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Thread: Whatcha up to?

  1. #1
    Mandol'Aisne Daniel Nestlerode's Avatar
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    Default Whatcha up to?

    OK. No gigs for a while here in France.
    I'm off work now too.

    Digging in the garden, minding the kids, getting my tear-y 7 year old through piano practice, maths, French, etc)

    (No one told us we would have to home-school the kids AND work from home. Jeez.)

    Time permitting I'm occasionally running my emandos through my POD 2.0 into the house stereo for some quiet but audible practice.

    What are you all up to?
    Daniel

  2. #2
    Registered User Ken's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Most of my mandolin life has been spent playing swing, with some additions of fiddle tunes, country, western, folk, and jug band. But not bluegrass, although I have always liked the power of the playing of Bill Monroe. So I'm using this time to work on some Bill Monroe tunes; so far Old Dangerfield, Southern Flavor and Bluegrass Stomp. Also spending time playing my mandola which until now because of limited time has always taken back seat to my mandolin. Missing my grandkids though, up until two weeks ago I was the full time Grandpa Nanny.
    Peace

  3. #3
    Registered User Steve Lavelle's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Slowly working my way through the Dawg Jazz book. Started with the "simple" ones, E.M.D. and Dawg's Grove, Dawgola is taking a bit more effort. Tab for the notes is great, but there are lots of chords in the rest of the songs and picking which fingering is left as an exercise for the user.
    Steve Lavelle
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  4. #4
    working musician Jim Bevan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Not much.

    Half my mando practising used to be done at home while my daughter was at school, the other half at work in between the souncheck and the first show, both of which of course aren't available these days. I'm lucky to get in an hour a day.
    mando scales
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  5. #5
    Registered User Tom Wright's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    I wish I had a use for my electric now, but there are no gigs and my jazz workshop is on hiatus.

    I have begun tracking for a solo acoustic project. It will be some of the Bach cello suites, some choro from Hamilton de Holanda and Dudu Maia, and some odds and ends. I am miking with a Shure KSM32, and taking the Headway bridge pickup direct. A trick I learned from a friend that has a studio and does lots of folk music is to zoom in on the microphone and direct tracks, and align them to eliminate the tiny time difference. The pickup is ahead of the mic by about the mic distance times one thousandth of a second. This delay has no audible effect on the transients, the picking. But it does cause some cancellation of some harmonics and reinforces others, effectively a comb filter. In ProTools the hand icon and the "slip" option allow nudging a track by tiny amounts. The result is sweeter tone, more natural-sounding. I skate the track by clicking my pick on the pickguard. That pretty clean transient helps line up the tracks.

    EQ info-- I found I could better match the tone of the direct to the mic by applying a low boost at about 250 Hz, a mid cut at 1K, and a broad lift for frequencies centered on 5K. Although the pickup is very tinkly bright into an amp, it is rather dark into my interface.

    Reverb options include using the "ambient" option to make the instrument sound not too close, and add some large-hall on top. A trick for reverb while tracking wthout suffering latency problems in the cue mix is to set the reverb as 100%, and listen mainly to the direct monitor from the interface. The interface is realtime, not delayed by computation, but has no reverb. Blending in some sound from the actual recording, but reverb only, allows playing to a pleasing ambience instead a dry headphone mix.

    Just getting going on the first suite, only the Prelude. Next up will be Suite #3, Prelude, Bouree and Gigue. Then the 6th suite, Prelude and Sarabande. Then on to the Brazilian stuff.
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  6. #6
    Registered User mandolinstew's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    I am finishing up the two dozen songs I wrote over the last two years.Making demos with my Tascam DP 03.Vocals with guitar,bass and of course mandolin.Electric and acoustic.Am am now officially retired.(I’m 67)Listening to Folk Alley and WBGO for jazz.

  7. #7
    Registered User vwfye's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    I'm waiting for my electric octave to get finished so I can start learning my Mooer GE-150 pedal board. So, for now I am plinking around on my octave acoustic in the basement while preparing to teach online for the first time in 25 years of education.
    2022 SRC Electric Octave Mandolin
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  8. #8
    Lord of All Badgers Lord of the Badgers's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Been playing my Brook six string acoustic in DADGAD. I feel dirty. Sorry
    My name is Rob, and I am Lord of All Badgers

    Tenor Guitars: Acoustic: Mcilroy ASP10T, ‘59 Martin 0-18t. Electric: ‘57 Gibson ETG-150, ‘80s Manson Kestrel
    Mandolins: Davidson f5, A5 "Badgerlin".
    Bouzouki: Paul Shippey Axe
    My band's website

  9. #9

    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    I've been in the shop building a batch of instruments. Here are the ones presently at the forefront of my efforts.
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  10. #10
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    I'm up to about 185 pounds.

