# General Mandolin Topics > Looking for Information About Mandolins >  Is this how it starts?

## Sue Rieter

So I have a new mando in my life, a craiglist Strad-O-Lin, advertised as 50's but Mike E says it could be older. I think it's solid wood, at least the top, and even though the action is about the same height as my Kentucky, it plays easier and is really loud. I REALLY like the way it looks. The color is great, the matching pickguard and tailpiece cover are really cool, and it has a cool line down the middle of the back of the neck that I like. The guy selling it was the son of the owner, it was from his estate. Armed with just enough knowledge to be dangerous (thanks, Cafe!), I negotiated him down a fair amount. I paid $275.

It's a bit of a project though. It came in a wicked cool old case, but the case is really musty. The son told me it had been stored in his Dad's guitar room, but it is what it is. The neck is straight (brought a straight edge with me). Maybe it needs a new bridge. Many of the frets are lifted. One of the G string tuners is really tight. The intonation is way off (sharp). Here's the worst part. So he also told me he didn't know when the last time it was played, and the strings have been on the whole time. I see some (hopefully minor) cracking around the neck. 

I'm thinking I will take the strings off and clean it up. Then I will put it in my back bedroom where nobody usually goes, and work on the case. Probably start with some leather conditioner on the outside. Then I am going to find someone to go through it for me. My first thought is Jake Wildwood in Vermont, he is about an hour and a half from me. I'll reach out and see if he can look at it.

If anyone can help me with further history, that would be great. I think I am supposed to look inside with a dentist mirror. I will have to see if we have one.

I really want to play it, but I am a little nervous about the neck.

I think when it is ready to play, the Kentucky may well be spending more time in the Bada$$(TM) Chipboard Case.

Sue

PS, The guy also has a 20's Martin mandolin on boston craigslist and who knows what else in that guitar room. I didn't ask.

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Ash Telecaster, 

Eric Platt, 

F-2 Dave, 

hank, 

lflngpicker, 

Sheila Lagrand

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## MikeEdgerton

Be sure to post these pictures in the Strad-O-Lin social group and look for others with the same features. I've had a few similar but not with the covered tuners.

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Be sure to post these pictures in the Strad-O-Lin social group


How do I do that? I went over there and started a post, but when it came to images, it was asking for a URL

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## mtucker

> How do I do that? I went over there and started a post, but when it came to images, it was asking for a URL


You got the Clarence White model! Better be learning that Byrds (Leadbelly) tune.

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your_diamond

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## John Soper

Cool mandolin.  I hadn't seen the "Stairway to Heaven" fingerboard extension before - looks like a keeper!

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Sue Rieter

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## Charles E.

> Cool mandolin.  I hadn't seen the "Stairway to Heaven" fingerboard extension before - looks like a keeper!


That's funny right there.

Nice mandolin at a good price. Of course you will have to have the frets seated or a refret. And yes, this is how it starts.

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## Jeff Mando

Congrats, Sue!  Nice looking Strad.  Mike, we discussed these tuners a couple years ago with regards to Stradolin, but made no definite opinions.  I'm guessing they are original to the mandolin.  They were made by Kluson and appear frequently on 40's National guitars, not so much resonators, but acoustic electrics.  I just worked on a Chicago-made Buck Jones cowboy guitar, I think it was made by Regal, and it had those covered tuners.  That guitar had a stamped date inside of 1944.  On the picture of the receipt pad above, in the lower left corner in the fine print shows 10.44 .....not sure, could possibly be a date, at least for the company that makes the receipt pads.  You are right out of a hundred Stradolins, you may find one with those tuners.  Also, very few have that stamp between the tuners.  Seems to also be a 40's thing, but again, rare enough that I can't form a definite opinion on.  Yours may have a date stamp inside.

I would say Jake Wildwood would be a great choice to work on it.  He probably has worked on as many Stradolins as anybody and he likes offbeat stuff. (that's a good thing!)

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Charles E., 

Eric Platt

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## pops1

Congratulations Sue, I have considered on of these myself. Probably would have bought if if I found it at that price. If you put your case out in the sun for a few days it will help with the musty smell. Take it in at night before the humidity rises.

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## MikeEdgerton

> How do I do that? I went over there and started a post, but when it came to images, it was asking for a URL


Don't start a post, go to Photos and click the Add Photo's button. It will look just like what you saw when you added photos to this thread.

Too bad that Wurlitzer receipt isn't dated.

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## Sue Rieter

Thanks everyone. 
 :Mandosmiley: 

I saw 10.44 on the receipt and thought it was a revision date for the form.

I've since exchanged a couple emails with the seller, Mike. He said it could be older than 50's, but that's how far he got on his research. His Dad's name was Arthur and he did some touring in the midwest in the 50's - 70's, playing (mostly solo) folk music. Later he played with friends. He was mainly an acoustic guitar player, so the mandolins didn't get much playing. He was somewhat of an instrument collector. It's nice to know a little history.

BTW, he sent me some pictures of some of the other stuff in the guitar room. He said if I knew anyone who was interested... Not sure what to do with that, but there are some acoustic and electric guitars, a couple banjos and that Martin mandolin. Instruments I mostly know little to nothing about, and I have no idea what he wants for them. I guess if anyone's curious they can pm me.

My husband and I were joking around about the covered tuners. They are Victorian, we decided - you don't want to be showing your worm gears  :Laughing:  Petticoats, my DH called the covers.

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## Frankdolin

Congrats Sue. I'd been watching that and the Martin for weeks, just a couple towns from me, but thought the asking price too high. Glad you talked them down. Martins priced high too, but now that I know their dealing with an estate...

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## Sue Rieter

Thanks, Frank. Glad I left one for you : :Wink:

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## lflngpicker

Really nice looking mandolin.  Much better condition than the one I bought as a fixer upper.  They do have a nice, dry woody tone.  Thanks for sharing the pictures!

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

Took the Strad-O-Lin on a road trip up to Vermont yesterday for a "doctor's appointment" with Jake Wildwood. What a great guy! It was a beautiful day for a drive, beautiful country, and only the second time I've been out of NH for some time (both Strad related).

Anyway, it turned out to need less work than I thought, and he cleaned and set it up while I hung out. He put some compensation on the bridge, and added some new strings (ghs A250 light, which he likes). Wow, did it sound awesome when he played it.  :Mandosmiley: 

I can't believe such a great mandolin actually belongs to me! It's way better than I am. I felt a little bashful playing it when it was done. He gave me some different picks to try, and let me try out his blue chip pick (which I did like quite a bit, but not enough to shell out the $$$ right now)

He thinks it is 1941-ish, because of the tuners, the way it is made, the case, and the vintage 40's strings that came with it. Solid spruce top and maple sides, probably ply back with a nice veneer. 2 piece maple neck with some other wood in between. His theory is, up until the war they were all made at a factory in New Jersey, and after the war, made in various places.

When it was all done, he took pictures and today it is on his blog! (He really liked it!)

https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/20...e-archtop.html

He also did a little setup work on the Kentucky; it sounded pretty good afterward, too, but not like the Strad-O-Lin.

All in all, a well spent afternoon.

Oh, we talked about straps. He suggested a strap button on the heel, and showed me some ones that matched. He said he would do it if it were his, but I wasn't ready to see any new holes drilled. Anybody have any opinions? I've got a boot lace on there now, from the tailpiece to the peghead.

