# Octaves, Zouks, Citterns, Tenors and Electrics > Four, Five and Eight-String Electrics >  Epiphone mandobird-viii

## SnapCut

My new Epiphone Mandobird-VIII arrived today and oh-boy does it look and feel nice  
I could only afford to just get the Mandobird at this time. I have to wait till the end of November to get the amp and other stuff  
My teacher told me that I could bring it up to the school of music and plug it into their amp to see if it works.
It will be nice when I get to practice in silence.

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## grapeaperacin

You will love the Mandobird i have the 4 and 8 string Mandobird and i love mine and plan on getting one that i can experiment and upgrade the pickup and do a custom airbrush job on good luck with you Bird hope you enjoy them

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## SnapCut

> You will love the Mandobird i have the 4 and 8 string Mandobird and i love mine and plan on getting one that i can experiment and upgrade the pickup and do a custom airbrush job on good luck with you Bird hope you enjoy them


Thank you very much  
I would like to see you costom Mandobird when its done?
I sent for my amp and the other things last Wednesday. I ordered a Behringer ULTRACOUSTIC AT108. It has a mic outlet.

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## ActionClaw

At one time I was considering these but was warned against 8-string electrics by those who thought they sounded too _sloppy_ or _messy_ or something. (I ended up with a 5-string Fender FM-60E).

Someone who has played both the Mandobird IV and Mandobird VIII seems the perfect one to ask:

Are 8 strings too many for an electric?
Does it lead to any problems? Harder to tune?
...especially if you're running through effects, distortion, etc?

All things being equal, with everything set up the same, (assuming you're not using a clean signal) do you notice much of a difference (between the 4 and 8)?

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## SnapCut

I just got my new amp not to long ago and only got to try my Mandobird VIII a few times.
I am totally new to electric inst so I can't answer most of your questions.
The only problem that I have with mine and its kind of a big one is the very low volume of the "E" strings. I've been trying to find the best ajustment for all the knobs and playing the other strings very lightly and when I come to a note on the "E" string wacking it good.
The G,D,and A string sound and play great. It is wonderful for playing the songs that I have that don't call for the "E" string like *Blow the Man Down, Oh, Susanna, and Little Liza Jane.*

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## Alex Fields

I played a Mandobird that I liked pretty well, at least for the price. I'm interested in getting a four or five string electric. Though that's just one of at least half a dozen instruments I'm interested in and I can't afford any of them right now.

I don't like electrics with doubled strings nearly as well. Seem sloppy, not as fun to play really fast, less like an electric guitar which is part of the fun of playing a four/five string electric I think. A lot easier to do string bends and stuff without the doubled strings.

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## eadg145

It's already been mentioned elsewhere, but the weak E string is a known issue with the Mandobird. There are all kinds of solutions, mostly dealing with replacement pickups. I would advise you to look for a set of nickel strings first, though. I put nickel strings on my Mandobird VIII, and I get a much better response now out of the E strings.
 I hope you enjoy your Mandobird as much as I enjoy mine.

cheers,

David

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## SnapCut

> It's already been mentioned elsewhere, but the weak E string is a known issue with the Mandobird. #There are all kinds of solutions, mostly dealing with replacement pickups. #I would advise you to look for a set of nickel strings first, though. #I put nickel strings on my Mandobird VIII, and I get a much better response now out of the E strings.
>  #I hope you enjoy your Mandobird as much as I enjoy mine.
> 
> cheers,
> 
> David


Hi David  
Thanks for the info.
I just got some Light Gauge Gibson Brite Wires that say they are wound with Nickel Plated Steel, is this what you mean? #What are the nickle strings that you put on your Mandobird VIII? #What kind of strings are on it when you buy it?

I just went looking and found these nickle/electric strings.
D'Addario J67 Nickle Mandolin Strings
Fender 2250L Nickleplated Steel Mandolin Strings
GHS E250 Stainless Mandolin Strings
Which one of these would be best to try?

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## mrmando

Nickel strings don't make a dime's worth of difference to the E string. So-called nickel strings are wound with a nickel alloy on a steel core. E strings are not wound, and I don't know of any string sets with a plain nickel E. The E string would be either plain steel or stainless. The nickel set that David bought must have had a heavier E than what came with the Mandobird. 

I sell custom-gauge nickel-wound sets at emando.com. If you're concerned about a weak E, you can buy the normal-gauge set.

