converting this sweet Tomo from Uke to Mando... what strings?

[vwfye]

Hey all,
I'm trying to figure out if I should just use standard strings or guitar strings for this conversion. I believe it is a tenor ukulele... Or, should I use octave strings? Thanks for any help!
I bought it because of the sound it can produce. It is a Tomo Ukulele from S. Korea. and it should be here in a few days.

Again, thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ptmXryifTD4

[Soundfarmer Pete]

Presumably you`ll be converting it to a tenor mandola rather than mandolin (or short scale octave mando)....either way, it looks like it`s fitted with individual bass guitar bridge pieces so guitar strings rather than loop enders.

Looks a neat little thing!

[vwfye]

Thank you

[mandroid]

Id pick a set made up from Classical Guitar strings , the tension of steel strings
may pull the bridge right off the top ,and the neck off the body.

maybe not immediately but over time.

[vwfye]

Id pick a set made up from Classical Guitar strings , the tension of steel strings
may pull the bridge right off the top ,and the neck off the body.

maybe not immediately but over time.

This is designed for steel strings.
As to the Tenor mandolin or short scale... can you help a 'newbie'? Can they both still be set up in standard GDAE? or are they a different setup?

[mandroid]

I just realized that after wading though the freezer burn commercial to get to the vid.

[vwfye]

Freezer burn commercial? I'm not sure I want to know!

[vwfye]

I emailed the builder of this and he told me the scale is 215mm. So, I am looking for your expertise folks. I want to still tune to GDAE with this scale length. What string gauges would you use to get there? Thank you again!

[mandroid]

215mm is not even 8.5" . way short, that half the scale 0 > 12th fret?

mandolin is closer to 330-355mm

[mandroid]

If 430mm, that is almost 17" that gets you in Octave below , range.. if you want GDAE.

wait till its in your hands and recheck..
Scale is the whole free length of the vibrating string 0/nut to bridge.

Offhand I'd say.

strings will need to be on the heavy side , G maybe, .056 ",or .052 ". and so forth.

lighter gages and you are in Viola, Mandola range CGDA .. ,048 - .012
you lose the high E (which the scale is too long to reach) , and gain the Low C

I like the CGDA tuning.. I have a 0.4M scale Mandola. [400mm]

[vwfye]

It is supposed to be the same scale as a tenor uke.... I think I will try a set of octave mandolin strings and see how it goes. I have an octave, so getting extra strings won't really be a waste of $

My buddy asked why I don't just learn the Uke fingerings... my answer, "I can barely remember the mandolin chords!" This old dog struggles with new tricks

[vwfye]

Alrighty... I have the Uke in my hands. The nut to the bridge is 17" long. So, I am going to try and set it up as an mandolin and see how that does. If all else fails, I'll get some octave strings and try them.
As to the instrument itself, the fit and finish is awesome! I can't wait to get it home and plug it in and test out these pick ups!

[vwfye]

I forgot to mention that it came with a nice backpack soft gig bag.

[vwfye]

The Tomo has a great sound!!! All 3 positions of the switch bring distinctly unique sound... All in all, I'm very grinny right now!

[vwfye]

I have been able to tune the existing strings to standard mandolin tuning. The G is a wound string, all the Others are not. I love the sound and variety I can get when we are playing modern praise and worship songs. I still use my electric/acoustic 8 strin on the traditional stuff.

[vwfye]

For those of you more versed in stringed instruments, with the 17" scale, would you consider this a small tenor guitar instead of an octave mandolin, even if tuned in GDAE? I'm just trying to figure out the most proper descriptive of what I have in the way I'm using it.

[mandroid]

A 17" scale would fall in a good Mandola range. CGDA .. same chord shapes, different names.

Viola; Tenor Guitar /tenor banjo.

mandolin pitches, are in the middle of the neck, 7th fret..

[vwfye]

Well, I play it in GDAE so I guess I'll call it an octive and call it good.

[jumppin james]

The Eastwood Mandola has a similar scale length. Check out their string gauges: http://www.eastwoodguitars.com/Other...andola_frm.htm

[Daniel Nestlerode]

My Weber Alder #2 (discontinued, as far as I know) has a 17" scale length. I string it with standard mando strings and tune it E B F# C#. I sometimes call it an Alto mandolin.

Daniel

[jso]

Are there not uke strings available in fifths? I've just bought some to convert my souvenir "oud" into a four-stringed vaguely playable instrument.

[jumppin james]

Are there not uke strings available in fifths? I've just bought some to convert my souvenir "oud" into a four-stringed vaguely playable instrument.

Looks like he's gonna need shiny silver ones since it's an electric instrument. Your friendly music dealer should be able to sell you singles in any gauge. (Check Eastwood's mandola specs.) I assume you have a truss-rod...?

[vwfye]

I've got some minor head scratching still to do. I have had no issue with the uke A string holding the E tuning, it just is much more quiet than the other strings. It is an 009 string. Should I go to an 010 for more volume or an 008?

[jumppin james]

Buy them both. It'll cost about $1.50 for a single string each, so experimenting is pretty cheap. Get a string winder and you could do some rapid A-B testing.

[mandroid]

scale is too long for Violin GDAE, so thicker is better for detuning down to the next E.