Search:

I have the same Taiwanese clone as Graham, for about 23 years. It is used almost every day and I use it for guitars as well. Has the same out of whack as Graham's. I also use 80 grit rolls of...

I disagree. That is not what X bracing will give you. I have used both the cross brace and X brace in Gibson style oval hole mandolins and have been able to do close comparisons, apples to apples,...

I have not noticed any pickguard problem with my Gilchrist Model 3C nor my own A5 in the carbon fiber case. Both have pickguards.

.

Me too. Mine sounded better in his hands than his Loar in my hands. Ha ha.

One fiberglass case is bigger than the other. The bigger one is not their standard size, it was a special order that was cancelled, so no a toneguard will not fit.

Yep, but with truss rods it can also be the fault of the manufacturer of the truss rod. Of the truss rods I have used, one had to be replaced because a faulty weld snapped (lucky I did not install...

Yep. I have one carbon fiber and two fiber glass cases from them. Excellent quality, but long lead times. They are mostly an OEM company, hence the long lead times for individual cases which have...

As John says, we have been over and over this again and again. Everyone always comes up with some example where a carbon fiber rod has failed, but seldom any examples where a truss rodded neck has...

Here in Australia things are a little different from the USA. In the music stores Eastman is considered high end, and a mandolin setup is just about unheard of. They all come with the nut set way...

The Ebony sides were not difficult to bend, but the bloodwood bindings were. Bloodwood is difficult to bend and is brittle, so much bad language was directed at the bindings. However, the end...

This is a recently finished flat top mandolin that is a bit unusual. It was experimental so I had no idea how it would sound. The back and sides are of Macassar Ebony, top is Red Spruce, neck...

I bind my oval holes with Black Walnut because it is the easiest wood to bend. I have used Maple, but Walnut is easier. The technique is exactly the same as described by John. The Walnut is...

If the finish is french polished shellac, it is an easy fix.

I don't seal on the inside and never will. I also do repairs and sealing on the inside is a guaranteed repair nightmare. No coating is moisture proof, they just slow it down a bit.

Exactly correct. I play accordion and have tuned many accordions in addition to my own so know all about this. A wet sounding accordion has the reeds tuned slightly apart so you can hear the beat. ...

I would agree with Dale on this. There are many other ways to fill pores. Epoxy is an excellent clear pore filler, one of the best, but is tricky if you are using dyes. It is also very messy and...

Epoxy pore fill is very common in the guitar world, and I have used it on guitars, but it usually does not involve staining the wood. If colour is added then is it usually added to the finish. ...

I did read somewhere that the Lyon and Healy mandolins were oil varnished and then french polished. If that is correct then they should be easy to repair with a bit of french polishing.

It is easy enough to get the original Brekke bridge to have more volume and zing in the treble. Just drill some holes in the saddle. I have been doing just that since 2003 with great success. The...

There is no such thing as perfection. We all strive to improve, but perfection is not attainable. I know I have made mandolins I think are near to perfection, but then the next or the next after...

Well it is higher. You really need to get an original into your hands and study it closely, there are lots of details that will have you saying oh so that is how they did it. They are challenging...

Just a small point, but a carbon fiber case is likely to last a lot longer than a plywood case covered in vinyl. Plywood cases do not stand up to heavy use (thinking pro musician) very well, they...

That is not correct. All dust = bad for you. Carbon fiber dust is dangerous if exposure is high, but is not like asbestos where one very small exposure can be fatal. So it is important to minimize...

When they are passed their used by date I would expect they would, but they are really tough cases likely to last a very long time, they are not like cars or bicycles with a relatively short life...

Don't know about the F5 cases, but I suspect it would not fit with a tone guard. The fit is very good so would be no room for a tone guard. The colour is not a coating, it is in the resin that...