Just when you think you've got it figured out...

[sliebers]

Got my first mandolin back this week for a refret and some finish touchup. It's been on perpetual loan to a friend. I completed it in 2007. This is an instrument I went down the rabbit hole to attempt tap tuning. I shaved two sets of tone bars down to nothing trying to achieve the target fundamental tap tones. Never arrived. This one was built using Siminoff's book and the grads were too thick. I thinned out the top to Loar specs and glued on new bars. In order to arrive at what I thought was the correct tap fundamental, the tone bars looked very weird. about 1/8" high treble bar, flat. A really tall bass bar. I decided to just finish it and see where it came out. It was ok. Nothing remarkable, but better sounding than most of the entry level mandos out there.

14 years later, this mandolin now sounds really good. I'm shocked actually. The finish and wood have aged and maybe that's what's going on? My current builds are better sounding out of the gate and more consistent, but this has me scratching my head a bit.

It would be amazing to go back in time to play some coveted instruments brand new. Would we still be going nuts over them?

[John Bertotti]

I read somewhere that at one point almost all Stradivarius mandolins were regraduated. If true it also makes me wonder why and what did they sound like new.

[HoGo]

I read somewhere that at one point almost all Stradivarius mandolins were regraduated. If true it also makes me wonder why and what did they sound like new.

Most of the old Cremonese violins have been modified to such extreme that the original makers would not recognise them. ALmost all finish worn off, edges worn away and often replaced with new, arching remodelled after deformations, new necks, large patches of new wood inside tops and backs (sometimes going through), lots of worm damage repaired or filled with new wood etc.
Teh regraduation is mostly part of Guarneri del Gesu violins who supposedly left them substantially thicker than typical Strad (the very few well preserved examples show that) but Strads certainly lost some wood after all the repairs and bass bar changes etc...

[sliebers]

A few Loars are reported to have been regraduated as well. Grisman's crusher, and John Reischman's come to mind. Sam Bush's Fern was redone as well.

[Marty Jacobson]

Most of the old Cremonese violins have been modified to such extreme that the original makers would not recognise them. ALmost all finish worn off, edges worn away and often replaced with new, arching remodelled after deformations, new necks, large patches of new wood inside tops and backs (sometimes going through), lots of worm damage repaired or filled with new wood etc.
Teh regraduation is mostly part of Guarneri del Gesu violins who supposedly left them substantially thicker than typical Strad (the very few well preserved examples show that) but Strads certainly lost some wood after all the repairs and bass bar changes etc...

Not to mention that bows, string tension and composition, and neck angles are generally different than they were originally.

[Jim Hilburn]

I've heard of Mike Marshall's Loar being re-graduated by John Moneleone but Grisman and Reischman? Really?

[sliebers]

I've heard of Mike Marshall's Loar being re-graduated by John Moneleone but Grisman and Reischman? Really?

I recall reading, or being told that at some point. Don't quote me on it as my memory could be foggy.