Finally, the Mandolin Has Its Revenge!

[Tim2723]

For all mandolinists who have suffered the indignity of having their cherished instruments mistaken for ukuleles, we now have a ukulele that will be mistaken for a mandolin! I recently took possession of a Roosebeck Baroque style ukulele. Now before we get into the argument that there is no such thing as a Baroque ukulele (and there isn't), just know that Roosebeck is a company that makes very nice reproductions of early instruments, some of which never actually existed at all.

But the point is this: The ukulele they offer is a lute-style instrument that, to the casual eye, resembles for all the world a bowl-back mandolin. So now we have a ukulele that will be mistaken for a mandolin instead of the other way around! Turnabout is fair play.

At the risk of violating rules about posting links (which I would never intentionally do), you can find a picture of it here:

http://www.amazon.com/Roosebeck-Baro...sebeck+ukulele

I look forward to someone coming up to say "My grandfather played a mandolin just like that" and being able to tell them it's a ukulele!

[journeybear]

And it comes in tenor and baritone sizes as well. The first is of the soprano (I think), the others of the tenor, which show the lutesque shape of the body

[Tim2723]

Thanks FP, I couldn't post the pics to save my life.

I comes in all four sizes with different color choices, tuners, and other options. I have the concert size which I think is the most mandolin-like scale length. But you have to admit, it's LOOKS a lot like a mandolin.

It has a sound that is kind of between a mandolin and a uke. Lots of people here have asked about stringing a mandolin with nylon. This is that instrument.

[JH Murray]

Martin Jonas is a regular on this forum. He has one of these baroque ukuleles which he has strung as a mandolin. He's made many excellent recordings of it playing classical, baroque and early music. You can find many of his videos on his Youtube channel called "Folk and Classical Mandolin". Here's a sample https://youtu.be/jgxTUgYiYdM

[allenhopkins]

Hazard a guess that these are intended for the uke player who wants to work Ren Faires.

[journeybear]

Could be. It's listed as a "baroq-ulele" but I'm calling it a "lutulele" because that's what it looks like to me. It could very well slip past the Ren Faire Police - or are they constables or sheriffs?

I didn't pick up on the fact that you'd sprung for one. They seem a bit pricey. But if it sounds good - and it already looks good - and you're happy, then that's all that matters.

[Tim2723]

Yes, I've no doubt a big piece of their business is Ren Faires. They make a number of modern instruments in a Baroque style which I assume is just for that purpose. They make a guitar that looks like a lute, a dulcimer that looks like a lute, pretty much anything that is pretty easy to play they've made into a lute.

JB, you can't really call it a lute-kulele, they beat you to it with this one:

http://www.amazon.com/Roosebeck-Lute...eck+lutekulele

Walk into a Ren Faire with that across your back and the Ren Police will probably salute you.

I don't do Ren Faires. I just wanted it as another voice in my uke collection. It lies somewhere between a traditional uke and the twang of a banjolele. Very nicely made as well.

[Martin Jonas]

I didn't pick up on the fact that you'd sprung for one. They seem a bit pricey. But if it sounds good - and it already looks good - and you're happy, then that's all that matters.

Despite the awkward name, these are really nice. The bowlback design isn't just for looks (although much of their target audience probably buys it for that), it genuinely is a quite different instrument from a ukulele. The sound is to my ears rather more like a lute, mandore or a baroque mandolin than a ukulele.

They are made in Pakistan and sold under various importers' names. The workmanship on the instrument is nice, but the setup on mine was a bit sketchy. I changed mine to Aquila nylgut strings in mandolin tuning and after lowering the action a bit and getting rid of a buzzes from an uneven first fret, it now plays very nice with good intonation up the neck.

I use mine a lot for Renaissance and Baroque music, but it also works well for folky tunes. A few examples (from several dozens in my channel):

Vivaldi Lute Concerto
Barbella Mandolin Concerto
John Anderson, My Jo

Price-wise, I bought mine from a (now-defunct) trader on Ebay UK who imported them directly from Pakistan and sold them for much less than the US and German distributers. I don't think there is currently a UK distributor.

Martin

[journeybear]

Thanks for all that info. I'm not in the market for another instrument, including something like this. But it's good to keep up to date. BTW, Martin, how do you select the strings to tune it as a mandolin?

Oh, and Tim - these look really easy to destroy - if you want to go that route.

[k0k0peli]

BTW, Martin, how do you select the strings to tune it as a mandolin?

I dunno how Martin does it, but I would consult the D'Addario SetBuilder calculator [ http://stringtensionpro.com/SetBuilder ] and select a set of 'uke strings, then adjust the tuning while keeping tension about the same. The calculator will show what gauge to use for each course, and of course whether D'Addario has that string to sell you.

For instance, I tried numbers for a concert 'uke, trying to keep the tension around 8 pounds per string. Hmmm, thinnest they have is 0.018 inches, so the best I can get for a concert tuned in fifths with what seems to me like reasonable strings requires F3-C4-G4-D5 with nylons of .042-.028-.022-.018 inches. Tuning lower (to reduce tension on the top string) requires fatter strings, so D3-A3-E4-B4 needs something like .054-.035-.025-.018 inches. With those, lower 3 strings' tension is around 5 pounds each and the top string is just under 10 pounds. I'd probably want to contact the luthier to ask their tension recommendations.

EDIT: I revisited the calculator and tried other string materials: Fluorocarbon, Nyltech, and Titanium Nylon. They all require heavier strings and more tension, so I'd stick with nylon.

[Martin Jonas]

BTW, Martin, how do you select the strings to tune it as a mandolin?

Mine is the soprano version, and string selection is very straightforward: Aquila make a bespoke nylgut set for tuning soprano ukes in GDAE, which is now widely available (e.g. from Elderly in the US and from Eagle Music in the UK). That tuning has become somewhat popular in the uke world as George Hinchliffe of the Ukulele Orchestra Of Great Britain tunes his uke that way, for wider range and better soloing. It works just fine with the Baroqulele.

Not sure I would want to try it with the concert version. CGDA may be better for that one.

Martin

[k0k0peli]

Aquila make a bespoke nylgut set for tuning soprano ukes in GDAE, which is now widely available (e.g. from Elderly in the US and from Eagle Music in the UK).

Wow, they sure do, and thanks for that tip. I just found (and ordered) a set (SOP5TH-30U) from totalmnusicsource (in Florida) on eBay for under US$11 shipped. Now I just need another 'uke to mount them on. UAS is striking me...

[avaldes]

I play ukulele too, and I gotta say, that tenor one looks sweet. Not sure if it is $500 sweet.
https://youtu.be/BqDv5npEXco

[crisscross]

Another ukulele, that could be mistaken for a mandolin, becaue of the f-holes, is the Ohana CKP-70, .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ck-Q2xGQyjs
It's a soprano that has the same scale length as a mandolin. I tuned mine with Aquila soprano fifth tuning strings like a mando.
It's nice for celtic, oldtime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLlGhWEMxps
or baroque https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQkALq9YDEY