This mandolin is playable ?

[Akhton]

Hello, i have a question, if a mandolin with this head is playable, the neck/back/side is perfect but in the head we have this.

Is this mandolin playable ? And sorry for my low level in english :/

[MikeEdgerton]

It appears to be missing two strings.

[Akhton]

Yes strings is not a problem, but its missing two "rondelle" in french i don't know the name in english here

[Steve Ostrander]

And a couple tuning post bushings.

[MikeEdgerton]

Bushings. It might be playable, tuning it up might be hard. These bushings are available in the US but I don't know if the size will be correct.

http://www.stewmac.com/Hardware_and_..._Bushings.html

[Akhton]

So without the bushing, the instrument is playable but i have to tune it every day or something ?

[pointpergame]

The tuning posts might bind against the wood --- not for sure. So they might be harder to turn and the tuning might jump. But I'd say it's certainly playable.

[MikeEdgerton]

So without the bushing, the instrument is playable but i have to tune it every day or something ?

I tune my mandolin many times a day when I'm playing for extended periods of time. The mandolin is not like a piano where you tune it now and then.

[Akhton]

Ok so it's not a really big problem, i'll take the mandolin, so thanks guys (am not a pro in mandolin, i play just for fun)

[Mandoplumb]

So without the bushing, the instrument is playable but i have to tune it every day or something ?

Maybe I'll pull the bushings out of my mandolins. LOL

[G7MOF]

Won't the strings cut into the wood where the bushes should be, then would it not cause friction and damage the wood?

[MikeEdgerton]

Won't the strings cut into the wood where the bushes should be, then would it not cause friction and damage the wood?

Probably not, many mandolins have been made over the years without bushings.

[Tavy]

Probably not, many mandolins have been made over the years without bushings.

Quite right. However, in those cases the headstock wood is the bushing. In this case the bushing is currently thin air.... so I would suggest that it's borderline un-tunable without replacing those bushings. If you can find ones that fit then that's a trivial job, if not... well then I suspect that's why it's for sale at a good price?

[Willie Poole]

Look for some metal tubing that will fit in the hole and be snug against the post, it won`t look as good as a real bushing should take care of of the situation while he looks for the real thing...a hardware store might have some ideas on what will work...

Willie

[David Newton]

A little coil or two of beer-can aluminum will do the trick.

[WW52]

I once made some bushings for a Strad-O-Lin out of a piece of metal tubing from a hardware store. I slightly flared an end of each one and it didn't look too bad, but it was a little snug.

[mandroid]

Mikes post 5 .. 'Old Style' Bushings are essentially plated brass Grommets
not yet rolled over and expanded , on the opposite side .

they Function like bushings for the rotating gear driven capstan the string winds around.

grommets are used in canvas goods .. stuff you lace ropes thru .. repeatedly
Like lace up Covers and Bags to Keep the sails in them when staying docked in Port , etc.

marine or regular hardware stores..