Hi,
I want to put flatwound strings on my Trinity College mandola (17" scale) because I use it in an ensemble playing mostly classical and early music. I use Thomstik on my mandolin and love them so I tried the Thomastik mandola strings (164 labeled Alt mandoline) but the A string broke before I could even tighten it and the silk was crossing the bridge anyway. I then tried the D'Addario EFT76 but the gauge seemed heavy. In fact, when I put the A string on, the prong that holds the loop broke right off.
I noticed in a very old forum thread someone said they used Thomastiks but replaced the tailpiece with a longer one that would work with those strings. Since I have to get a new tailpiece put on anyway, I'm wondering if I should ask the repair center to do that, but I don't know what this alternative tailpiece would look like or how it makes a difference in my ability to use the Thomastik strings.
Alternatively, does anyone have a recommendation for other strings? Jazzmondo doesn't appear to sell flatwounds anymore. I really liked the Thomastik strings and may go back to using them on the C, G, and D courses and using something else on the A (which is what I did for a while before I broke the prong on the D'Addarios) but that's kind of expensive getting two different sets. Flatwound mandola strings appear to be very rare.
Laurie
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