Hey! I've enjoyed the Cafe for a long time, but am just posting for the first time now that I need your input on a question I have. :)
About two years ago, I bought a mandocello that had recently been converted from an old 1950s archtop Kay guitar. I was hoping to try out a mandocello for cheap, and I had seen several really nice archtop conversions here before I bought this one. I found out that I really loved the sound. The problem is, this thing is a bear to play.
Here are the problems that I have with it. The neck has gotten really bowed, so that even in first position, the action is really high. The instrument doesn't have a truss rod, which I think has contributed to the bow getting even worse over time. The string height at the 12th fret is almost 1/4", and it is already 1/8" by the fourth fret. It is currently strung with 59-44-34-18 gauge strings, which it looks like are already a pretty light compared to the D'Adderio mandocello strings, for example. The person who did the conversion also thought that the guitar had a neck reset at some point, so I don't know if this is contributing to the problem as well.
The other problem that I frequently have with it is that the string pairs split around my finger when I am fretting. I think a new nut with better string spacing might help with this, but I haven't played other mandocellos to know if this is a common problem.
With these issues, do you think this mandocello could be made playable? What repairs would it need, and would it be worth the cost considering it was an inexpensive guitar to begin with?
Thanks!
Just for fun, I thought I'd throw in a sound clip from when I first got the mandocello and was playing it more. This is me fumbling through some of the Bach Cello Suite in G. :)
mandocello sample.mp3.
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