A likely contentious opinion on electric mandolins

[Tom Wright]

But what do the knobs do? "Bark", "Woodiness", and "Punch"?

Bill Frisell guitar used on "Good Dog, Happy Man".

[s11141827]

Because of the short scale and nature of an emag-pickup electric instrument, an electric mandolin is never going to have the tonal complexity of an acoustic mandolin. Electric guitars have a longer scale length and work better, in my opinion, as electric instruments, than mandolins do.

They're cool and interesting, and give a lot of different possibilities, but I don't think they'll ever be as popular or ultimately as rich a musical tool as acoustic mandolins (or semi-acoustic instruments which blend some of the acoustic properties into the signal).

Electric mandocellos, on the other hand... are pretty magnificent beasts. I think they might work better than acoustic mandocelli, if you consider tonal possibilities as well as ergonomics, since the air volume problem is no longer an issue.

The Electric Mandolin actually is more compact so you can play louder than an Acoustic Mandolin like 15 times as loud. To make it work w/ Jams I'd have to substitute all the Acoustic Instruments w/ Electric Instruments.

[s11141827]

Are you sure about that?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbA4_5Wba2U

Actually the 4 String Electric Mandolin is really an Electrified Steel string version of the Cremonese Mandolin, the oldest 4 string Mandolin ever made.

[s11141827]

OK here's a good one, this is a Brazilian made Elifas Santana 5 String Electric Mandolin. In Brazil it's called Guitarra Baiana (Bahian Guitar) or Bandolim Elétrico de 5 cordas

[s11141827]

The Electric Mandolin is easier to play than an Acoustic Mandolin cause the strings have even less tension, the action is easier, & the neck is made a bit thinner to make it more comfortable to hold & play. The intonatable bridge allows you to fine tune each string. The pickups actually cut out some of the higher overtones so it's a mellower sound than the Acoustic Mandolin. Because Electric Guitars are easier to play than Acoustic Guitars, this is actually true for Electric Mandolins being easier to play than Acoustic Mandolins (virtually all Electric Instruments being easier to play than their Acoustic Counterparts).

[s11141827]

Different strokes for different folks. For me, electric gives me an opportunity to explore sounds more applicable to certain genres than strait up acoustic.

That's true for Electric Mandolins too.

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Electric Guitars do cost less than Acoustic Guitars cause they're easier to mass produce, this should be true for Electric Mandolins someday.

[s11141827]

The only way I was able to make Electric Mandolins cost less than their Acoustic Counterparts was to play this song on it, which is the Star Spangled Banner translated to Spanish by Clotilde Arias (El Pendón Estrellado).

[musicofanatic]

I don’t get the point of electric mandolins. They don’t sound like mandolins to me. If I didn’t know someone was playing one I’d just assume I’m hearing an electric guitar. I’d like to hear others thoughts on the subject

Dunno if I have a heightened sense of aural perception, but I can hear the difference between an electric mandolin and an electric guitar in about two notes. I listened to Tiny Moore for years and eventually met and played with him over a period of time and constructed my own four string solidbody. I'm not sure if it's timbre or tambre or what, but I presume it's the short string string length that creates the distinctive tonality that immediately identifies "MANDOLIN" to my ears. I am speaking strictly of the single strung version...I am generally not a fan of most double course electrics I hear, as tuning of the unison pairs seems to be more critical when electrified, and most that I hear are not accurately tuned. I will also say that once a buncha signal procession (especially fuzzy, saturated distortion) is applied, the tonality loses all distinction and might as well be a keyboard synthesizer for all my ears can discern. My only objection to electric mandolins is when someone refers to their Fender "Mandocaster", an assignation which was never used by Fender.

