Alternate Stringing for a Mandolin

[JohnMandocaster]

I enjoyed seeing someone play a bouzouki recently and it intrigued me because it has more neck but can be tuned like a mandolin. I decided to try tuning my mandolin like a bouzouki or a 12-string guitar, with the two low string pairs tuned an actave apart.

Keep the typical mandolin tuning GG DD AA EE

Remove the second G and D strings and replace with an A and E string respectively from another set.

Tune GG* DD* AA EE with the strings marked with an asterisk being smaller diameter but an octave higher.

It sounds great and gives some extra treble to chords and new sounds to your melodies and finger picking. It works great in jam sessions because it doesn't change your fingering. I don't believe this will put extra stress on the instrument but some expert opinions would be appreciated. Does anyone else use this technique?

[mrmando]

Mike Compton used to string his A Junior this way. It should actually reduce the overall string tension on the instrument by a few pounds.

[JohnMandocaster]

Cool, there HAVE to be lots of folks doing it since it's simple. I thought I would try it for fun and then return to default but I just can't see going back. I need to post the name and location of the luthier for my acoustic mandolin. It sounds great and shows no signs of coming apart but just doesn't look well jointed in some places.

[mandroid]

Cool, there HAVE to be lots of folks doing it since it's simple

were it true the string sets would be on the shelf like that

Irish Zouks are long scale so the strings are thinner [than OM]
maybe just using them
and cutting off the extra length, will be Fine.

[Rockyjohnstone]

That does sound interesting. No intonation challenges or problems with the nut slots being too wide?

[JohnMandocaster]

Rocky, no, I haven't had intonation issues but I have noticed you have to be careful to apply enough pressure to the fret so you fully depress the smaller diameter string with the heavier wound sting next to it. Mandoid's solution might help with that. I also thought it might be worth the time to try putting the lighter string ahead of the heavier string.

[JeffD]

This works well for ragtime!

[Charles E.]

Back in the 80's I had the pleasure of taking a workshop with Howard Armstrong and that is how he tuned his mandolin. You can hear it on the Martin Bogan and Armstrong recordings.

[Londy]

What about the opposite if you wanted a little more low end?

[Jim Yates]

I had one of my mandolins high-strung for a few years, but didn't use it enough to justify leaving it that way. It's fairly common among jug band or blues players.
I used an extra A string for the high G and an extra E for the high D.

[MONami]

I have used it, and like it. While some tunes might have an awkward moment, I find the added color is interesting. Even bluegrass tunes don't seem to mind, most of the time. On a mando I am having made, I am having the primary nut and saddle made for octave tuning.

I decided to try tuning my mandolin... with the two low string pairs tuned an octave apart.
Does anyone else use this technique?