Re: Life expectancy of modern vs. vintage mandolins
Originally Posted by
JonDoug
Thanks for all the responses! When I posted, I think that I was hoping for a consensus that modern instruments have better builds/technology, therefore likely better long-term outcomes, much as Mike Zito suggested off the cuff. . . .I agree with those suggesting that there are too many factors at play to make a clear call.
Another factor not mentioned yet is the poor quality of materials, design and build of many of those instruments, 100 years back, most of which never lived long enough to become "vintage" -- because of the great wave of popularity. Mandolins were sold by the boatload, by catalogues and department stores -- at very low prices. And no one had yet figured out how to mass-produce instruments cheaply with plywood, which compounded the problem. I'm guessing today's cheap instruments will hold up a lot better.
As to carving tops thin -- I spoke to a builder a few days ago, Lorenzo Lippi, who explained that carving too thin is problematic -- not just because of potential structural issues, but also because of tonal issues -- losing high end response over time, and limiting the instrument's presence (making it harder to hear from a distance). As someone said earlier in this thread, it's a fine line between one and the other.
Exploring Classical Mandolin (Berklee Press, 2015)
Progressive Melodies for Mandocello (KDP, 2019) (2nd ed. 2022)
New Solos for Classical Mandolin (Hal Leonard Press, 2020)
2021 guest artist, mandocello: Classical Mandolin Society of America
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