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Thread: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

  1. #1
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    Default Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Cruising Craigslist the other day I came across a Harmony archtop that was converted to an octave mandolin. It seems that someone in the Denver area is converting these and selling them through the Denver Folklore Center for about $500. I bought it from a private party who had bought it from the Folklore Center. The price was too good to pass up, and I'm not saying how much I paid, because it is embarrassingly low.
    The instrument is in really good shape for probably being 50ish years old. The neck has been shaved to 1.5 inches at the nut and the plugs in the headstock are barely noticeable. The bridge is a bit rough, but it looks like they just used the original bridge and reworked it for 8 strings. Refinished nicely in clear satin showing the natural spruce top and a nice amber burst on (what I'm assuming are) mahogany back and sides. It plays pretty well but has a longer scale length (25.4") than my Blueridge OM that I converted from a tenor. I'm thinking that I'll modify the bridge and nut to accommodate larger strings and set it up as a Mandocello. Looking at emando.com they have several sets of ball end mandocello strings.
    I'll post some sound samples as soon as I get the new strings on.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    Last edited by colorado_al; May-20-2017 at 11:41pm.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Now that I have some daylight, I think this might be all birch construction.

    Edit: there is a number stamped inside 2907H1213 which (according to the interwebs) indicates it is a Harmony Archtone H1213 with all solid birch construction
    http://harmony.demont.net/guitars/H1213/28.htm

    Can't find a year stamp, but I'm guessing late '60s since it has a truss rod
    Last edited by colorado_al; May-21-2017 at 11:13am.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Wow that looks like a nice instrument, I like the back especially.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Thanks! Here's another pic from the Denver Folklore Center listing
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    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    I think the four string and the six string used the same body, it was only the neck that was different.
    Lots of the four strings were converted to eight strings.
    I have a 1962 four string version.
    The wood looks great but lacks tone and sustain.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    I think this one sounds pretty good. I wonder if that is helped by stripping the old gloss finish and putting a thin satin finish on?
    I'll post some samples shortly.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Here are a few. Mic isn't the greatest, but you'll get the idea



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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    How does it compare to your blueridge conversion?

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by fox View Post
    How does it compare to your blueridge conversion?
    The Blueridge is better by far. But I don't think the Blueridge would hold up to the tension of mandocello strings. I think it would probably pull the bridge right off. I think the archtop will be better suited for that, since it has a tailpiece.

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    Registered User fox's Avatar
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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Yes the harmony has a pressed wood top that is pretty stiff & two railway sleepers for bracing.
    I took the back off mine, cut down the bracing & sanded 1mm off the soundboard so it would be more suited for 4 strings.
    I can imagine they would work much better with 8 strings

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Quote Originally Posted by fox View Post
    How does it compare to your blueridge conversion?
    Since you asked, here's a recording of the same song - Liberty - on my Blueridge BR-40TCE Octave Mandolin. I'm using a better mic on this recording, so it isn't exactly a fair comparison, but the Blueridge does sound significantly better as an octave than the Harmony.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Here is the same song - Liberty - played on the Blueridge BR-40TCE in G, as one might play on a mandocello. I did this to give some comparison to the Harmony once I get it strung as a mandocello. Of course I do not have a low C2 course on this, so it isn't as full as a mandocello would be with the bass strings missing, but it gives the idea. I don't think that the Blueridge would survive being strung as a mandocello with the extra tension

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Well, I hit a snag converting this Harmony to a mandocello. I have a set of the Heavy flatwound mandocello string sets from emando.com, and the .075 C2 is so huge that it doesn't fit through the hole in the post on the tuners. I'm considering finding tuning machines that have a larger hole, but in the meantime, I'm ordering a pair of D'addario XL Chrome flatwounds in .065 that will fit. If those work OK, then I think I'll leave it like that.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    I'm still waiting on the .065 C2 strings, so at this point I've really got a 3 course octave mandolin, but I've been playing it anyhow.
    Here my first recording on it. No camera today. Only audio.
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/kzs5s8p69s...0song.mp3?dl=0

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    While waiting on the .065 d'Addario XL Chromes flatwounds that I ordered, I stopped into my local Guitar Center and they had a pair of the roundwound XL nickel bass strings. I bought them and strung it up! Sounds pretty good! I also removed the pick guard. That really helped the sound. The pick guard has a cork backing that rests on the top and deadened the sound considerably. A bit of buzz on the roundwound strings that I expect will be minimized when I switch to flatwounds.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Here's a quick sample. Just have my phone with me today, so not the best sound, but you get the idea.

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Sad to say that I had to sell this great Mandocello. I'm very glad that it went to a local here in the Boulder area. I didn't get back the entire monetary investment that I made in it, but I did gain a great year of learning to play it! I hope that there will be another mandocello in my future. Thanks to Bill for taking up the Boulder mandocello mantle! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

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    Default Re: Harmony to Octave Mandolin to Mandocello

    Thomastik Flatwound Mandocello Strings will give you a Slick jazz Feel

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