Originally Posted by
sblock
Yow. Well, let's go to the computer and see: a 0.049" diameter C string at a ~13-7/8" scale length (the standard mandolin scale length, not the mandola scale length) will be under just 16.4 lbs of tension, according to the D'Addario String Tension Pro calculator. That's pretty darned low, esp. when you consider that mandolin strings tend to run about 20 lbs of tension. You will hear a C being played, all right, but I would bet that the C note is "wonky." Hit it too hard, and it will sound out of pitch. Fret it too hard, and it will also sound out of pitch. And the timbre may be quite a bit off, too, compared to the other, higher-tension strings. This arrangement might work out just fine for an electric instrument, like the C string of a 5-string electric mandolin, but I am personally skeptical that it would work out very well on an acoustic mandolin (~14" scale) being set up for mandola tuning. Of course, this is the underlying REASON why actual mandolas tend to have longer scale lengths (say, 16" and up) than mandolins. The lower you go with those open string notes, the longer scale length you'll require, in order to get good tones with stable notes from the strings. This is Acoustic Instrument Construction 101. So, I repeat my original suggestion to just buy a mandola, if you want the tuning to be CGDA. There are plenty of these available, if you look, in both the A and F styles, as well as variants with oval holes, flat tops, etc. Good hunting!
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