Nylon string single-course mandocello-type thingy

[Mandocarver]

I really must think up a better name, but in the meantime, I thought a few CBOMers might be interested in my latest experiment.
Background: I've long loved the sound of the cello banjo as played notably by Marcy Marxer, who has some great videos on Youtube and so I decided to have a go at a banjo-inspired wooden-topped version just using what I already had to hand in the workshop. I didn't want to spend much as I had no idea how this would sound. So its pretty rough and ready (e.g. chopped down broom handle for the neck stick and my poor wife's beech chopping block for the neck - still in the dog house over that one) but I have to say I'm pleasantly surprised by the sound and playability. I love the lower registers but lack the finger strength for conventional mandocellos. The nylon strings (standard cello banjo strings) are super comfortable and there's loads of sustain. The scale length of 24.5 inches is also surprising comfortable for playing fiddle tunes on and I'm having fun with some classical too.
I'm not a great picker but will try to get a sound file together.
Anyway this experiment has convinced me there's a future for longer-scale fifths tuned instruments and I'm currently having a lot of fun building a more conventional guitar shaped 5-string combination mandocello-octave mandolin (CGDAE), still with single courses.
So if anyone else out there's thinking of a similar instrument, I'd say go for it. Any any suggestions for a name - I was thinking about "Rondocello"?!

[NotMelloCello]

Would love to hear it!

[Mandocarver]

Working on it...

[Mandocarver]

OK finally managed to get together a quick recording. Excuse the many clams but it hopefully gives you an idea of how this beast sounds. Work on my guitar-bodied nylon 5-stringer in liuto cantibile tuning is coming on nicely so I'll post photos when finished.
Dean

[NotMelloCello]

Link no workee.

[Francis J]

Wow, I'm very impressed, great bottom end, and really well balanced. The nylon strings are really mellow, and nicely bright as well, without the clang of steel. Considering it's made from kitchen items, maybe "Furnitello" might be a good name!

[vernob]

I couldn't get it to play on my Mac. It kept downloading as an html file with the mp3 data in it as text. Anyway, it's a fascinating instrument. Did you bend the body into a hoop or buy a banjo rim? Is the back open like a banjo? I like the sound holes. I built a cittern and sometimes I put on a low course, C or D, so that the lower four courses can be tuned like a mandocello. What other things do you plan to make?

[Rob Zamites]

Downloaded and played flawlessly on my chromebook - wonderful sound and a really deep bottom! I like it!

[Mandocarver]

Many thanks for the nice comments. Sorry that the sound file didn't work for some people. I think the problem is that it was made on a Mac and there are some compatibility issues for some users but I'm not techie enough to know suggest a fix. To overcome this, I'll create a Soundcloud account if I make any more.
To answer a couple of questions, I just made a 14" round mould out of MDF and bent the thin mahogany sides over a hot pipe to fit. Very easy with no bouts to worry about. The back is closed off with another piece of mahogany (2-3 mm thick for back and sides). Like a banjo, though, it has a dowel stick running through it.
As far as other projects, this experiment has convinced me that it's worth persevering with nylon-strung fifths-tuned instruments. So I'm currently well on with a guitar-bodied, singled course CGDAE-tuned instrument, 625 mm scale length, covering the mandocello and octave mando ranges. I'm making it with induced arched top and back plates and as light as possible, this time with sound ports. Here's a photo of the work in progress and I'll report back and hopefully submit a sound file in a separate thread when she's strung up.
Cheers.

[Lord of the Badgers]

Pretty cool

[Charlieshafer]

Nice sound indeed!

[Lord of the Badgers]

I couldn't get it to play on my Mac. It kept downloading as an html file with the mp3 data in it as text. Anyway, it's a fascinating instrument. Did you bend the body into a hoop or buy a banjo rim? Is the back open like a banjo? I like the sound holes. I built a cittern and sometimes I put on a low course, C or D, so that the lower four courses can be tuned like a mandocello. What other things do you plan to make?

works on mine Yosemite latest vers. I use Chrome as the browser... what have you?

[NotMelloCello]

I tried again with a different browser. All I get is a huge page of text.

[fox]

Sounds great, what is the tuning & what are the string gauges?

[Mandocarver]

Thanks. The tuning's CGDA - mandocello. The strings are just the Gold Tone CB4 cello banjo set - all wound nylon strings, something like .048, .042, .034, .024. The bottom C's a bit flabby, especially as the scale length is only 24.5" but I've been told that Gold Tone has increased the gauge of their bass strings to .052 and .046 which should be a lot better so I'm going to give them a try. I don't know much about nylon strings and need to experiment.
Cheers.

[fox]

I really like that sound but to be honest I did not even know a cello used nylon strings!
Anyway, I now feel I really need a Mandocello

[billhay4]

Nice sounding instrument.
Bill

[Colin Lindsay]

I couldn't get it to play on my Mac. It kept downloading as an html file with the mp3 data in it as text.

Once the file downloads just remove the .html part of the name and make sure it ends in .mp3 - it’ll play with Quicktime.