Don't think I'll be bothered by MAS for awhile, anyway  :Smile:

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bwnunnally, 

Charles E., 

Eric Platt, 

GMorgan, 

J.C. Bryant, 

jim simpson, 

lflngpicker, 

robw95, 

Seter

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## MikeEdgerton

Take a look at this thread. It shows what I did on my Strad-O-Lin and my old Kalamazoo. Combine the two methods and your in.

https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...ton-no-problem

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lflngpicker, 

Sue Rieter

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## JRG

Wow Sue, That is a really nice Stradolin!  Like what Jake had to say about it's sound. I took a '40 to Randy Wood a while back and he had the same reaction. Thanks for the post.

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lflngpicker, 

Sue Rieter, 

your_diamond

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## pops1

Very nice Sue. I wouldn't drill it for a strap button either. I have a couple that other folks have drilled and I take them out and tie on the headstock. Not behind the nut as I feel it gets in the way, but above a tuner. I like how it feels better on your shoulder when tied on the headstock. A strap button pulls straight down and tied moves it across the back. Not that a mandolin is heavy enough to feel. but I prefer it. Enjoy that Stradolin.

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lflngpicker, 

Sue Rieter

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## Dave Hicks

I use one of these to attach to the peghead (probably somebody makes one without a logo).

D.H.

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Jean Andreasen, 

lflngpicker, 

Sue Rieter

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## lflngpicker

I went to the blog and that Strad is incredible! What a beauty.  I love the flamed sides, the grain of the top and the stair stepped fingerboard extension.  Great find! Well photographed as well.

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

It looks great now, all cleaned up. Did I say how much I love it?

So I sat there this morning with the Strad in my hand and some picks on the table in front of me.

I had two cords of wood that needs stacking, some laundry to do, and garden stuff to attend to.

What do you think I did?

Right, I got right on the wood stacking




...Right after I played some scales and exercises, ran through a fair portion of the songs I already know and started on a new one.  :Mandosmiley: 

At that point I decided I'd better put it down for awhile or nothing would get done. 

Dave, I like that leather strap. I'll bet I could make one, I've got my Dad's old leather working stuff.

Thanks for the kind words, and I don't think I'll be doing any drilling.

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Eric Platt, 

lflngpicker

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## pops1

[ATTACH=CONFIG]187377[/ATTA


Here's how I do it.

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Dave Hicks, 

Jean Andreasen, 

lflngpicker, 

Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

I like that, too. It looks even easier.

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## Jeff Mando

Congrats again, Sue!  I read Jake's review and enjoyed the pictures.  Great buy, IMHO.

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Sue Rieter

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## pops1

> I like that, too. It looks even easier.


You can change the strap length by moving it to a tuner farther away. Subtle change, but east to do.

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Sue Rieter

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## robw95

What a cool post and a great mandolin! I love it when a plan comes together! 

Rob

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

I feel so lucky!

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## Eric Platt

Congrats on having such a great Strad-O-Lin. They have a great sound. Yours is fantastic. I agree with Jake as to the time period. The valve cover tuners seem to have been popular in '40 and '41. Regal used them on their top of the line guitar. 

May you enjoy playing it for many years. (And it's great Jake put your instrument on his blog. He's got a lot of good instruments there.)

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

Thank you again for the kind words.




> I agree with Jake as to the time period. The valve cover tuners seem to have been popular in '40 and '41.


Corroboration is good. Jake said those tuners were only made for one year.




> (And it's great Jake put your instrument on his blog. He's got a lot of good instruments there.)


A little corny, but it sort of feels like when your kid makes the honor role  :Smile:

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Eric Platt

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## allenhopkins

Sue, so glad you're getting such satisfaction out of your Strad-O-Lin.  I've owned a couple of them over the last 25-30 years; the first one I bought, badly cracked and with super-alligatored finish, from an 85-year-old NYCity lady who'd kept it under her bed for decades.  I paid her either $25 or $50, can't remember, and, once fixed up, it was my go-to instrument to take camping, to sing-arounds, or just to throw in the back of the car "just in case there's some music."  I performed with it, recorded with it, and finally traded it in -- on a nicer Strad-O-Lin!

Strad-O-Lins with their mysterious origin and "knockabout" work-person-ship, have been the Ugly Ducklings of the mandolin world for a long time.  People familiar with 20th-century mandolins have long known that they're "hidden gems," sounding much better than they look, survivors from a time when US companies produced excellent entry-and-intermediate-level instruments that were affordable and very playable.

I have a number of instruments by Lyon & Healy, Regal, Oscar Schmidt _et. al._ that were built for the general market, not fancy at all, just decently constructed from good materials, with very serviceable designs and excellent sound.  I wish that capability still existed in the US, and that we didn't have to rely on imported instruments to fill the lower rungs of the market "ladder."  I hope you have found a relic of that era of American instrument production, that will stay with you for a long time.

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JRG, 

lflngpicker, 

Sue Rieter, 

your_diamond

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## jaybp30

These are such great instruments, congrats! I have a very similar one (https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...-Serial-Number). I think its a laminate back and sides with solid top but I don't care, it has such rich low end and nice volume. mine has a couple cracks I tried to have repaired but they came unglued. Probably need to take the top off to really fix them. Decided they're just part of the character of the mandolin and am leaving them. Enjoy yours!!

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## Sue Rieter

I saw yours, jaybp30. It's probably the closest one of all the pictures I looked at.

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## Sue Rieter

> I have a number of instruments by Lyon & Healy, Regal, Oscar Schmidt et. al. that were built for the general market, not fancy at all, just decently constructed from good materials, with very serviceable designs and excellent sound. I wish that capability still existed in the US, and that we didn't have to rely on imported instruments to fill the lower rungs of the market "ladder." I hope you have found a relic of that era of American instrument production, that will stay with you for a long time.


Beyond perhaps a smidgin of patriotism or nostalgia or the like, this is a big reason I started thinking about older American instruments in the first place. I think about how much tweaking it took to get my Korean Kentucky playing reasonably, and how well the Strad-O-Lin has held up to the tests of time, and how much better it sounds.  Both instruments built for the masses.

Sue

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allenhopkins, 

lflngpicker

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## SOMorris

Congratulations on such a great find, Sue!  Really nice looking.

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

Another holiday, another mandolin. Suddenly I find myself with the beginnings of a herd  :Laughing: 

I hope the Stradolin doesn't get jealous, but I have a new Morris flat top mandolin (maybe you saw it in the Classifieds) coming my way from Oregon in the morning. My thought is I will just have to spend twice as much time playing so that both get the attention they deserve.  :Mandosmiley: 

I haven't fully discussed it with my husband yet, but I have in mind what I will say when it comes up.  "It's a much more affordable addiction than airplanes." (I did quite a bit of flying a number of years ago)

Sue

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## allenhopkins

> ..."It's a much more affordable addiction than airplanes." (I did quite a bit of flying a number of years ago)...


Yeah, I get that: you think you only need _one_ airplane, then you want a "beater" Piper Cub to take camping, then you think you want something different and larger -- maybe a twin-engine -- then you hear a Lloyd Lear Jet at a fly-in somewhere, and you need _that,_ so you trade in the Beechcraft and a couple million buxx –– and where do you store them all?  _And_ you see a pre-war Stinson on eBay; needs restoration, but it's a real historic gem, so you bid sorta hoping someone will overbid you, but no one does (you're not to blame, it was late at night and you'd had a couple glasses of wine)...

Pretty soon you're in marriage counseling _and_ personal bankruptcy.  Stick to mandolins; they all fit in one room (well, _two_ rooms if you count the closet).

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JRG, 

Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

True, but sometimes I still think about the Stinson I _didn't_ buy. (I had a Piper Cherokee 180)  :Laughing: 

Then there were floatplanes, and IFR equipped travellers.....

.... Yeah, better to stick to mandolins  :Grin:

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allenhopkins

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## robw95

Way to go Sue, a new Morris in addition to the old Stradolin! So, I guess it is time to modify the title of this thread from a question 'Is this how it starts?' to a statement 'This is how it starts' 

Enjoy!

