Piccolo mandolins

[JeffD]

My mandolin ensemble is working up some Steeleye Span, specifically "Come ye o'er Frae france " and "Sheep-Crook and Black Dog"

The sopranino is supplying some of the crazy electric guitar and synth stuff. Its too much fun.

[sgarrity]

I'd imagine the tone is much more palatable in an ensemble rather than solo.

[JeffD]

Yea kinda. Its like a piccolo flute or one of those piccolo trumpets: they would be a novelty act as a solo, but really add to a group.

[Jim Garber]

While we are on this subject, I also have a no-name bowlback piccolo which is not playable at this moment -- just really needs some cracks on the bowl fixed and a bridge.

I recorded this mp3 of Carolan's Concerto for this piccolo thread 6 years or so ago. Of course the tune is played in the wrong key, I guess a fourth higher in pitch.

I also realized that a piccolo bridge probably has to be even more carefully compensated so the strings will play in tune. Mine has a straight bridge as was the original one. There is more info on that thread including some other pics of Leland piccolos.

[pheffernan]

While the video of Eva certainly shows her talent I find it almost difficult to listen to. Just too high pitched for me. I'd love to hear her play that on a mandola though!

How about an octave mandolin?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=IIxDz4P2kEk

[bratsche]

I understand wanting different voices. I'm just not sure I'd ever use one though. If I only had a standard mandolin I'd rather move to a mandola for a new voice but that's just me. While the video of Eva certainly shows her talent I find it almost difficult to listen to. Just too high pitched for me. I'd love to hear her play that on a mandola though!

Too high pitched for me too (but so is almost anything on the E strings of a mandolin). As someone whose default instrument is a mandola, that thing sounds like a mandola that swallowed helium!

bratsche

[Fiffoff]

Here's my new sopranino/ piccolo mandolin. Is it B&J?? There's no label of maker inside or elsewhere. Sounds brilliant!

[Jim Garber]

My little bowlback (pictured here in my post above) looks like a plainer version of your piccolo, Fiffoff. I still am not sure who made mine but I am pretty sure it is American.

You may be right that yours does resemble the one on frets.com.

[brunello97]

A Gelas piccolo mandolin just showed up on the ebay. The strange body shape looks even stranger with the small body.

Mick

[Jim Garber]

Man, those mandolins make me nervous for some reason. They just look wrong!!

[brunello97]

Man, those mandolins make me nervous for some reason. They just look wrong!!

That's what I know. I think they play on my nightmare scenario of sitting down on the couch without looking and winding up on top of a mandolin.

The neck on this one looks pretty far gone.

Mick

[Pasha Alden]

A query if I may: is the piccolo mandolin in a similar price bracket to a mandolin? I am thinking the piccolo would be smaller? So perhaps not in a similar price bracket?

[bohemianbiker]

Cheapest one I've found is $1500 (custom made). If anyone is aware of something cheaper, would love to know about it. bb

[JeffD]

A query if I may: is the piccolo mandolin in a similar price bracket to a mandolin? I am thinking the piccolo would be smaller? So perhaps not in a similar price bracket?

I don't think price has any correlation with size.

If I am not mistaken Weber is making the sopranino the same price as the full sized one of the same design.

[Jim Garber]

There is very little market interest in a piccolo mandolin. Figure it out: mandolin in itself, at least compared to guitars is a sort of niche market. I was in a Sam Ash store the other day. There were in total I think 3 or 4 mandolins and probably 30 guitars. There were more ukuleles than mandolins.

So, a piccolo is probably the ultimate niche in a niche market, even after mandolas, mandocelli, octave mandolins, bouzoukis, mandolin banjos, etc. Even among the cognoscenti here on the Cafe, I would say it is a infinitesimally small number who are at all interested in a piccolo and even fewer who actually own one. Only on this thread would you actually find two people who have them (JeffD and myself).

[Mobike]

Bump this old thread as I would like to build a flat top A/N piccolo.

Does anyone know of plans for such an instrument?

There are plenty of plans for everything else in the mandolin family but I've found none for any style piccolo.

[Jim Garber]

I would be happy to measure my Leland piccolo. Or perhaps get standard flattop plans and reduce them proportionately. Graham McDonald’s mandolin making book has plans for a flattop. Also, John Troughton’s book.

[Mobike]

I would be happy to measure my Leland piccolo. Or perhaps get standard flattop plans and reduce them proportionately. Graham McDonald’s mandolin making book has plans for a flattop. Also, John Troughton’s book.

Thanks. I've seen other recommendations for McDonald's book as well and will definitely get it for reference if nothing else.

Reducing his fullscale plans to piccolo size appeals to me but I'm not exactly sure how to do that. Scaling down the fretboard seems like it would be straight forward but the body a whole different animal.

Putting the cart way before the horse, what strings do you use on you piccolo?

[pops1]

I would consider keeping the scale length to at least 13".

[Mobike]

I would consider keeping the scale length to at least 13".

Maybe it's not as straight forward as I thought. Do you suggest 13" for playability or some other reason?

Looking at Fiffoff's photo of his mando/piccolo side by side earlier in this thread gives the piccolo a scale length of approx 9-1/3" (assuming the mando is 14").

[Jim Garber]

Thanks. I've seen other recommendations for McDonald's book as well and will definitely get it for reference if nothing else.

Reducing his fullscale plans to piccolo size appeals to me but I'm not exactly sure how to do that. Scaling down the fretboard seems like it would be straight forward but the body a whole different animal.

Putting the cart way before the horse, what strings do you use on you piccolo?

Here is the circa 1912 L&H catalog page with the piccolo. I can give you the measurements from mine and you can extrapolate if you want to work with Graham's standard plans.

I would consider keeping the scale length to at least 13".

That is near to standard "classical" scale. You would have to use pretty light strings on that. Might work fine but I am not sure why you would want that long a scale length. I am sure you have a good reason for that.

The scale length of mine is 10.5" and I believe I strung it with a light-gauge set of D'Addario J-62 (.010-034). Seems to work fine. 9-1/3" sounds too short to me. I can see going to 11" or even 12" maybe.

JeffD and Mike Black: let us know what scale lengths are for your modern piccolos.

[pheffernan]

JeffD and Mike Black: let us know what scale lengths are for your modern piccolos.

Mike already answered this question for you seven years ago!

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ndolin-w-Virzi

The answer: “around 11 inches”

[pops1]

Just thought about staying in tune with light strings. A really short scale I figured would be harder to stay in tune. Forgot it is tuned higher, sorry.

[Mobike]

Mike already answered this question for you seven years ago!

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ndolin-w-Virzi

The answer: “around 11 inches”

Those photos are very helpful. I came up with 10.5" scale length on the piccolo (assuming the standard is 14").

[Jim Garber]

Mike already answered this question for you seven years ago!

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ndolin-w-Virzi

The answer: “around 11 inches”

Thanks! You expect me to remember that detail from 7-1/2 years ago?