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Thread: Guitar-sized acoustic bass: retune CGDA?

  1. #1
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    Default Guitar-sized acoustic bass: retune CGDA?

    I've been seeing a number of small acoustic basses pop up with a 23-25" scale lately, set up with a new D'Addario nylon-core string set.

    Ibanez PNBE

    Guild Jumbo Junior Bass

    Taylor GS Mini-e Bass

    Anybody tried one of these? And more specifically, anybody considered restringing to CGDA to make a nylon-string mandocello? I can't be the only person who's thought of doing this.

    kwerry posted an instrument awhile back that he built that was pretty similar to this in scale.

    I tried this with a baritone uke, but wasn't happy with the low end, and ended up restringing to GDAE; the size and scale of these basses seems like it would be perfect for CGDA. Anyone as crazy as me hacked together a budget nylon-string mandocello?
    Howard Morris Oval-hole A-style Mandolin
    Ohana BK-70R Bar. Uke, cust. nylon string set in GDAE
    Kala U-Bass
    Krappy Guitars Custom Radiused Fretted Electric Upright Bass

  2. #2
    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar-sized acoustic bass: retune CGDA?

    Do they have a wide nut?

  3. #3
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    Default Re: Guitar-sized acoustic bass: retune CGDA?

    I was thinking four strings only--I doubt a full complement of eight would fit.
    Howard Morris Oval-hole A-style Mandolin
    Ohana BK-70R Bar. Uke, cust. nylon string set in GDAE
    Kala U-Bass
    Krappy Guitars Custom Radiused Fretted Electric Upright Bass

  4. #4
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    Default Re: Guitar-sized acoustic bass: retune CGDA?

    On further research, looks like the nut width is around 1.68" on the three I linked. So you might physically be able to fit eight strings. My guess is that the bracing and top thickness might be a problem for a double-course modification, though.
    Howard Morris Oval-hole A-style Mandolin
    Ohana BK-70R Bar. Uke, cust. nylon string set in GDAE
    Kala U-Bass
    Krappy Guitars Custom Radiused Fretted Electric Upright Bass

  5. #5
    Jerry Cobbs jerrycobbs's Avatar
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    Default Re: Guitar-sized acoustic bass: retune CGDA?

    I owned a Taylor GS Mini-e for about a year or so. I really enjoyed it. They are a great little acoustic bass. Sold it to a guy who played bass for a bluegrass band but due to an injury couldn't play an upright. I went with a u-bass because I liked the sound better for the kind of music we play, plus you absolutely can't beat the portability.

    Somewhere I have seen where a chap used a Taylor GS neck to build either an OM or a mandocello. It may have been on this forum. Don't know about using the whole guitar.
    -- Johnson MA-100 Mando
    -- Eastman MDO-305 OM
    -- 3 Seagull Merlin dulcimers (2GDG, 1DAD)
    -- 1952 Harmony Roy Smeck guitar
    -- Ortega Lizzie Ubass
    -- Leigh Campbell electric violin
    -- Pfretzschner violin
    -- Glaesel viola
    -- Ibanez acoustic/electric guitar
    -- Misc: a cello, 2 cigarbox guitars, charango, djembe, slide dulcimer.

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