Rob

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Sue Rieter

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## pheffernan

> Another holiday, another mandolin. Suddenly I find myself with the beginnings of a herd


Sue, are you familiar with the resonator mandolin?

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

Here it is, Morris #450 just built last month! So lovely, but in a way that is totally different from the Strad-O-Lin. I like that it is mostly made of wood that Mr. Morris got fairly locally: cedar and silver maple from Oregon, black walnut from Washington. Built just a few hours from where my daughter lives, and by a guy with the same first name as my late Dad and my brother. And the matching fingerboard and bridge are very cool.

Is it possible to be in love with two mandolins at the same time? These are so different, like night and day. The Strad-O-Lin is like a warm summer afternoon, and the Morris is like late on a moonlit night. (A little corny, but hey.) 

I feel lucky to have two such wonderful instruments!

Sue

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allenhopkins, 

Cobalt, 

Eric Platt, 

Randi Gormley

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## Cobalt

That does look good. Congratulations!

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Sue Rieter

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## robw95

Congrats! The figuring on the fingerboard and bridge is stunning! 

Rob

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Sue Rieter

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## pheffernan

> I feel lucky to have two such wonderful instruments!


Sue, now that you have reached your third mandolin, it is probably the appropriate time to warn you that one's fifth mandolin typically costs as much as the previous four put together.

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Denman John, 

Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Sue, now that you have reached your third mandolin, it is probably the appropriate time to warn you that one's fifth mandolin typically costs as much as the previous four put together.


I can see from your list that you know what you're talking about!

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## Eric Platt

Congrats on the Morris. That's a very pretty mandolin. And am betting it sounds good. Like you say, different than a Strad-O-Lin. They should compliment each other quite well.

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Congrats on the Morris. That's a very pretty mandolin. And am betting it sounds good. Like you say, different than a Strad-O-Lin. They should compliment each other quite well.


It does sound very nice. And _very_  easy to play. The action is amazing.

I only wish I could play it for you without embarrassing myself. Maybe pretty soon.

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## Buck

"Is this how it starts?"

Perhaps I missed it, but I didn't see a succinct answer to the original question.  The answer is, "Yes!"  :-)

Congrats!  The Strad-O-Lin is especially cool.

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Cobalt, 

Sue Rieter

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## your_diamond

Sue, The center stripe of the neck is (more than likely) Brazilian Rosewood, as are the fretboard and bridge. Brazilian Rosewood was just another available wood in the 40's. Asymmetrical fretboard extensions were used on the better Stradolins so I would get a second opinion to see if the back is solid of laminated. 

How do you like the raised fretboard extension?

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Sue, The center stripe of the neck is (more than likely) Brazilian Rosewood, as are the fretboard and bridge. Brazilian Rosewood was just another available wood in the 40's. Asymmetrical fretboard extensions were used on the better Stradolins so I would get a second opinion to see if the back is solid of laminated. 
> 
> How do you like the raised fretboard extension?


Have you ever seen the stairstep before? 

Here's how much I like the Stradolin - if I had to pare my belongings down to what fits in my car, this mandolin would make the cut. 
I'm not sophisticated enough to know what the raised fretboard extension does for the sound, but I do know it looks wicked cool and the mandolin sounds excellent to my ear. It has a good amount of volume and the sound feels full and complete. I like the vibes, visual and aural. 

I like the Morris, too. It looks and sounds really different, with notes that go on and blend together. Right now I alternate which one I play. When I get better and have a bigger repertoire, I will probably choose a mandolin to play according to what best suits the music.

Sue

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your_diamond

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## Jim Bevan

> When I get better and have a bigger repertoire, I will probably choose a mandolin to play according to what best suits the music.


Yep, that's how it starts alright.  :Smile: 

A different mandolin for each style of music. And then, for each style, a practice mandolin, a beater gigging mandolin, a fancy-shmancy concert mandolin, maybe another mandolin that records acoustically better than the live ones that have pickups...

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Sue Rieter

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## lucho

[QUOTE=Sue Rieter;1778070]So I have a new mando in my life, a craiglist Strad-O-Lin, advertised as 50's but Mike E says it could be older. I think it's solid wood, at least the top, and even though the action is about the same height as my Kentucky, it plays easier and is really loud. I REALLY like the way it looks. The color is great, the matching pickguard and tailpiece cover are really cool, and it has a cool line down the middle of the back of the neck that I like. The guy selling it was the son of the owner, it was from his estate. Armed with just enough knowledge to be dangerous (thanks, Cafe!), I negotiated him down a fair amount. I paid $275.

Hi Sue: I started like you from a charango to an older A Kentucky ... then a Flatiron..... and now...many years later with MAS .. I have 6 mandos plus many more instruments..... Also, I had one exactly like yours (see photo link) ...great mando until it was stolen... Anyway,  the neck  of these Stradolins is chunkier than any of the more recent mandos.... so I suppose  it should survive some abuse resting in storage for long time....  More trouble is if that place was affected by humidity and temperature changes.... then you might be in trouble.... Anyway, great acquisition...    https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/a...chmentid=51109

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

[QUOTE=lucho;1791142]


> So I have a new mando in my life, a craiglist Strad-O-Lin, advertised as 50's but Mike E says it could be older. I think it's solid wood, at least the top, and even though the action is about the same height as my Kentucky, it plays easier and is really loud. I REALLY like the way it looks. The color is great, the matching pickguard and tailpiece cover are really cool, and it has a cool line down the middle of the back of the neck that I like. The guy selling it was the son of the owner, it was from his estate. Armed with just enough knowledge to be dangerous (thanks, Cafe!), I negotiated him down a fair amount. I paid $275.
> 
> I started like you from a charango to an older A kentucky ... then a Flatiron..... and now...many years later .. I have 6..... Also, I had one exactly like yours...great mando until it was stolen... Anyway,  the neck  of these Stradolins is chunkier than any of the more recent mandos.... so I suppose  it should survive some abuse resting in storage for long time....  More trouble is if that place was affected by humidity and temperature changes.... then you might be in trouble.... Anyway, great adquisition...



It's cool to hear there is more than one out there; I'm sorry to hear yours was stolen though. I hate thieves, it's the ultimate in selfishness.

The temperature and humidity is what concerns me as the seasons change. The Stradolin spent the last bunch of years stored in a music room, so that is probably why it is so nice. The previous owner's son said he never played it. I heat with wood and we fired up the stove for the first time yesterday, so I'm working on setting up a controlled space for them in a spare bedroom.

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lflngpicker

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## your_diamond

> Have you ever seen the stairstep before? 
> 
> Here's how much I like the Stradolin - if I had to pare my belongings down to what fits in my car, this mandolin would make the cut. 
> I'm not sophisticated enough to know what the raised fretboard extension does for the sound, but I do know it looks wicked cool and the mandolin sounds excellent to my ear. It has a good amount of volume and the sound feels full and complete. I like the vibes, visual and aural. 
> 
> Sue


No, I have never seen a stairstep fretboard extension like yours and there isn't one like it in any of the 438 Photos from the Strad-O-Lin Mandolins Group. That's the beauty of Stradolins. I've owned 20 or so SOLs and just when I think I've seen it all, something unusual like yours surfaces. 

The raised fretboard extension does let the top vibrate more freely, so in theory it should improve the sound but for me I like being able to "attack" the strings without hitting (or beating up) the top, this gives SOLs their huge volume, when wanted/needed. Also, it lets Bluegrass players get that chop (percussive sound) they need. 
Enjoy that SOL, 
Michael

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Sue Rieter

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## Cobalt

I like my Stradolin very much, but after years of playing flat-tops this arch-top design is a bit awkward for me, in terms of right-hand stability. I can see why people fit arm-rest attachments, the angle at which my arm rests on the edge of the body is a bit strange for me. Though I should add, I don't primarily play chords, I'm picking out melodies and ornaments/harmonies.

