Been thinking of using a pina soundboard i have thats about 150 years old and making a flat top mandolin,,,i've been looking around on websites and there are some really cool instruments out there but so far havent really found any specs,,,can anyone tell me the side depths and bracing.
I have made my body design as oval its 14 inches long and 11 1/4 at widest bout...i like the idea of flat top and flat back but i guess i have to make the rim a bit deeper,,but does it go thinner to thicker . ex. 1 3/4 at neck and 2 1/4 ar tail? i've posted a pic of one ive been looking at also so you will get the idea of what im trying to achieve....thanks for any help with deminsions Russell
Get John Troughton's book The Mandolin Manual or Graham McDonald's book The Bouzuki Book.
The mandolin plan in Troughton's book shows the rib being 44 mm at the neck and 55 mm at the heal. That would be about 1 3/4" to 2 3/16".
This is a sketch of the bracing in John Troughton's book. The braces go all the way across. It just gives a couple of different positions. There is just one little brace down at the bottom going off at a 45 degree angle.
FWIW the first mandolin I built (I have only built a few) is a flat top and I just put a simple X-brace in it. It does not get played much but it seems to be holding up ok after 3 1/2 years.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks