The Birth of a MandoBeast

[Rob Zamites]

Maybe its the camera angle but it looks like the bridge pins for your lowest course will be very close to outside of the neck. Or is that just how i see it? It looks really good so far though Rob, fair play to you

Well, now I'm worrying about it....I posted at the harpkit.com forums to see what their kit maker says. In the meantime, nut was sanded to size, glued in place, and the first two coats of finish applied:

Remember, this is my first kit, and I'm experimenting. It might end up in the trash bin!

[garryireland]

Well, now I'm worrying about it....I posted at the harpkit.com forums to see what their kit maker says. In the meantime, nut was sanded to size, glued in place, and the first two coats of finish applied:

Remember, this is my first kit, and I'm experimenting. It might end up in the trash bin!

Was ths nut already cut? I tried doing this myself on my guitar conversation and made a balls of it. Can you buy a guitar
width nut cut to a bouzouki tuning?

[Rob Zamites]

Nut is a blank. This is really a guitar kit, so I'm not positive they compensated the neck for 8 strings. The fret board was wider (you can see how much wider by how it flares when it tops the body), and they just gave me a 8 hole drilled bridge. As soon as I'm done with the finishing and slot the not, I'll see where things line up. Like I said, this might end up in the trash bin as an ill-fated attempt to make something out of the kit that it wasn't designed to be.

Whatever, good learning experience, and it was only $400 + tools...

[Marty Jacobson]

Rob, looking good. It'll work just fine. The slots in the bridge will establish the spacing there and it doesn't matter too much what the fretboard width is. When you get to the point of slotting the saddle and nut, let's talk and I can help you figure out a good proportional spacing for the courses. It's not complicated, but it's not exactly obvious until you've done it a few times. I have a parametric SolidWorks file for setting it up for any string gauge and width values.

By the way, I got one of those Harbor Freight workbenches for my wife's leatherworking business based on your comments. It's pretty good for the price. Not a candle on a real shop built bench with vises, but those end up costing a 3-4 hundred bucks for wood, totaling a couple thousand dollars, if you count your time even at $20/hr.

[Rob Zamites]

Rob, looking good. It'll work just fine. The slots in the bridge will establish the spacing there and it doesn't matter too much what the fretboard width is. When you get to the point of slotting the saddle and nut, let's talk and I can help you figure out a good proportional spacing for the courses. It's not complicated, but it's not exactly obvious until you've done it a few times. I have a parametric SolidWorks file for setting it up for any string gauge and width values.

By the way, I got one of those Harbor Freight workbenches for my wife's leatherworking business based on your comments. It's pretty good for the price. Not a candle on a real shop built bench with vises, but those end up costing a 3-4 hundred bucks for wood, totaling a couple thousand dollars, if you count your time even at $20/hr.

Marty, to have your assistance would be a blessing. I had found a template in the builder's forum and was going to use that, but I'd feel more comfortable having a real luthier's help! The instructions don't call for the saddle to be slotted, for some reason, but I feel that would be the trick.

Thank you again, so very much. I'd hate to have put this much work into this 'cello to only have it be a failure...

[bratsche]

It's not going to be a failure, Rob - bite your tongue before saying such things! There's a solution for every problem, and if this is one at all, it's certainly very minor.

I, for one, am very impressed with how you're doing so far, and how quickly you're doing it. It took me almost this long just to do my Baby Taylor guitar to OM conversion! And I did put slots in my saddle - I added a tailpiece on mine, but would have slotted it anyway because there was a slight bit of compensation it needed.

That MandoBeast is going to be just terrific! My tortie kitty Fiamma agrees, BTW, and meows "hello" to yours lurking in the background in that one photo in post #41! =^..^=

bratsche

[Rob Zamites]

It's not going to be a failure, Rob - bite your tongue before saying such things! There's a solution for every problem, and if this is one at all, it's certainly very minor.

I, for one, am very impressed with how you're doing so far, and how quickly you're doing it. It took me almost this long just to do my Baby Taylor guitar to OM conversion! And I did put slots in my saddle - I added a tailpiece on mine, but would have slotted it anyway because there was a slight bit of compensation it needed.

That MandoBeast is going to be just terrific! My tortie kitty Fiamma agrees, BTW, and meows "hello" to yours lurking in the background in that one photo in post #41! =^..^=

bratsche

Thank you, bratsche! I am sure enjoying the process and am glad I have the resource of the fine luthiers here at the cafe! My tortie kitty, Angel, returns the hello to Fiamma!

[Rob Zamites]

Just a quick update:

Although the body was looking fantastic with the multiple coats of Watco® Teak Oil Finish, I decided I didn't like the open pores of the top. I read, and read, and read, and watched YouTube videos over and over and over, and got 1 sheet each of wet/dry 320/400/600/1200 grit sandpaper and a sanding block.