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## Sue Rieter

> I like my Stradolin very much, but after years of playing flat-tops this arch-top design is a bit awkward for me, in terms of right-hand stability. I can see why people fit arm-rest attachments, the angle at which my arm rests on the edge of the body is a bit strange for me. Though I should add, I don't primarily play chords, I'm picking out melodies and ornaments/harmonies.


How's your bridge doing? Do you still have that shim in there?

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## John Soper

I think this thread should be renamed "This is how it started".  :Laughing:

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Sue Rieter

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## Cobalt

> How's your bridge doing? Do you still have that shim in there?


Thanks for asking. Yes, I still have the shim. I was intending to fit a replacement adjustable bridge, so far that is a work in progress. The bridge I bought had insufficient curvature to fit easily, I worked on the base of that new bridge to reshape it, but it wasn't satisfactory. I may ask a local luthier to take a look at it - someone with better skills and experience in that type of work.

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

My husband and I got together with my brother and his wife this past weekend. My brother brought his guitar, and I brought my Stradolin. It was my first time to play my mandolin with someone else. IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!!  :Mandosmiley: 

My brother played around with the mandolin some and had a smile on his face the whole time. I told him he could borrow the Kentucky and he said he may take me up on that. He may have caught a case of MAS  :Wink: 

I tried out his guitar. It was very large.

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Cobalt

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## Sue Rieter

Hey Ma... Look what followed me home.



Can I keep it, Ma, pleeeeeze? I promise to learn how to play it  :Cool: 

https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/20...uddy-m-15.html

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Cobalt, 

lflngpicker, 

Mike Scott, 

robw95

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## John Kelly

Oh, dear! The slippery road to MAS rears its head, Sue.  I can feel the effect even across here in Scotland.  :Mandosmiley:

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Sue Rieter

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## allenhopkins

Sue -- you sayin' you got a Mid-Mo *mandola?*  OMG, I was playing mandolin for 10+ years before I bought my first 'dola.  I foresee octave mandolin, mandocello, mandolin-banjo and even more in your future...

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Sue -- you sayin' you got a Mid-Mo *mandola?*  OMG, I was playing mandolin for 10+ years before I bought my first 'dola.  I foresee octave mandolin, mandocello, mandolin-banjo and even more in your future...


What can I say? It followed me home  :Wink: 

They all look fun; so many instruments so little time. I've messed around with it a few times already, and it's a blast and sounds different and excellent. I've ordered a DVD and a book to help me.

But.. I will have to restrain myself for awhile because of what pheffernan said after the Morris:




> Sue, now that you have reached your third mandolin, it is probably the appropriate time to warn you that one's fifth mandolin typically costs as much as the previous four put together.


I may have mentioned before that mandolin stuff has already severely eroded my antique pickup truck fund. :Mandosmiley:

----------

allenhopkins, 

pheffernan

----------


## robw95

> Hey Ma... Look what followed me home.
> 
> 
> 
> Can I keep it, Ma, pleeeeeze? I promise to learn how to play it 
> 
> https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/20...uddy-m-15.html


How fun! I've only been at mandolin for a year and I'm not sure what a mandola is but after listening to the video I want one!

Rob

----------

lflngpicker, 

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

My brother and I went up to Vermont last week to visit Jake at the Wildwood Flower. Just to visit, I swear  :Wink:  
We spent a couple hours playing with different instruments on his wall and shooting the breeze while he worked. Very fun. He had a baritone ukulele converted to a mini tenor guitar tuned CGDA that I liked alot, but thought it might sound pretty similar to the mandola.

Now this is rural Vermont. We didn't lock the car. 

On the way home, this turned up in the back seat.

Jake calls it a 1920's Slingerland Maybell 4-String Banjo Mandolin Conversion. I call it a Resto Mod. You can hear it here https://jakewildwood.blogspot.com/20...-4-string.html

It's very fun, but I need to learn some new methods and get a different pick.
Oh yeah, and the cat runs away when I (try to) play it  :Laughing:

----------

Cobalt, 

lflngpicker

----------


## Bob Clark

> Oh yeah, and the cat runs away when I (try to) play it


See what good sense your cat has!   :Grin:

----------

LadysSolo, 

Sue Rieter

----------


## allenhopkins

Conversion from eight strings to four will -- to some extent -- tame the raucousness of a mandolin-banjo.  And I love the shiny "resonator" back.

Let's agree to all get together in five years and see how many instruments you've acquired.  I think you should investigate an *Octofone* next.

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Jim Garber

These four string, mandolin-scale banjos were actually made by Weymann, Vega and probably a few other companies. They usually called the lead or piccolo banjos and are sometimes mistaken for ukulele banjos but have longer scales. Attached is page from 1924 Weymann catalog.

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

> Conversion from eight strings to four will -- to some extent -- tame the raucousness of a mandolin-banjo.  And I love the shiny "resonator" back.
> 
> Let's agree to all get together in five years and see how many instruments you've acquired.  I think you should investigate an *Octofone* next.


It does look really cool, doesn't it? It sure sounds _a lot_ different from my Strad-O-Lin!

In 5 years I _might_ actually be able to play them all decently as well! Sounds like a plan!

Octophone, huh? 8 instruments in one, one of which is a "Taropatch" whatever that is. There's actually an octophone for sale not too far from me in Jaffrey NH  :Laughing: 

Actually I am at my limit for the moment, as my husband has informed me that my grouping is getting to be like his childhood collection of glass insulators. Obsessive, I think he means, but I beg to differ, as he had a wooden case plus _several_ bags of unsorted insulators while I only have 5 instruments and one mandolin doesn't fully count because I lent it to my brother. Plus, he had lots of multiples. _In addition_, I take my instruments out almost every day. His insulators have been in the attic for 30+ years.

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## Bob Gnann

It took them almost a year to come up with a COVID vaccine.  Your MAS vaccine may take a bit longer!

----------


## CES

> It took them almost a year to come up with a COVID vaccine.  Your MAS vaccine may take a bit longer!


Actually, after they sequenced the mRNA in early 2020, it took about a week. The rest has been human trials. 

I don’t intend to be contentious, but it’s been a sucky year, and I give much respect to the immunologists and biochemists who made this work. Truly amazing...

And, to date, there is NO vaccine for MAS  :Wink: . I’m living proof...

----------


## LadysSolo

I might have to decline the MAS vaccine, if one is ever developed. It might make me reject my instruments....

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

> I might have to decline the MAS vaccine, if one is ever developed. It might make me reject my instruments....


... or make one lose interest in perusing the classifieds ...

----------


## Bob Clark

> ... or make one lose interest in perusing the classifieds ...


Perish the thought!  Oh the horror of it!

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## allenhopkins

> ..Octophone, huh? 8 instruments in one, one of which is a "Taropatch" whatever that is. There's actually an octophone for sale not too far from me in Jaffrey NH ...


I know something about collecting -- my instruments, my wife Joan's dolls -- and I guarantee you'll get more enjoyment out of your mandos than you would from a bag of old insulators.

On the Octofone; it's basically a short-scale octave mandolin, IMHO.  At least that's how I have mine string, with the 3rd and 4th courses strung with octave strings, like a 12-string guitar.  The Regal Octofones are neat-sounding, for cheaply-made instruments -- originally listed for less than $20 in the 1930's.  They're light as feathers, and prone to neck warpage; pegs and tailpiece are really cheap-o, as well, but they can be a lot of fun.  I had the headstock on mine repaired, the fingerboard removed and replaced with real ebony, and a carbon-fiber reinforcement installed in the neck after it was planed flat.  Even so, I ended up with less than $400 into it, which is pretty much a bargain...

