a learner accedently bought a 12 string???

[tsto128]

Hello I am in peru right now and found my self with a lot of extra time, so I picked up a mandolin. I knew nothing about it at the time (yesterday), and I took it home learned a few basic cords. Its an A type with twelve strings. I didn't know mandolins only had 8 when I bought it, But it seems peruvians only use 12 string mandos. any chords that include the bass strings sound very odd with the high octave chord in the middle of them, which makes it very irritating since I'm trying to learn from youtubers useing 8 strings. I'd there anywhere with resources on how to learn an 12 string? Or do I just need to put my nose to the grind stone and put up with it. Thank you for your time

[Tobin]

Sounds like a bandurria, not a mandolin.

[tsto128]

That would explain the strings! Thankbyou the only thing I could find on 12 string mandolin said they stoped useing them in the early 1900s but I guess peru kept there own around

[belbein]

Tsto128: Curious about your instrument ... How long is the scale length? How wide is the nut? How wide is the bridge? Can you post pictures?

[FLATROCK HILL]

And most important...whatever did you do to have your thread locked down for most of the day?

[FLATROCK HILL]

And most important...whatever did you do to have your thread locked down for most of the day?

Never mind...I see you have (had) identical concurrent threads running.

[tsto128]

Tsto128: Curious about your instrument ... How long is the scale length? How wide is the nut? How wide is the bridge? Can you post pictures?

Its 2 feet tall the bridge is 4 cm at its thinest 5 at its thickest idk what size the nut is idk what that is lol. How do I post pictures? I'd love to share

[tsto128]

The scale is 22 cm long

[Tobin]

The scale is 22 cm long

That number doesn't sound right. The scale length is the measurement from the bridge to the nut. (The nut is the part that holds the other end of the strings, just below the first fret, where they 'break' to the tuners.)

Typical mandolin scale length is around 13-7/8", or 35 cm. If yours is really 22 cm from nut to bridge, that's a way smaller scale than the mandolin.

[Jim Garber]

Perhaps tsto128 can post some photos?

[tsto128]

How do I post pics? Jim garber and it is about 35 I only measured to the end of the neck I didn't know the nut was the end marker

[delsbrother]

Does it look like this?

[tsto128]

Does it look like this?

exactly like that but with an oval hole

[tsto128]

Does it look like this?

But the strings are 3 3 3 3 with a high octave string inbetween the two deeper strings

[Jim]

You could just take off the 4 extra strings and tune it like a mandolin.

[Jim Garber]

According to this page, the Peruvian mandolin )also called bandolina) can have 8 to 12 strings.

It looks like this player has one with ten strings (bass to treble: 2-2-3-3):



I can't quite tell how many strings this one has:

[tsto128]

That looks exactly like it now that ive taken the high octavw strings out of the middle and moved the strings down closer