[s11141827]

Dunno if I have a heightened sense of aural perception, but I can hear the difference between an electric mandolin and an electric guitar in about two notes. I listened to Tiny Moore for years and eventually met and played with him over a period of time and constructed my own four string solidbody. I'm not sure if it's timbre or tambre or what, but I presume it's the short string string length that creates the distinctive tonality that immediately identifies "MANDOLIN" to my ears. I am speaking strictly of the single strung version...I am generally not a fan of most double course electrics I hear, as tuning of the unison pairs seems to be more critical when electrified, and most that I hear are not accurately tuned. I will also say that once a buncha signal procession (especially fuzzy, saturated distortion) is applied, the tonality loses all distinction and might as well be a keyboard synthesizer for all my ears can discern. My only objection to electric mandolins is when someone refers to their Fender "Mandocaster", an assignation which was never used by Fender.

It's higher pitched than an Electric Guitar so it sounds more like an Amplified Mandolin.

[Tom Wright]

Guitar and mandolin share substantial range, so it is not simply the pitch. The short strings do have different attack and decay, but there is also a major effect of the pickup locations. Every instrument I have seen does not match the guitar pickup locations, so the tone color will not be the same as either a neck or bridge guitar pickup. Those locations are the result of years of tinkering by the pioneers like Les Paul, and their tone is the most useful option.

My first emando was a Ryder, and I specified locations that matched a Stratocaster. The neck pickup sounds rather like the middle position on a Strat, the bridge matches well, and the two together sound like a Strat using the in-between selector switch position. (Modern Strats have a 5-way switch; in the early days we just found the sweet spot -- I replaced the spring with a rubber band for mine in the early 70s.)

I much prefer the doubled string courses, as the short strings need help getting a rich tone. They also give you expressive options, playing lightly so sound single-strung, or digging in a little for richer attack, or intentionally detuning for chorus. Bending is possible by using your pick-hand pinky to damp one of the pair.

A player should try single strings to settle on preferred gauges. On my Ryder (14" scale) and Almuse (14.25" scale) I use the same set. .010, .014, .022, , 034, 048 (for the C course). Basic nickel-plated from JustStrings.

[jherm]

i first saw ricky scaggs play the stratolin (named after the stratocaster) AND HE DID IT TO GET A DIFFERENT SOUND. THILE DOES NOT PLAY ONE BUT RONNIE MCOURRY DOES...... because the band is transitioning into a more of a grateful dead jam band he's looking for a different sound and the stratolin fits. try and play the stratolin in a traditional setting and it really sucks.... but in a nontraditional setting it works...ya could also just play electric guitar and get the same effect. i 've seen bands play an electric mando and just play guitar licks on them......whats the point ....just play an electric guitar instead.

[Tom Wright]

...whats the point ....just play an electric guitar instead.

Maybe cuz you know where the notes are on mandolin? That's why I play mando instead of guitar. There are some advantages, the doubled strings offer sounds the guitar doesn't.

[Markb98]

Anyone used and like an electric violin? And is the tension different than a regular violin?

[Explorer]

Anyone used and like an electric violin? And is the tension different than a regular violin?

I do use and like three different 5-string fretted electric violins, playing them as violins and also as mandolins. I have a NS Designs NST active, their WAV-5 passive, and a headless passive acrylic Equester from Poland.

The NS instruments can easily have straps added for playing as a mandolin. However, all three have SUPER - radiused fingerboards which took some getting used to. They a have violin scale length, so shorter than a modern mandolin. The action needed dropping to be near a mandolin's. The tension feels tighter.

They all sound mostly acoustic.

If I need a compact instrument for traveling, one of these three normally get the nod.

I also have a violin-scale length (I think) eMando-branded J.Bovier 5-string. It's heavier than any of the violns, but has magnetic pickups, allowing eBow use, so sometimes this is the main player.

[DonKayG]

I agree with Bob Clark. I would take my electric mandobird when I stayed with my Mom who was in her 90s in an assisted living home. After she would go to bed I could practice unplugged and she couldn't hear a thing.