A "taropatch" is a double-strung (8 strings) ukulele; I have an 8-string Regal tenor uke that I refer to as a "taropatch," though actual taropatches were usually soprano size.  *Here's a concert-sized one* that Jake W posted.  You'd really struggle to get an Octofone tuned like one -- maybe an "octave taropatch?"

Sorta interesting name derivation: when the ukulele was developed in the 19th century, Hawaiian farm workers apparently took their instruments to the fields of taro root, to play on their breaks, or whenever the fancy took them.  Thus, the instruments were found in the "taro patches," and came to be called "taropatch fiddles" as a nickname (why "fiddle?" I dunno.).  The shortened version of the name got applied to the double-strung ones, to differentiate them from standard ukuleles.

----------

40bpm, 

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

Ha ha, for sure. Those insulators are a thorn in my side. I tried selling some on ebay for awhile. Still tons of them left.

Now you have me thinking about those octofones. They look pretty cool, but they don't seem to come as reasonably as yours must have (probably many moons ago), and they do seem to generally need a fair amount of work. Sounds like yours is kind of a resto mod itself. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a bargain.  :Laughing:  
At least I know where to bring one to have it fixed up.

----------

allenhopkins

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## Bob Gnann

OK, I admittedly have a hard time getting past the basic mandolin.  Octave mandolins, mandocellos, bass mandolins,  tenor mandolins, etc sorry I'm lost too easily.  
Octaphone,  taropacthe ukelule?  
Thankfully we have Allen Hopkins to explain these things.  Carry on all!

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## Sue Rieter

> OK, I admittedly have a hard time getting past the basic mandolin.  Octave mandolins, mandocellos, bass mandolins,  tenor mandolins, etc sorry I'm lost too easily.  
> Octaphone,  taropacthe ukelule?  
> Thankfully we have Allen Hopkins to explain these things.  Carry on all!


Explain them and get us interested in things we never even heard of before and had no idea we wanted.  :Cool:

----------

allenhopkins, 

LadysSolo, 

Sheila Lagrand

----------


## Denis Kearns

Wonderful acquisitions, Sue.  As someone with a serious case of GAS/MAS, it’s probably good that I don’t live closer to Nebraska. I’m kinda lusting after the Gibson mandobass currently listed in the classifieds by Steve Hansen. It would look great next to my matching blacktop Gibson mandocello and mandolin. Still keeping my eye out for the appropriate H2 mandola to complete the set. 

- Denis

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## allenhopkins

> Explain them and get us interested in things we never even heard of before and had no idea we wanted.


Yeah, if you think "MAS" can be an issue, consider General Instrument Acquisition Syndrome...

What's always attracted me, is an instrument that's a bit unusual, more nearly _unique._  A four-foot-long ukulele, a tiple, a resonator tenor guitar, a gourd banjo, a late-1890's Autoharp, a baritone concertina -- something like that.  

As mandolinists, we are offered a steady stream of F-5 clones, some wonderful, some ordinary, some "mandolin-shaped objects."  Nothing wrong with that; the F-5 Gibson is perhaps the most influential mandolin design of the past century.  But the Octofone came and went, leaving a few remnants behind, so acquiring one at a reasonable price, getting it fixed up, and playing it at jams and performances, seems oddly satisfying.  And my oft-repaired '30's Regal taropatch has become my regular performance ukulele, cracks, replaced bridge, and all. 

As I sneak up on age 80 (hope I make it, come on Moderna vaccine!), I slowly divest of some of my accumulation.  But a nearly one-of instrument -- Stelling Longhorn banjo (supposedly only four made), Larson brothers mando-bass, or something similar, still will lead me to acquire it.

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## pheffernan

> Now you have me thinking about those octofones. They look pretty cool, but they don't seem to come as reasonably as yours must have (probably many moons ago), and they do seem to generally need a fair amount of work. Sounds like yours is kind of a resto mod itself. I'll have to keep my eyes peeled for a bargain.


Bargain found (and not too far either?): https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/171672#171672

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

It's about 2-1/2 hours away. I messaged him a bit ago  :Cool: 
We'll see what happens.

----------

pheffernan

----------


## Sue Rieter

Looks like it's going to happen. Sending him a deposit.  :Mandosmiley: 

Already passed the hurdle of mentioning it and hearing about how many instruments I already have.
I played the investment card.  :Cool:

----------

Eric Platt, 

pheffernan

----------


## Bill McCall

> ……..I played the investment card.


Well done :Smile: 

I have an ‘investment’ maturing in 4 weeks, along with one for my wife.  This way no one gets to count.

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## allenhopkins

Well, since the basic model Octofone sold by Regal for under $20 "back in the day," your "investment" has seen a certain level of growth already...

Under the heading of "protect your investment," I'd only renew my caution that the Octofone is a *very lightly constructed* instrument; it was inexpensively designed and built, not of the finest woods, and prone to neck problems -- either warpage, or distortion of the neck-body joint.  String 'er lightly, use some care, and she'll produce a lot of volume.

I had the fretboard pulled on mine, and the dyed whateverwood replaced with ebony; at the same time, I had a carbon-fiber bar installed in a channel routed out of the neck, to add stiffness.  Got a deal on the repair, around $200-250, but it still pretty much doubled the price.  Still, it was worth it.

Also, tuners and tailpiece (which can be manipulated to accept either ball-end or loop-end strings) are on the cheapo side.  Mine are serviceable, and I don't intend to replace them, but they're "economy class" at best.

As I mentioned earlier, I have mine strung GDAE like an octave mandolin, but with "octave" stringing on the 3rd and 4th courses, somewhat like a 12-string guitar.  The lighter octave strings are "up" when the instrument's in playing position, so that the pick hits them first on a down-stroke.  My string gauges are .011/.011 plain on the 1st course, .020/.020 plain 2nd course, .016 plain/.030 wound 3rd course, .018 plain/.045 wound 4th.

And, what about a case, you may ask?  Are you getting one?  Mine had an ill-fitting pre-WWII chipboard guitar case, so I now keep it in a 3/4 size Strunel guitar gig bag.  Wonder if there were fitted Octofone cases when these were new, or whether they got stuck in low-end guitar cases?  Anyone know?

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

Ah, it's not really an investment. I feel like that's just something to say when your partner says you have enough instruments. I haven't bought anything high end at all, so far, though, and I don't think I would lose if I decided to shuffle the mix.

I also told him (my DH) that there was only one other that I was interested in for now, and he quickly picked up on the "for now" and said, "This isn't going to end, is it." Probably not, said I.

I don't know as this one is a bargain. I think it's a decent price, though, compared to what I've seen since I started thinking about these. I don't guess there's too many octofones out there that have had the neck reinforced like Allen's. This one's had the neck reglued and bolted, some braces glued, frets leveled and it's been wearing very light strings. He says it's been stable since it was worked on about 5 years ago. And I like that the work was done by Jake Wildwood.

Thanks, Allen, for the specifics on your strings. That's probably how I will string it up.

It comes with a poor fitting chipboard case. I'll have to see it, but maybe I will do some modifications with foam and cloth. I saw one, I can't find it now, that had an old case that flapped open at the bottom and the instrument slid in. That didn't look super awesome either. The new (non-Regal) ones have nice custom TKL cases, but they don't sell them separately. 

I'll probably drive up middle of next week, so I'll keep ya posted.

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## Dave Hicks

One ploy is to infect DH with the same mania.  I convinced my wife to get a uke, and she liked it well enough to buy a guitar.  (Wonder what's next?   :Wink:  )

D.H.