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  12. #11

    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Working on build #2. Just closed up the box and now sanding, probably forever. Next I'll install frets. Anxious to hear the first note on this A style,Gibson-bodied mandolin. The wood is all AAA curly maple and red spruce. I think I'm going to like it.

  13. #12
    Registered User TheMandoKit's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    I'm up to 12-14 hour work days. I played a little mando and guitar on Sunday, but that's it. Trying to keep ahead of all of the state and federal orders on Covid-19 on top of usual work is taking its toll. Maybe it will settle down in a bit, but right now, I am busier than [insert favorite folsky saying here].

    The only plus is that I have been streaming a lot of music that I would otherwise never have heard. Unfortunately, not paying too much attention to it, but . . ..
    Kit
    Guitars, Mandos, Violins, Dulcimers, Cats

  14. #13
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Reading; 'Conquest of Bread'
    writing about music
    is like dancing,
    about architecture

  15. #14
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NeS8nw_7pmE

    For you electric minded folks, when you have 20 minutes or so check out the sounds Billy Strings gets out of his Adi/Brazilian acoustic and pedal board. He’s done a bunch of stuff with Don Julian and is a pretty darn good mandolin picker himself, so there’s your mandolin content. I have the utmost respect for the fact that he knows exactly what he wants to hear and how to get it...seriously, this was impressive to me...

  16. #15
    Mandol'Aisne Daniel Nestlerode's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Bought myself a foot switch for the POD 2.0. Wrong one as it turns out. I need an FBV not an FB4. (Good lord why did they switch from Arabic numerals to Roman ones?) Mince. As they politely say here in France.

    Anyway. Ran the POD into my Marshall CFX-30 using the headphones out out of the POD and the iPod input on the amp. This bypasses all the effects and tone functions in the amp and basically turns it into a powered speaker cab. Not bad.

    It was fun to hear the cab simulations through a cab. Going through a 1x10 makes it obvious that the cab emulations are just eq tweaks. But useful ones.

    Ran the Telecaster, the JBovier EMC-5, and the Arrow G5. Best sound for solo work was the Arrow. Most fun to play was the JBovier. I'm a rubbish guitar player!

    Did Karaoke with the little ones tonight. They loved it.

    A friend in another town nearby has a fever. She's a volunteer pompier (firefighter), so she probably acquired the virus in the course of her service. We saw her 2 weeks ago exactly, and now we're a bit on edge...

    ...And the clocks go forward here tonight... My least favourite time change.


    Daniel

  17. #16

    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    I bought this, just as the virus was looming and it arrived from Joe's shop:

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    It's the only one he has made. I've been playing it through headphones mostly, but am looking forward to warmer weather and cranking it through a couple of larger amps. The neck pickup leaves me a little speechless.
    "your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."

  18. #17
    Registered User
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobar View Post
    I bought this, just as the virus was looming and it arrived from Joe's shop:

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    It's the only one he has made. I've been playing it through headphones mostly, but am looking forward to warmer weather and cranking it through a couple of larger amps. The neck pickup leaves me a little speechless.
    Wow, very cool. Who is that made by?
    Chief. Way up North. Gibson 1917 A model with pickup. JL Smith 5 string electric. 1929 National Triolian resonator mandolin with pickup. National RM 1 with pickup. Ovation Applause. Fender FM- 60 E 5 string electric (with juiced pickups). 1950's Gibson EM-200 electric mandolin. 1954 Gibson EM-150 electric mandolin. Custom made "Jett Pink" 5 string electric- Bo Diddley slab style. Jay Roberts Tiny Moore model 5 string electric.

  19. #18
    Registered User zedmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Been playing mandolin, bass & guitar--
    I have a couple of riff ideas for bass & mandolin.
    Just need to decide on some song structure--I may need to record some ideas & play along to them.

    But it's been fun.

