As mentioned earlier (please refer to post #4 in this thread), the string tension to achieve a given note, played at a given scale length, depends on the mass per unit length (that is, the linear...
Type: Posts; User: sblock
As mentioned earlier (please refer to post #4 in this thread), the string tension to achieve a given note, played at a given scale length, depends on the mass per unit length (that is, the linear...
Well, not ALL $50 picks sound better. But some of them do, and I would count Blue Chip picks among those. Likewise, not all $50 bottles of wine taste better, either...
I've looked carefully at the available pictures, and zoomed in on these to the extent possible, but I cannot tell from the photos whether EITHER the Hoffee or Tura case latches have locks. I happen...
Maybe it's just me, but the newly announced carbon fiber Tura Airloom case from Northfield looks a whole lot like the carbon fiber mandolin case made by Hoffee. Colors aside, the outer shell looks...
Sure looks to be a Hoffee-inspired case with an Ikea-inspired name! :grin:
"Two bars" sharp depends a lot upon the tuner, since one bar could mean practically anything the designers wishes. It's a bit like bars of reception on your cell phone! The string could sound a bit...
1) The Silver Snark should work just fine, but I have not yet tried one on a mandolin. The other Snarks work perfectly well. Have you tried moving it around to different positions? Are you placing...
Virzi tone producers were first developed for the violin, not for the mandolin. A number of violins and violas from the 1920's to 1930's have these installed. Lloyd Loar had the idea to install them...
Here's my answer:
Since the downbearing force on the feet of a floating mandolin bridge is easily around 100 lbs, there is no slippage that occurs between these feet and the mandolin top itself. ...
Although it is indisputably true that picks thicker than roughly 1 mm (40 thousandths of an inch) tend to be extremely stiff and scarcely bend at all when striking the strings, there is nevertheless...
The short answer is that carved-top mandolins are not flat-top guitars, and they follow rather different construction and design principles. The modern carved mandolin design (e.g., A- and F-type...
This perspective is very interesting to me, and mostly (although not completely) correct, in my opinion. A good part of tone is certainly in the hand -- great players seem to be able to coax a...
The armrest goes on first. It uses a viola-type clamp with a cork liner that holds onto the top and bottom of the mandolin. The ToneGard goes on second. It clings to the sides of the mandolin (not...
You got them from me! :grin:
I've always wondered what's meant by the phrase "honest play wear." Is there some form of "dishonest play wear" to contrast it with? I suppose one could argue that deliberately distressing a new...
You are correct that Mapes does not manufacture any flatwound (like Thomastik) or flat-topped (like D'Addario FT) strings -- theirs are all round-wound. However, they make available wound versions...
Have you considered trying Mapes strings? These are comparatively inexpensive (just $6 to $8 a set), coated, and available in whatever custom gauges that you care to specify! Just go to their...
A proper repair would likely cost more than the asking price of this mandolin. You are probably better off saving your money and buying a mandolin in better condition.
Do not buy a mandolin with a back whose seam is separating like that. Also, avoid any F-model mandolin with a superfluous strap button at the base of the neck.
Well, that picture shows a picture of Gibson F4 model, sometimes known as a "three-point," dating from around 1900 (or, possibly, it's a replica of one). It has a scroll and three body points, an...
Ah, yes, the bedpan! Longtime readers of the Mandolin Cafe know that bedpans can be turned into a form of resonator mandolin, known as the commodium. Read about it here:...
Both musicians and makers alike have long prized the aesthetic qualities of musical instruments, placing value in their looks, as well as their sounds. This duality goes back as long as human...
Polls are funny things. The answers you'll get depend a whole lot on context, and on exactly how you phrase the question. A great many mandolinists play at least some bluegrass music. Some...
Dear Peter,
Thanks for adding your perspective on this, which I appreciate. And I find much that I agree about. With all respect, though, I think you have confused the terminology just a bit....