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## SnapCut

Well we tried size 11 for the *E* string with no difference (that might be the size it comes with).
I sent for some 6-packs of Ernie Ball Nickle Plain Single Guitar String in Sizes 12 & 13 and they're on the way here right now. If they don't fix the problem then this thing is a piece of junk.
Epiphone says that they are all about quality, well if they are why are they selling these things like this?

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## Dave Caulkins

The Mandobird really isn't a piece of junk, even with the weak "E" problem. What it is, is what it is. It's an inexpensive imported $200ish mandolin with electronics appropriate to its price range. They aren't going to throw a $100+ pickup on it, and it's not unusual to see guitar pickups by themselves in that range. 

You were initially gushing about the fit and finish, so is it unreasonable to assume that it would be worth it in the end to change the pickup? There are numerous posts on upgrading Mandobirds, check 'em out. The mando can be made very serviceable for $100 or less, I believe, even with labor. Heck, have you tried raising the height of the pickup on the treble side?

There is a reason that folks like Yanuziello, Mann, Ryder, and Schwab command the prices they do. Don't expect a BMW for the cost of a used Taurus...

My Two Cents,

Dave

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## SnapCut

We're talking basic function. I think that it should be at least playable when you get it. You can't play any song that uses the E strings without it being mess up. If it were a car there would be a recall or something to make it right.

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## Dave Caulkins

I respect your opinion, yet I still stand by my comments. Have you tried raising the treble side? 

I'm currently trying to electrify my Cascade, and going through the process of finding a suitable pickup to amplify. I notice you have other mandolins too, how does your Mandobird compare? If you are not happy, maybe looking down that road is right for you? I can't say that too many options in my search have amounted to less than $200, considering the fact that I am looking for a distinctly electric sound (ie magnetic pickups). Maybe if you sell the Mandobird and electrify one of the others you will be happy?

Dave

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## Geoff B

I'm reasonably close to buying a mandobird IV, knowing full well of the E string problem. AFter searching a few other threads on this board, it sounds like a new pickup isn't even necessary, if one switches out certain (inexpensive) parts (capacitor, pots). I think this is not uncalled for in a mandolin of this price range. An informative post can be found HERE.

One exerpt from this thread is here: 

"Alright, I took the .001 capacitor out leaving just the .022 and installed a 500K volume pot. WOW! Huge difference. The E string is alive and well. I would say that it is now at 95% of where I want it. I also changed the wiring scheme to more closely resemble the above posted schematic, so I'm going to try a .047 again and see if it improves over using the previous schematic. BTW, I'm using a polyester cap instead of a ceramic, and I don't know if that plays any type of role. Anyone know the difference? "

it looks like what I plan to do with my mandobird when I get around to getting it. It is not a difficult operation, and schematics are provided on the post (and seems ok, but I'm not the best judge of schematic drawings). Maybe give those a shot?....???

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## thistle3585

Thats my post from a year or so ago. That experiement was done using a Bartolini split bass pickup. 

Its funny, I had six inquiries for electrics in the last 4 weeks and three asked about taking a mandobird in on trade and one asked about an Eastwood on trade. All say the same thing, thin tone and weak E string. This is a fact of life with these instruments and if you got one where that isn't the case then you are lucky. The only other complaints I hear are about the intonation limitations of the bridges.  There are so many ways to get these things fine tuned and sounding good for $50-$60. There isn't any reason that you can't find a good quality, size appropriate pickup for around $50.00. If going with a stock guitar pickup then you should look for a jazz wound neck pickup for a strat. I think they are 2 1/16" wide.  

If you are in the market for a mandobird or Eastwood, I know where there are quite a few that are available.:D

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## SnapCut

How exactly should I raise the treble side?

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## Dave Caulkins

I'm not certain if this is applicable to a Mandobird, but on some guitars you can adjust the pickup height via the screws. I would try to loosen the right hand side, perhaps shimming it lightly afterwards to make a slight height adjustment might be necessary if it doesn't truly raise up (which unfortunately for asthetics, I think it might need). Getting the pickup closer to the string should boost the signal and thus improve your output. Hope this helps...

Dave

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## mandroid

Snap, if the pickup were coming thru a plastic pickguard 

plate, the screw would adjust the PU, with a spring opposing

 the screw, seems that one is screwed directly to the wood.

Try making some Shims, say, cut out of large black guitar picks [for color] 

and put it under the treble side of the PU, 

 screwed down to the body as it is ,

 maybe a bit longer wood screw, if its short

, (+) by the thickness added under the pickup.

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## Eddie Sheehy

I love my Mandobird VIII. Great value for the price. I've got an Eastman Mandcaster on the way. It will be interesting to do a comparison. For the price I can forgive the weak E string.

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