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Thread: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension bridge

  1. #26
    Moderator JEStanek's Avatar
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    That was very interesting. Thanks for sharing it and the video.

    Jamie
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  3. #27
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Design, Materials, Workmanship..
    three stars

    One more star for not making another Loar clone.

    Total 4 stars.

    And I'll add one more just .. "because".

    5 Stars.

  4. #28
    bass player gone mando
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by John Miller View Post
    Wow, these things by Stroh are amazing!!! I have never seen these!!!!!!!!
    This is one badass mando!

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    This is what Captain Nemo was really looking for all those years.
    The cochlea interior design is only surpassed by the shape of its output.

    In case nobody mentioned it: I especially like the armrest.
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

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    Registered User bbcee's Avatar
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    The innovations in this instrument are surpassing. Kudos, John!

    In regards to an all-wood instrument, I remember reading years ago in American Lutherie (or maybe American Woodworker?) of constructing a thin laminate around a form. If that could be figured out, the rest of the construction in wood would (ha) be cake.

    Regarding publishing - this would be something great for American Lutherie (Guild of American Luthiers' quarterly publication).

  7. #31
    Certified! Bernie Daniel's Avatar
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by chuck3 View Post
    This is one badass mando!

    Photoshop or real?

    If the latter can you provide a link to it?
    Bernie
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  8. #32

    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by bbcee View Post
    In regards to an all-wood instrument, I remember reading years ago in American Lutherie (or maybe American Woodworker?) of constructing a thin laminate around a form. If that could be figured out, the rest of the construction in wood would (ha) be cake.
    That's how I make mine. It's easy. Probably exactly the same difficulty as making the parts out of carbon fiber. Either way you have to clamp the laminae between tension/compression straps while the glue/resin cures. I don't think wood is any cheaper, either... carbon fiber is pretty darn cheap, while nice quality veneer is time-consuming to produce.

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernie Daniel View Post
    Photoshop or real?

    If the latter can you provide a link to it?
    Bernie, you can read about Stroh instruments here.

    And hear.



    Jamie
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  12. #34
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    I read these post with interest. Certainly different. One stupid question, which I am noted for asking. In American English we some times fudge a little on meaning of words. Neutral means not positive or negative, so are you saying the bridge has no downward or upward tension. I don't see how that could be. Enquiring minds want to know.

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandoplumb View Post
    I read these post with interest. Certainly different. One stupid question, which I am noted for asking. In American English we some times fudge a little on meaning of words. Neutral means not positive or negative, so are you saying the bridge has no downward or upward tension. I don't see how that could be. Enquiring minds want to know.
    Yes: absolutely zero resting tension or torsion on the soundboard from the bridge. Zero break angle. If I release the Ti rod holding down the strings, and take out the bolts holding the bridge onto the soundboard, the bridge just slides out sideways and the strings remain totally level. That is explained near the end of the video. Yes, seems strange at first...

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by JEStanek View Post
    Bernie, you can read about Stroh instruments here.

    And hear.



    Jamie
    Thanks for the comment. Ok well I do know about the Stroh violins and have listened to recordings and watched videos of them being played in the past. You showed a picture of a "Stroh mandolin" -- something I had never seen nor heard? I'll do a search!
    Bernie
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    There were quite a few variants that the Stroh shop made other than the violin including single-string "Jap" fiddle, Hawaiian guitar, mandolin, viola, cello and possibly ukulele. This photo is from the Roy Acuff Museum and shows the Stroh instruments that Roy accumulated on his travels.

    Click image for larger version. 

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    Here are some catalog pages.
    Click image for larger version. 

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    According to the site that mandolin is on there were only 5 standard guitars made.
    Jim

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    A link to the mandolin above.

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by bennyb View Post
    A link to the mandolin above.
    This is the main page for their phono-fiddle and like instruments.
    Jim

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Hey out there:
    In case you aren't totally sick of all this horndola stuff, I just posted another YouTube showing it's vibrational modes. My buddy Chris Jenkins and I recorded them using his fancy-schmancy bazillion dollar Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer. The movies show you the spectrum with all the major peaks below 1 kHz, along with movies showing the movements for each peak.

    Here's the link:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rf1S6fG2PXE

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Mr. Miller,
    My layman's kudos to you! Your approaches to mandofamily building, l'm interested in. Luthier Herb Taylor of Golden, Colorado is also using zero-tension bridges on some of his instruments - EG, bouzoukis, one of which l'm in the line-up for - with interesting results. Are you aware of his work?
    Best,
    Jamie Wahl

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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    WOW, COOL! I hadn't known about his instruments. They look beautiful! I found the bridges I think you mean. They have 2 cross-members, right? These are very similar, but not quite zero tension: with only 2 cross members, there will still be a little bit of torque onto the soundboard: the rear member is lower than the front (saddle) member, so each the two side pieces that hold those cross pieces will have a slight upward force on their rear ends and a slight downward force on their front end. But the upward/downward tension will be neutral, so it is very close to the total zero-force situation.

  25. #43

    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Nikos Apollonio also uses a similar low-or-no break angle bridge on some of his instruments.

  26. #44
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by Bernie Daniel View Post
    Photoshop or real?

    If the latter can you provide a link to it?
    Look at Post 2

    Bernie, I expect to see one of these come out of your shop. Old brass horns are cheap. You can do this.
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    Default Re: Experimental mandola with internal horn, neutral tension brid

    Quote Originally Posted by Marty Jacobson View Post
    Nikos Apollonio also uses a similar low-or-no break angle bridge on some of his instruments.
    Wow, also gorgeous! And some great music YouTubes. Yes, these are also very close to zero tension.
    This makes me think that I should do a test... see how much it really matters to the sound to get rid of the third cross-member (the "rear saddle") at the exit point of the strings behind the Ti rod. Obviously, it works for these 2 luthiers.

    Thanks for the tips!

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