----------

Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

Ha ha, not much chance of that! I love him, but he's very left brained and thinks I've gone off the deep end  :Laughing:

----------

Dave Hicks

----------


## Sue Rieter

> And, what about a case, you may ask?  Are you getting one?  Mine had an ill-fitting pre-WWII chipboard guitar case, so I now keep it in a 3/4 size Strunel guitar gig bag.  Wonder if there were fitted Octofone cases when these were new, or whether they got stuck in low-end guitar cases?  Anyone know?


Saw this today on reverb

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## allenhopkins

A bit "whipped" for $600, IMHO, but I *love* the ol' original chipboard case -- which is in much better shape than the Octofone itself...

----------


## Sue Rieter

I like the case, too. Do you think the folks whose octofones fell apart largely threw away their cases?

----------


## allenhopkins

Yeah, probably.  Usually there was an extra charge for the case, so not everyone bought one.  The case is of peculiar design (designed to fit this peculiar instrument); it wouldn't work for a banjo or guitar, most probably.  So if you didn't have an Octofone, no use keeping the case.

Chipboard cases are a really interesting subject; some are much better made than others -- covered, lined, carefully stitched -- and can last a long time.  Others are pretty much "throwaways," designed for cheap instruments and not likely to last.  I have cases of both types for some of my older instruments, such as bowl-back mandolins, three-quarter size guitars, etc., because they're the only kind I can find for those instruments.

If I ever found an Octofone case available, even a chipboard one, I'd snap it up if it were realistically priced.  Not likely to go after the one on Reverb, at that price, just to get the case, though.

----------


## Sue Rieter

Took a ride up to the NH Mushroom Co in Tamworth NH this morning. Yeah, I did come home with mushrooms.



Also came home with this Octofone. (I met the seller at the mushroom farm.)

This _was_ worked on 5 years ago by Jake Wildwood. You can see his original writeup here

It unfortunately no longer has the hair over 1/16" action that it left Vermont with at the time. It was at least 1/8" untuned at the 12th fret. If I hadn't been able to reach Jake by phone, I'd have left without it. We talked it over, and it will be going in for the full "Allen Hopkins treatment" of reinforcing the neck and replacing the fretboard. So I won't have it to play with for awhile, but it'll be in good shape when I get it back.

Oh, and the case is crap. Ugly and musty and poorly fitting. So I'll have to figure something else out.

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## allenhopkins

Yours is pretty nearly identical to mine -- same soundhole purfling, same tailpiece, same low-budget tuners.  Hope you enjoy yours as much as I do mine.

----------

Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

It'll be even more like yours after it comes back from the hospital with it's carbon fiber rod  :Smile: 
Jake was like, that's what these really need but people usually don't want to do it. 
I'm expecting it to be alot of fun, and I'll be happy that it is more resilient. I'd been thinking it might need the reinforcement at some point, but wasn't expecting it to be right out of the gates.

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## allenhopkins

Really makes me wonder sometimes how Octofones were strung when originally sold.  The name was supposed to indicate "eight instruments in one," tenor guitar, tenor banjo, ukulele, taropatch, tiple, mandolin, mandola, and mandocello, according to Regal's blurb.  Of course, one would need to use different strings and tunings to set one up as one or another of this list.  (Besides, how can a big mandolin-type instrument be a "tenor _banjo?_")

The instrument's so lightly built, and so prone to neck issues, that I'd guess it was strung quite lightly as well.  It's one that a modern player needs to "baby" a bit.  I assume the contemporary version built by the *Octofone Guitar Co.,* with a pin bridge, rosewood back and sides, ebony fingerboard and super-engraved Korean tuners, is built to handle regular guitar or tenor guitar strings -- though I don't see a truss rod, come to think of it.  I also was a bit bewildered by their description of the spruce top as "moon wood" --

_Top and internal Bracing – MoonWood – Spruce-from the Swiss/Austrian/Italian Alps- The MoonWood is harvested once a year when there is a full moon.  At this time the moisture is pulled from the tree into its roots. Also the leaves on the trees form a canopy which allows the leaves to have full direct sun throughout the day causing the grains of the wood to be their straightest.  This forest is located above 10,000 feet and is the very same forest that Stradivarius used to make his famous violins nearly 200 years ago._

Sounds like mumbo-jumbo to me.  Anyway, the new guys want $2400 for their version, which I would calculate, based on the *Regal catalog listing shown on this website,* is either 80 or 160 times what the original Octofone cost.  Sure, there's been inflation, but still...

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

> _Top and internal Bracing – MoonWood – Spruce-from the Swiss/Austrian/Italian Alps- The MoonWood is harvested once a year when there is a full moon.  At this time the moisture is pulled from the tree into its roots. Also the leaves on the trees form a canopy which allows the leaves to have full direct sun throughout the day causing the grains of the wood to be their straightest.  This forest is located above 10,000 feet and is the very same forest that Stradivarius used to make his famous violins nearly 200 years ago._.


Ha! I would really like to hear what the dendrologists among us think of this. Sounds like marketing for those of a certain esoteric mindset.

Is it harvested on a certain full moon, ie. the "Full Tree Moon" or something like that? Can it be any full moon? Why just once a year? Winter v. summer? Enquiring minds want to know ....

I think I'll go over to the builder section and ask ...

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## Dave Hicks

I once got an email advertising "Cuban organic water".   :Grin: 

D.H.

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## allenhopkins

Also, since spruce is an evergreen, I believe it has _needles_ rather than _"leaves."_

And, there's a full moon _every month,_ not once a year.

Picky, picky, picky...

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Louise NM

> I once got an email advertising "Cuban organic water".  
> 
> D.H.


Dave, was it gluten-free as well?

----------

Dave Hicks

----------


## Dave Hicks

> Dave, was it gluten-free as well?


This was before gluten-freeing became a requirement.

D.H.

----------


## Sue Rieter

Brought the Octofone up to Vermont today. I think I'm going to get it back sooner than I thought. He took the strings off, and the neck was straight without strings on, so it looks like it's not going to need any planing, just the cf rod inserted. Fretboard came right off very cleanly (I watched him do it, which was cool), so since the frets are in good shape, we will keep the same fretboard for now. He will also put in a wedge between the neck and the body to correct the angle; he just has to loosen the bolt that he put in last time, and put the wedge in there. After that, it will get a new (adjustable) bridge and then it will be done. He said he was expecting it to need more work than it does.

While hanging around a bit, I got to play a 20s Martin Style B mandolin that was _very_ nice. It was interesting in that it had all these names scratched in the surface front and back; I guess that was a thing among college students back in the day. You might think something like that would be off-putting, but I didn't find it so.  I also played a 1917 Army Navy pancake mandolin. Good thing the latter was not available, or I would have been sorely tempted. Boy oh boy, did I like that one. If I'd gone up there with one new instrument and came back with another, I would have been in trouble.

Sheesh going up there is like putting a kid in a candy store and saying, go ahead and have a taste  :Mandosmiley:

----------


## pheffernan

> I also played a 1917 Army Navy pancake mandolin. Good thing the latter was not available, or I would have been sorely tempted. Boy oh boy, did I like that one.


Was it like his one?  :Whistling: 

https://www.mandolincafe.com/ads/172387#172387

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## Sue Rieter

I saw that  :Wink:  Yes, very much like that one, but in nicer shape.

----------


## Sue Rieter

The Octofone is back! Oh my gosh, I love it! It sounds so good, it looks so good. It did end up getting a refret, so it feels so good, too.
Now I have to figure out what to do with it beyond strumming random chords. The octave paired G and D just sound amazing.
This will probably kick the mandola out of second place for awhile, anyway.

