian

[delsbrother]

PRIMUS SUCKS!

[shreak]

I would be lying if I said Carl Thompson wasn't the major influence on this design. I really like his bass designs, while it may be too much for somne people. Poke around on his site, it's pretty cool. I also like that he builds one instrument at a time and no two are alike. I know there are other electric builders that work this way and I am one of them. More room for personality , of both the builder and the player, that way.

[mandroid]

Primus ?. that like huffing butane gaz cannisters?



[the company, they make camp stoves]

[mandocaster]

Well, I think it is awesome. Are you selling this one?

[delsbrother]

Mandroid, you baitin' me?

Primus is the band Les Claypool is/was/is again in. I'm a big fan of their stuff (and it's common for Primus fans to shout insults during shows..) Shirley you knew that!

[Trip]

I like the Prince/mando, it may be a little over the top for some people but looks like a nice build....and I would love to get a shot at the angled frets just to see if I could adapt...how does it sound plugged up?

[mandroid]

quote leslie nielson in 'Airplane ' "don't call me shirley". #
You gotta build a Temple , first !


I don't get out much.

[PDX and back ia a full days drive.]

[mikeomando]

I bought mandohack's Earnest 5-string with the Novax fretboard from him. The fret angles look really imposing in pictures, but they are almost a non-issue when you play it. A minor adjustment at most, and mostly just on barre chords. I switch back and forth all of the time and it's no big deal. YMMV, of course, but if you get the chance to play one, I don't think you'll find it's such a big deal on a short scale length instrument like the mando/mandola.

[mikeomando]

Oh yeah, I like the looks of the emando, and I prefer 5 strings. I agree with mrmando that the C and E strings llok a little close to the edges of the fretboard. I don't mind that so much on the E string, because the bends will bend towards the middle of the fretboard, but I don't like it on the C string, because the tension is low enough and bend move the string towards the edge of the fretboard. I've bent C strings off the side of the fretboard before and out of the notch in the nut. Tought to keep in tune when you do that...

[mikeomando]

Man my typing is bad this late 'llok' above should be 'look', and 'tought' should be 'tough' above.

[Trip]

Mike are you the mando from C.I.F.?

[mikeomando]

If C.I.F is a band, then no, not me.

[mrmando]

Mike Orlando, the mando player from CIF, does use Mandolin Cafe from time to time ... most recently he was selling a Monteleone because he'd acquired a Loar. (There must be some money in that there frat-boy country rock myoozik.) Mike seems like a nice guy from the interactions I've had with him.

But I had him confused with mikeomando for a while too...

[mrmando]

Anyhow, Josh did say he could redo the string spacing, perhaps change the pickup angle, and put a truss rod in this 5-string before selling it -- maybe he'll get a buyer out of this thread.

[shreak]

Ooh, so many replies since last I looked. Cool. I would probablly sell it, I am going to redo the string spacing next weekend and see if that fixes my response problem on the E string. I'm confident that it will. However I will not seell it if I feel it has any issues, it has a couple now and I'm going to try to work them out.
In the mean time. If anyone wants to make an offer send me an email joshrieck@hotmail.com and we'll talk about it.
Thanks Much

PS Thanks Mr.Mando for posting this, I really appreciate it.

[shreak]

PS I would also take any orders if there are things you would want done differently.

[delsbrother]

: Sidebar :

Hey mandroid; have you tried using a Godin A8 for synth? It's kind of weird a company known for their synth accessible guitars didn't build that into their mandolin. Do you think something like that could be retrofitted to the A8? Or (as you are doing with Josh) is it easier to just build one from scratch?