12 string mando?

[red7flag]

Hello mandolin lovers. Been mostly playing bass these days, but have a lot of heart back with you guys. I was in a friends music area (in an antique mall type of deal) and when he found out I played mandolin he asked me about this 12 string mandolin (in the picture). I was thinking that it was like a 10 string mandola/lin with and additional F string below a fourth below the C. He suggested a 4 string with three courses. That seemed like a good concept, but one that would kill any arthritic hands. To me pressing two is enough. I said I would post a picture and see what you real aficionados think. The strings were not set up and some not connected. I did not spend much time looking. Thanks in advance. He is also curious what strings he should get for it.

[Seter]

It looks like a mandriola, four courses of three strings and tuned GDAE. He could string it with just 8 strings like an ordinary mandolin though just fine if the 12 is too much.

[Jim Garber]

You could re cut the nut and bridge and make it for 6 courses with a low F but I have a feeling that the lower courses would be a monster to intonate. Even a 5 course instrument is hard in that realm.

These mandriolas were popular in the teens or so of the last century. In the US loads were made by the Oscar Schmidt Company. You are right to assume that triple-strung courses would wreak havoc on arthritic fingers.

The one you show looks like ones made in eastern Europe. Not a high level instrument. They could be fun in a novelty sort of way but i would string the lower two courses with at least one octave strings like an American tiple. Or even better to rework the nut and bridge for a wider necked eight string mandolin.

Or not.