You may want to hear what it sounds like. Listen to Jake, he plays much better than I do  :Whistling:

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## allenhopkins

> ...he plays much better than I do...


Better than me, also!

The super-light construction of the Octofone does produce a very lively sound, lots of resonance, and quite long sustain.  Unanticipated fringe benefits of a "cheap" instrument, for sure.  I am gratified to hear another one played with the "octaved" 3rd and 4th courses.

Did a concert last Friday, played _Perry's Victory_ and _Slavery Chain Done Broke At Last_ on my Octofone, just vocal accompaniment and a few basic melody riffs between verses.  It had probably been six months since I'd taken it out and played it, and I realize what I'd been missing.  Good luck with yours!

----------


## Sue Rieter

> Better than me, also!
> 
> The super-light construction of the Octofone does produce a very lively sound, lots of resonance, and quite long sustain.  Unanticipated fringe benefits of a "cheap" instrument, for sure.  I am gratified to hear another one played with the "octaved" 3rd and 4th courses.
> 
> Did a concert last Friday, played _Perry's Victory_ and _Slavery Chain Done Broke At Last_ on my Octofone, just vocal accompaniment and a few basic melody riffs between verses.  It had probably been six months since I'd taken it out and played it, and I realize what I'd been missing.  Good luck with yours!


Thanks! I _really_ like the sound. There's that extra complexity just picking one course; even more so with a chord. It was your description that got me interested; then Jake said it is his favorite way to tune them. So then I had to try it.

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## Sue Rieter

Ha ha, I succumbed to GIAS and bought myself another Stradolin, _clarinet_, that is. My husband thinks I'm crazy. I haven't played one of these in 45 years. Ha still have a little muscle memory and can play a scale. Now to figure out how to play it along with my mandolins. Too bad I can't just play with musical instruments all day long every day  :Laughing:

----------

Cobalt

----------


## rcc56

I sense an alto clarinet in your future, and possibly also a bass clarinet, then maybe a clarinet in A.  But don't come home with an Eb soprano, or your DH will have _legitimate_ grounds to say "enough," and your cat will leave.

Oh, by the way, I string my Octofone lighter than Allen, with 11-16-26-40, and it has held up with no problems, un-reinforced neck and all.

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Mike Scott

Is that a Bb?  I toyed with buying one of those-played in the fourth grade for a bit-geez that was 66 years ago.  Glad I went with the Anglo concertina instead.  The clarinet was not my cup of tea.......

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## allenhopkins

Mandolin + clarinet = klezmer, at least in my experience.  Learn that _freygish_ mode...

----------

Southern Man, 

Sue Rieter

----------


## Louise NM

Nice find, Sue! Looks like it's in very good shape.

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## LadysSolo

Ha ha Sue, you joined the club! I (about 3 years ago) bought an oboe and am teaching myself to play oboe. I wanted to play in the local orchestra, and all of the instruments that I already play are represented enough in the orchestra. So I picked an underrepresented instrument. I bought a fairly high-level used oboe so I don't have to upgrade anytime soon.

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

Yeah, it's a Bb like I had back in high school, and it's probably the only woodwind I need  :Wink: 

I don't know how old it is, I think older than the plastic one I had in the 70's, and it seems pretty nice. I bought this one because it had been gone through by an instrument repair person, had a new (though probably cheapie) mouthpiece, and because it's a Stradolin  :Cool: 
One of my high school friends played oboe, it looks kind of hard with that skinny little reed. It has a cool sound, though. 

Allen, I don't know anything about _klezmer_, but I'll be looking into it in my copious musical free time  :Smile: 

rcc56, I didn't fully know what strings Jake put on the Octofone; he gave me an extra set, so I went and looked: 12-16-30W/12-40W/16. I've only ever changed one set of strings on one instrument in a year and a half  :Redface:  so I haven't really messed around with any different kinds of strings thus far.

----------

allenhopkins

----------


## Jim Garber

> Allen, I don't know anything about _klezmer_, but I'll be looking into it in my copious musical free time


I am definitely impressed by your acquisitions and was curious how you can do it. Now you have revealed the secret.  :Smile:

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

> I am definitely impressed by your acquisitions and was curious how you can do it. Now you have revealed the secret.


The time allowance would be substantially more copious if I hadn't gotten heavily involved in my town's Tricentennial celebration not long before I bought my first mandolin. That's pretty fun too, though, so it's all good.

----------


## catmandu2

Don't skimp on the mouthpiece.  But, both Hite and Fobes make very good pieces for not a lot of $.

Also, you might try a synthetic reed - made all the difference on my bass clarinet.

Have fun!

----------

Sue Rieter

----------


## Sue Rieter

Okay, so this has already been discussed in a good amount of detail on the other thread, but here's the pictures and part of the story. I'm reinterpreting the story Dave wove for me.

It came from Texas. Somebody loved it dearly, played the heck out of it, and maintained it themselves as best they could. The frets had been filed down so far there were almost no frets left, and sadly, there were gouges from the file on both sides of most of them. The original bridge was long gone, replaced by an odd home-made one piece bridge. The original tuners were long gone, and they had been replaced by a set of A style tuners. In order to access the tuner buttons, they carved out part of the back of the headstock. Clearly, they did what they had to with the resources at hand to keep playing. You can tell from marks around the hole that it was hung on that nail to keep it handy so that hard times musician could grab it whenever they liked - and that was often! All of these changes happened many years ago. Maybe this F2 helped someone keep it together during the Depression.

This owner was also into metal work. You can see the weird and funky (and totally functional) metal armrest, and also the crazy plywood and metal case. I imagine the mando was taken down from the nail and carried to gigs and jams in this piece of musical folk art. (I'd never carry a mando in it, but it's great nonetheless).

Seeing an emerald in the rough, Dave planed the fretboard, installed the new frets (they're great), installed the binding (it's perfect), replaced the tuners, fitted the new bridge, glued a brace and few other minor things. He told me he thought about carving a new scroll, but in the end, decided against it. 

It _really_ sounds good. There's a cool certain mandolin-y sound that none of my others have. And I like the way it looks, the way it shows it's past. It has character. I don't think I'd want a perfect collector looking one, and I don't think this one would be as worn if it didn't sound so good.

After I left Dave's I drove over to show it to Jake. He tweaked the setup just a tad, and gave an enthusiastic seal of approval. He thought it was a great deal. And I feel like I have a piece of musical history. 

I still love my Strad-O-Lin, but it has moved over into 2nd place, at least for now.

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Cobalt, 

Eric Platt, 

LadysSolo

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## Charles E.

Wonderful Sue! Nice set of vintage mandolins there. Gibson tailpiece covers show up on eBay and in the classifieds on occasion if you care.

One on eBay at the moment...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/32480602845...IAAOSwgVphUn9n

NFI

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Wonderful Sue! Nice set of vintage mandolins there. Gibson tailpiece covers show up on eBay and in the classifieds on occasion if you care.
> 
> One on eBay at the moment...
> 
> https://www.ebay.com/itm/32480602845...IAAOSwgVphUn9n
> 
> NFI


You know, at least for now, I don't think I do.

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Charles E.

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## Louise NM

Don't you wish it could tell you its stories, Sue? I'll bet it has some good ones!

I'd love to hear both it and the Stradolin.

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Sue Rieter

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## Jill McAuley

What a beaut that F-2 is and what a great pair it and the Straddling are! I reckon you're going to have many happy years of picking with the new acquisition!

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Sue Rieter

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## Don Grieser

I love you have it hanging on a nail in the pics. The picture of you holding it tells the whole story. One happy camper. Congrats!

