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Thread: Home Built Mandocello

  1. #1

    Default Home Built Mandocello

    I am not a player. I hope the instrument has potential dispite several flaws.


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  3. #2
    Registered User meow-n-dolin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Built Mandocello

    Not bad! From the sample, I would say it definitely has potential. What is the scale length?

  4. #3

    Default Re: Home Built Mandocello

    Thanks, It is 25 1/8. I had a lefty briefly in the 90's. Hats off to those who can play these monsters. It is fun to plug it in and butcher Dick Dale and Henry Mancini. The cat and dog do not like it.
    Last edited by MrMoe; May-19-2021 at 6:41am.

  5. #4
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Built Mandocello

    Wow -- sustains approximately forever! Looks like what would have resulted if Flatiron built a 'cello the way they built my octave mandolin.

    Don't pay attention to the cat and dog; what kinda musical taste to they have, anyway?
    Allen Hopkins
    Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
    Natl Triolian Dobro mando
    Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
    H-O mandolinetto
    Stradolin Vega banjolin
    Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
    Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
    Flatiron 3K OM

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  7. #5

    Default Re: Home Built Mandocello

    There is some discussion about these having too much sustain. I think that could be a real concern. The only ones I have tried are my home made ones. The strings have so much mass they create sympathetic resonances. These over tones are in tune and do not interfere with my silly noodling. I am looking foward to an assessment by some experienced players.

  8. #6
    Registered User meow-n-dolin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Built Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by MrMoe View Post
    There is some discussion about these having too much sustain. I think that could be a real concern. The only ones I have tried are my home made ones. The strings have so much mass they create sympathetic resonances. These over tones are in tune and do not interfere with my silly noodling. I am looking foward to an assessment by some experienced players.
    Indeed, the sustain and overtones may have something to do with the design. I have an archtop OM (Eastman), an Eastman 'cello, which is basically a copy of a Gibson L4 strung as a mandocello, and a TC zook, a flattop. The archtops seem to have a rather more subdued level of overtones. The scale-length varies from 22" for the OM, 25" for the 'cello, to 26 3/4" for the zook. Tonally, the archtops are very similar in sound, while the zook has a much more complex tone. Part of this is due to the scale length, for sure, but I suspect the design also contributes significantly to the sound. It has entered my mind, as an experiment, to restring the zook with slightly heavier strings, detune it, and then capo to a 24" scale length and see how the sustain and overtones are affected. Someday, I might get off my lazy ass and actually try it lol

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  10. #7

    Default Re: Home Built Mandocello

    The "Take over the world" sound is part of what I like about big mandolins. [quote] Mike Marshall
    I wonder if spending $140.00 on Tomasilk flatwounds would help my sound.
    Last edited by MrMoe; May-22-2021 at 7:31pm. Reason: add on

  11. #8
    Registered User meow-n-dolin's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Built Mandocello

    [QUOTE=MrMoe;1824578]The "Take over the world" sound is part of what I like about big mandolins.
    Mike Marshall
    I wonder if spending $140.00 on Tomasilk flatwounds would help my sound.
    I hear you on that. I preferred the TKs on my f-hole Eastman, but on the oval-hole Eastman I prefer the D'addario bronze sets. I am thinking they would definitely kill some of the overtones. You might try a set of the flatwound D'addarios available from emando.com -- they are similar in sound to the TKs, at a much lower cost. If you like what they do, you might like the TKs.

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  13. #9
    Tired & Cranky Monte Barnett's Avatar
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    Default Re: Home Built Mandocello

    +1 on flatwounds from emando.com. Helped me to tame the brightness & volume of a Pono octave. Also using a half-set of his flatwound mandocello strings as an experiment on an Eastwood tenor guitar, which, even with a 23 inch scale length, has produced pleasing results.
    Monte

    Northfield F2S
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