I did a wet sanding with 320 grit and the oil finish, and sure as the info said, I had a mahogany colored slurry that filled the pores nicely. Let it dry for about 35-40 minutes, and wiped the excess off (yes, lint free cloth). I'll let that cure overnight, then will proceed with further coats until it's nice and glassy.

Thanks for following!

[derbex]

keep em coming

[rubydubyr]

Rosie......... Roooooosieeeeeeeee (looking all around)

[Rob Zamites]

Rosie......... Roooooosieeeeeeeee (looking all around)

[Rob Zamites]

double post.

[Rob Zamites]

Still have some work to do on the intonation and action, but the Mandobeast is ALIVE:



Thanks especially to my biggest fan, Mike Anderson, who cheered me on as I did this, and to the luthier extraordinare, Marty Jacobson for providing me the awesome templates for the saddle and nut spacing!

I thought I was hooked on CBOMs, but the is NOTHING like building one

Thanks everyone for following this build!

[Bernie Daniel]

Looking and sounding great. You did an awesome job for sure! That scale length is certainly in mandocello range. The other thing I notice is the fret board is really wide. I'll be interested to see how you find that for chords. But like you say wonderful first effort!

[Marty Jacobson]

Right on. You sure got that set up quickly. Only four hours from when I sent the files to when you had the video posted. The audio is clipping, so it's hard to get a sense of how it sounds.

[Rob Zamites]

Looking and sounding great. You did an awesome job for sure! That scale length is certainly in mandocello range. The other thing I notice is the fret board is really wide. I'll be interested to see how you find that for chords. But like you say wonderful first effort!

Well, I have very long fingers; the width isn't a bother at all - that video really doesn't capture the rich booming tone this thing has - it's a freaking cannon!

Right on. You sure got that set up quickly. Only four hours from when I sent the files to when you had the video posted. The audio is clipping, so it's hard to get a sense of how it sounds.

Yeah, I was sitting 2 feet from the chromebook, and the beast just overdrives the microphone; if I can fins a way to record without destroyng the mic, I'll try again!

Used my new set of feeler gauges and my homemade nut saws to get the action set to a sweet 1/32" at the first fret - freaking buttery smooth - the action up at the 12th is still a little high, but I'm not freaking out at all. This was so much fun to build! As soon as the stickiness from the last coat of oil finish dries, I'll do some final sanding and light finishing and call it good. From the start I looked at #1 as a test:

a) could I build something from a kit

b) would it actually play if/when I finished it

c) would I enjoy wood butchering enough to do another

Answers:

a) yes

b) yes

c) HELL YES

I was the winning bidder on a guitar back and side set of tamarind:



I also have a custom scale length pre-slotted Macassar ebony fingerboard and a GoldTone Zer0glide nut system on the way for Zamites #2, which will be from (mostly) scratch.

I'm hooked.

[garryireland]

Well, I have very long fingers; the width isn't a bother at all - that video really doesn't capture the rich booming tone this thing has - it's a freaking cannon!





Yeah, I was sitting 2 feet from the chromebook, and the beast just overdrives the microphone; if I can fins a way to record without destroyng the mic, I'll try again!

Used my new set of feeler gauges and my homemade nut saws to get the action set to a sweet 1/32" at the first fret - freaking buttery smooth - the action up at the 12th is still a little high, but I'm not freaking out at all. This was so much fun to build! As soon as the stickiness from the last coat of oil finish dries, I'll do some final sanding and light finishing and call it good. From the start I looked at #1 as a test:

a) could I build something from a kit

b) would it actually play if/when I finished it

c) would I enjoy wood butchering enough to do another

Answers:

a) yes

b) yes

c) HELL YES

I was the winning bidder on a guitar back and side set of tamarind:



I also have a custom scale length pre-slotted Macassar ebony fingerboard and a GoldTone Zer0glide nut system on the way for Zamites #2, which will be from (mostly) scratch.

I'm hooked.

Amazing Rob. Well done mate!

[garryireland]

Was i right sbout those g course pins after? Looks a bit tight. Like you said on the video but it sounds fantastic!

[Bertram Henze]

Mighty sound, it has. I guess when you get rid of the low tension and high action, the intonation issue will go away.

[Rob Zamites]

Now doing the final body finishing. Will post pictures/video of the finished beast. On to #2!!

[Mike Anderson]

Rob, it was my pleasure entirely. I think you have a natural aptitude for this!

[Mandobart]

Great job Rob! Man you really took to this! I'm inspired to one day do an actual build vs tinkering around the edges as I do.

[Rob Zamites]

And the last pics, since the side finish is almost done:







Zamites #2 (La Balafenn) is in the works.

[bratsche]

Pretty nice! Congratulations! You're right, that is a ginormous instrument, isn't it? Didn't realize just how big until seeing the video. Wow!

bratsche

[garryireland]

Pretty nice! Congratulations! You're right, that is a ginormous instrument, isn't it? Didn't realize just how big until seeing the video. Wow!

bratsche

So whats number 2 Rob? Guitar body zouk or something crazy?