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Sue Rieter, 

your_diamond

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## Dave Hicks

A nice old mando that will get more respect than it's seen for a while, I'd guess.  That case is one of the least sanitary bits of music equipment I've ever seen.

D.H.

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Sue Rieter

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## rcc56

> A nice old mando that will get more respect than it's seen for a while, I'd guess.  That case is one of the least sanitary bits of music equipment I've ever seen.
> 
> D.H.


You ain't seen nothing until you've operated a repair shop for a few years.
One item I wrote on one of my repair invoices some years ago read [verbatim]:  "Clean off icky goo [I don't want to know]"

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Charles E., 

Dave Hicks

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## Charles E.

As a violin restorer and repairer, we had to deal with what we would call "cheese" built up from make up, perspiration and rosin on violins. Uck.

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## Sue Rieter

Wait now, you guys, there isn't any weird sticky stuff on or in that case. It's just metal and plywood that used to be painted black.  :Smile:  There is a kind of sketchy old pillow case inside that the mando came to Dave wrapped in, but no accumulations of unknown matter. Now, when I stopped over to see Jake, he was working on a banjo that came to him with such an accumulation, and he talked about disassembly that took much longer than it should because of stuck together parts. eew.

I played alot this past weekend. Pulled out tunes I hadn't worked on in ages. I almost (but not quite) feel like hanging it on a nail so that it will be close at hand. 

Been thinking about writing a story about what it's adventures could've been.

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Dave Richard

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## rcc56

Yes, Sue, it is best not to hang her on a nail.
Gibson mandolins of this age are susceptible to cracking from rapid changes in humidity and/or humidity below 30-35%.

The best way to prevent this is to keep your instrument in the case when you are not playing it, especially during the heating season; and to run a room humidifier in the room where you store your instruments.  A $40 humidifier from Walgreen's will be sufficient.

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Yes, Sue, it is best not to hang her on a nail.
> Gibson mandolins of this age are susceptible to cracking from rapid changes in humidity and/or humidity below 30-35%.
> 
> The best way to prevent this is to keep your instrument in the case when you are not playing it, especially during the heating season; and to run a room humidifier in the room where you store your instruments.  A $40 humidifier from Walgreen's will be sufficient.


Yeah, I learned that lesson pretty quick. Last winter I fixed up a back bedroom with a small humidifier and a heater on an inkbird controller for them to live in when not being played, and a big honking (but somewhat ineffectual) humidifier in the living room where we hang out.

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## Jim Garber

Very cool, Sue. I think it is very important as mandolin players to at least experience living with the joys of vintage Gibsons. I love the look of this one even the metal armrest and the wear of the picking area. And yes, I understand the fantasizing of the provenance. I own a Gibson guitar I bought many years ago from a music store near me in NY and it dates from 1939. The store owner told me an elderly woman brought it in to sell it and I imagined she was gifted this guitar as a young girl after seeing some musicians at the 1939 NY World's Fair.

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Sue Rieter

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## Richard500

Soon, soon, imagination will be superseded by The All-seeing, Alll-knowing AI and the Universal DNA Database.  Did Sachmo’s lips touch this horn?  Whose butt sat at this piano?  Did Loar lose a little blood carving this mandolin?
And far worse.
      —Brought to you by Theranos Revised History, Inc.

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Jim Garber, 

Timbofood

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## your_diamond

Sue, I love how your Gibson has all the best custom mods. No pesky tail-piece cover, to get in the way of playing time. Custom headstock... no need to worry about knocking another piece off... If it happens, It's even more custom! Nail hole so you can grab it while on the way into the kitchen, to make soup (This alone guarantees the most extra playing time. Million dollar U.S. government study to follow). 

In a perfect world, you could leave it hanging on a nail. The previous owner did. Sadly, I could not... but Sue, don't be like me, you're better than that! lol Case in point, you bought the Stradolin clarinet. You live the dream. I wanted to, but I held back, even though the wood on those SOL clarinets is the best there is and I believe those were made in France, where, at one time (when these were made) the best clarinet makers were from. Sorkin knew what he was doing. Think of all the Supertramp songs I could have played. I could have, but you can. 

Sue, If you find yourself not playing your SOL because you've hit the big time with that Gibson, let me know. I would give you a handsome profit. Though, I think you are going to miss that elevated pickguard, every time you play that Gibson. I'm still searching for a rare vintage A model Gibson with a raised fretboard.

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Sue, I love how your Gibson has all the best custom mods. No pesky tail-piece cover, to get in the way of playing time...


I got the SOL out the other day, because I felt it needed some attention and didn't want it to "fall asleep"  :Wink:  . I'd decided to change the strings, and I spent over an hour fiddling around with the taillpiece cover trying to get it off. In the end, it popped off and bounced across the room, and I was horrified, thinking the cool plastic part could be broken. Thank goodness, not. It did make me appreciative of the lack of tailpiece cover on the Gibson. This kind of exercise could well be why the tp cover is missing.

Anyway, I'd almost forgotten how good that SOL sounds.

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Eric Platt, 

your_diamond

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## your_diamond

> I spent over an hour fiddling around with the taillpiece cover trying to get it off. In the end, it popped off and bounced across the room


I had a similar experience with the exact same type of tailpiece cover. When I told one of the moderators about it, he was like, what are you talking about, nobody has ever had a difficult time with one of those. :Chicken:

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Eric Platt, 

Sue Rieter

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## journeybear

Gee, maybe he was being, I dunno, sarcastic?  :Confused:   :Disbelief:   :Whistling:

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Eric Platt, 

Sue Rieter, 

your_diamond

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## Eric Platt

Seriously, though, I end up using a small flathead screwdriver to start moving the tailpiece cover on my SOL (and Gibson A Jr for that matter). Both are very tight fitting and difficult to remove. Neither of them rattle, which is an upside compared to some Gibson covers I've had.

Funny, have been playing my SOL again too. Even put new strings on it. Figure it'll be one out of the case and hanging on a wall this winter. Just have to work through the "new string tone" phase.

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Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> Seriously, though, I end up using a small flathead screwdriver to start moving the tailpiece cover on my SOL (and Gibson A Jr for that matter). Both are very tight fitting and difficult to remove. Neither of them rattle, which is an upside compared to some Gibson covers I've had.
> 
> Funny, have been playing my SOL again too. Even put new strings on it. Figure it'll be one out of the case and hanging on a wall this winter. Just have to work through the "new string tone" phase.


Yes, that is what I ended up doing, wedged a small flathead screwdriver between the bottom of the tailpiece and the lip of the cover and then turned. It still wasn't easy.

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## Jim Garber

They get bent out of shape after years. I never heard of no one having trouble. They can be a royal pain. You have to be patient. Someone should invent a tool to make it easier.

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## allenhopkins

> ...Someone should invent a tool to make it easier.


I believe that's the legendary "nine pound hammer"(?)

One can finagle with the cover's rim, using needle-nose pliers, to "loosen it up" a bit -- but beware the too-loose cover (not to be confused with Toulouse Lautrec!) that rattles, or even comes off and gets lost.  You already have one of those on (or more accurately, _not_ on) your Gibson.

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Eric Platt, 

Sue Rieter

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## Sue Rieter

> I believe that's the legendary "nine pound hammer"(?)


That's pretty funny  :Smile: 




> One can finagle with the cover's rim, using needle-nose pliers, to "loosen it up" a bit -- but beware the too-loose cover (not to be confused with Toulouse Lautrec!) that rattles, or even comes off and gets lost.  You already have one of those on (or more accurately, _not_ on) your Gibson.


Don't think I need to indulge in any modifications. A couple more string changes, and I should have it down to a science (I hope!). Next time I'll try using a piece of towel or something over it, to try and keep it from leaping away. This is one tp cover I'd like to keep  :Wink:

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