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Thread: Ryder octave mandolin

  1. #1
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    I just got this picture from Steve Ryder of my new 4-string electric octave mandolin. It's a lot better picture than the one I put in a prior post. I've had the instrument for 3 days and have been very impressed. The workmanship and setup are perfect. It has Shaller tuners, an ebony fretboard, and two humbucker pickups. It's tuned an octave lower than mandolin and has a scale length of 21", still a bit shorter than a regular guitar. I tried it through my son's Gibson tube amp and it sounds terrific. I can't wait to try it in a public performance...probably in a couple of weeks.
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    Obsessed with four strings...

    Alan Duncan

  2. #2
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    Neat looking instrument! I bet it plays like a dream and - in Sea Foam Green! I would think about calling it an Electric Tenor Guitar though. The scale length is perfect ... now, go get some ear plugs. What do you use for string weights on this marvel?



    Mandola fever is permanent.

  3. #3
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    I was digging into the vaults of mandolincafe, when I saw this baby again.

    Man I love this thing! Alan, can you give us an update of what you think of it after using it for a couple of months?
    I've always been crazy, but it kept me from going insane! (W.J.)

    Syncopation rules the nation! (S.J.)

  4. #4
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    Very cool! Steve is a great guy and excellent luthier, I've know him and his work for some time. Go Cat Go!
    John McGann, Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music
    johnmcgann.com
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    Youtube live mando

  5. #5
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    Thanks for the interest.

    I've performed twice in public with it, once at a men's breakfast for about 40 people, and once in a church worship band for about 200 people. I love it. Once you get used to the longer scale it's actually quite easy to play. It has great tone, even above the 12th fret. I usually play chords on the low end and scales or chord triads higher up where it's easier to span the fifths. I've been playing through a BOSS GT6 guitar processor through a direct box to the PA system and it sounds great. It's a very flexible instrument and I'm enjoying it immensely. I replaced the strings with Thomastik-Infeld jazz strings which are flat wound, making it easier to slide along the low strings. So far, no regrets...and it always generates lots of interest from the guitar players in the audience!
    Obsessed with four strings...

    Alan Duncan

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