    I also have been busy around the house with stuff.
    Also trying to rest up for going back to work.

    so not playing around the clock--as much as I would love to do that.
    Would it save you a lot of time if I just gave up and went mad now?

  20. #19

    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Quote Originally Posted by Chief View Post
    Wow, very cool. Who is that made by?
    Joe Yanuziello
    "your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."

  21. #20
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Thanks Mandobar. He makes wonderful instruments (although I've never actually owned one). I guess I should follow the original thread and say that I've had more time to practice since I was laid off last Friday from my job at an art museum. The Bob Dylan tribute concert I was supposed to be part of in May was also cancelled. Duluth does a week long tribute to Bob, our native son every year around his birthday. But on the bright side, I've had much more time to practice! These are the days to make lemonade out of lemons. Keeping active both physically and mentally are important. We'll get through this- and hopefully some of us will be better musicians! OK, enough of the rant. Stay safe and healthy everybody.
    Chief. Way up North. Gibson 1917 A model with pickup. JL Smith 5 string electric. 1929 National Triolian resonator mandolin with pickup. National RM 1 with pickup. Ovation Applause. Fender FM- 60 E 5 string electric (with juiced pickups). 1950's Gibson EM-200 electric mandolin. 1954 Gibson EM-150 electric mandolin. Custom made "Jett Pink" 5 string electric- Bo Diddley slab style. Jay Roberts Tiny Moore model 5 string electric.

  22. #21
    I really look like that soliver's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    I've been completely revamping my shop. I've always had too much to do to remodel the house to spend the time making the shop into a space that reaches its true man-cave potential. Being done in the house as well as the fact that I was given a bunch of insulation a while back got me hyped up to make it truly awesome... plus I want to get into luthiery so it needed to be sealed, insulated and conditioned.... so while I have been at that, I have done some serious revamping to fix up, organize and clean to make it function better. it's pretty exciting honestly to make it like I've always wanted.... and being a father of 4 daughters, I need the man-space!

    Oh and yea, I've played some Mando too.
    aka: Spencer
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  23. #22
    working musician Jim Bevan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobar View Post
    Joe Yanuziello
    Man, I'm envious! His website says "My electric mandolin family instruments are designed for players that prefer the sound of eight strings" so I never thought about trying to talk him into a single-string 5-string.

    I don't really have MAS when it comes to 5-strings – I just wish I could find a better one than the two I have right now (a Mann SEM-5 and #2 of the Mike Marshall Signature Series – if I could combine the best of those two I'd probably be satisfied).
    mando scales
    technical exercises for rock blues & fusion mandolinists
    mp4 backing tracks & free downloadable pdfs

  24. #23

    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    So, far, this is the only 5 string. Not cheap, but the last 5 string I will ever need. I have an 8 string also that I bought a year or so ago.
    "your posts ... very VERY opinionated ...basing your opinion/recommendations ... pot calling ...kettle... black...sarcasm...comment ...unwarranted...unnecessary...."

  25. #24
    Mandol'Aisne Daniel Nestlerode's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandobar View Post
    I bought this, just as the virus was looming and it arrived from Joe's shop:

    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	yanem-web-10.jpg 
Views:	217 
Size:	448.6 KB 
ID:	184784

    It's the only one he has made. I've been playing it through headphones mostly, but am looking forward to warmer weather and cranking it through a couple of larger amps. The neck pickup leaves me a little speechless.
    That's gorgeous.
    What's the scale length, and what gauges are you using to string it?

    (Been jonesing a Yanuziello electric mandola since I found out about his work)

    Daniel

  26. #25
    working musician Jim Bevan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Whatcha up to?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Bevan View Post
    I don't really have MAS when it comes to 5-strings – I just wish I could find a better one than the two I have right now (a Mann SEM-5 and #2 of the Mike Marshall Signature Series – if I could combine the best of those two I'd probably be satisfied).
    So, I bought up an early tele-style Kevin Schwab 5-string on ebay today, but won't see/hear/play it 'til I get to the states (hopefully sometime this summer). It's got the customary Bartolini pickup in it, but I also have a pair of Steve Ryder's humbuckers that aren't being used – I'll have to check on the Schwab's string spacing before I go further down this road, I suppose. Anyways, fingers crossed!
    mando scales
    technical exercises for rock blues & fusion mandolinists
    mp4 backing tracks & free downloadable pdfs

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