The Fifth Course

I bought this Epiphone Mandobird new in 2005. Musician's Friend was selling off their stock of gold sparkly and seafoam green models. The cool to cash ratio was extremely high because the price was so low.

After playing with it for a little while I decided that the E string was too quiet. And because I'm not handy with a soldering iron, I decided to resting and reintonate for mandola tuning rather than buy 1k pots and install them.

Mandola tuning has another advantage ...

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I bought it new in 1990 from a little shop in Davis, California that no longer exists called plainly enough, Davis Music. It shipped in from St. Louis on special order. It was magnificent, my first new guitar. But it was summer and St. Louis is very different in the summer from Davis. The neck settled and the 12th fret sprung within 2 weeks. But a trip back to the shop and a visit with their luthier set it right.

It was my main guitar for 7 or 8 years. Gigged with it in dozens ...

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This is the final installment about a somewhat rare, but not highly sought-after, Fender electric mandolin. In the first installment I explored the production-line instrument, and in the second installment I recounted my acquisition of it. In this installment, I’ll document the changes I’ve made to it that have turned it into an excellent mandolin that sounds great and plays well.

When the FM-988 arrived it was in original condition, as though it had rolled off the factory floor. ...

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While my wrist recovers from some mild RSI...
Enjoy!
2002 Fender FM-988 (mandocaster)
2007 Fender Eric Johnson Signature Model Stratocastster


Daniel

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Last time I detailed the issues with the latter day Fender mandocasters (SB-4, SB-8/FM-984, FM-988) and claimed to love my Fender FM-988. Here’s the first reason why.

I play in a band called Señor Circus. My job in this band is to provide interesting support to the main thrust of the songs, which is acoustic guitar. Sometimes it includes bluesy chopping, sometimes it includes serving in the place of lead guitar, and sometimes it includes a hail of bright strummy notes. I do all ...

I am in love. And this is no fly-by-night/easy-come-easy-go kind of love. I know there are many folks out there who profess to love and then find something new in short order. But you will not see this beauty in the Mandolin Café classifieds unless my hands cease to function and my heart is turned against stringed instruments.

The object of my affection is an improved Fender FM-988, a sonic blue 8 string “mandocaster.”

In the early part of this decade, Fender ...

I've been to a lot of house concerts. They're quite popular among the acoustic music appreciators in Modesto, CA and surrounding communities, so I thought I knew how the evening would go. Since our band leader, Señor Tim, was the host, I figured we, Señor Circus, would get up and do 4 or 5 songs before the main attraction, Catherine Feeny, would take over. But my expectations were wildly inaccurate, and pleasantly so.

After the potluck dinner (yummy vegetarian foods, mostly) We ...

Gig last weekend in Sonora CA...
Two sets with Señor Circus, a band for which I play mandolin and guitar. So my gig rig is fairly heavy. I use both an eight string electric mandolin and a four string electric mandolin, so an amp and a set of effects pedals are part of the package too. The regular mandolin and the guitar round out the gig stable, and they just go through the PA.

I've altered the four string electric mandolin a little. It is an Epiphone Mandobird, and it was ...

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Besides copious amounts of jamming from Thursday night to Sunday night, The Strawberry Music Festival provided a rich source of mandolin listening pleasure.

Thursday night the Dry Branch Fire Squad brought their traditional Bluegrass crossed with Will Rogers style to the Music Meadow Stage and tore it up. Friday afternoon they hosted a workshop, and Friday night they played a final set at "Amy's Orchid Lounge," a special late night venue at Strawberry that charges festival ...

In my last post on this subject I came to the conclusion that the ability to play more than one instrument is a good thing. It broadens musical perspective, it highlights similarities and differences between instruments, and it helps development of music theory knowledge.

But playing an instrument and focusing on an instrument are quite different musical pursuits. Anyone who can play a few songs and/or tunes with a moderate degree of musicality on a musical instrument can be said ...