[s11141827]

Guitar and mandolin share substantial range, so it is not simply the pitch. The short strings do have different attack and decay, but there is also a major effect of the pickup locations. Every instrument I have seen does not match the guitar pickup locations, so the tone color will not be the same as either a neck or bridge guitar pickup. Those locations are the result of years of tinkering by the pioneers like Les Paul, and their tone is the most useful option.

My first emando was a Ryder, and I specified locations that matched a Stratocaster. The neck pickup sounds rather like the middle position on a Strat, the bridge matches well, and the two together sound like a Strat using the in-between selector switch position. (Modern Strats have a 5-way switch; in the early days we just found the sweet spot -- I replaced the spring with a rubber band for mine in the early 70s.)

I much prefer the doubled string courses, as the short strings need help getting a rich tone. They also give you expressive options, playing lightly so sound single-strung, or digging in a little for richer attack, or intentionally detuning for chorus. Bending is possible by using your pick-hand pinky to damp one of the pair.

A player should try single strings to settle on preferred gauges. On my Ryder (14" scale) and Almuse (14.25" scale) I use the same set. .010, .014, .022, , 034, 048 (for the C course). Basic nickel-plated from JustStrings.

You could use these N-309 Strings from Nig Music, they're a little bit thinner which helps make the strings more flexible.

[s11141827]

Well to get a good sound out of the Single strung (5 String) Electric Mandolin I replaced the original Pickups w/ Railhammer Pickups which have an Extra Winding in the Coils to compensate for the short decay.

[cunparis]

Anyone used and like an electric violin? And is the tension different than a regular violin?

I play both acoustic and electric (Yamaha YEV-104) violin and the strings are the same. I don't notice a difference.

[Big Riff]

I play in a rock band and I move from bass to mando for a few songs. If it weren't amplified it simply wouldn't be heard, so a fairly basic - but nevertheless very good - regular Ibanez with pickup is my stage instrument.

I run it with a bit of compression and just a tiny touch of reverb and it sounds lovely, all things considered. Any listener would have to know pretty much nothing about instruments to think it sounds anything other than like a mandolin.

Never tried a solid bodied mandolin in the electric guitar style. Not sure it'd be my thing but I'd love to have a go and see for myself. I think you'd need to be pretty Jack handed with the eq to make it sound like a guitar, but getting guitar to sound like a conventional mando might not be easy either, but I'd like to find out one day.

[jesserules]

What's the point of an electric guitar?

[s11141827]

I think Yamaha's Electric Bowed Stringed instruments are designed in such a way to facilitate easy transition between Acoustic & Electric Versions of the same instrument.

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What's the point of an electric guitar?

The point of it is to allow for easier action & playing pain free

[Explorer]

What's the point of an electric guitar?

The point of it is to allow for easier action & playing pain free

Knowing that Jesserules was merely inverting the original question, the actual point leading to the electric guitar's invention was to increase the instrument's volume. That's clear from even a basic review of the instrument's history.

[jesserules]

Knowing that Jesserules was merely inverting the original question, the actual point leading to the electric guitar's invention was to increase the instrument's volume. That's clear from even a basic review of the instrument's history.

And that's post number one answered.

Next topic!

[s11141827]

Knowing that Jesserules was merely inverting the original question, the actual point leading to the electric guitar's invention was to increase the instrument's volume. That's clear from even a basic review of the instrument's history.

The very 1st Electric Guitar came in 1931 & it was actually a Lap Slide Guitar. Brazil developed the Electric Mandolin too

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I modified my 8 String Acoustic Mandolin to sound good w/ really light gauge strings (which I can do bends on) by cranking the headstock angle down to 90 degrees (like a Lute) which puts the strings at a really really steep angle over the nut.

[Michael H Geimer]

Late to this thread, but I've been playing a Gibson EM-200 for about two years now. It gets taken to gigs where we're going to get loud, like this weekend's St. Paddy's Day madness.

Does it sound like an electric guitar? Sure, those Sweet Child of Mine intro and solos sound... uh, sweet.

Does it sound like a mandolin, also yes! When I roll back the volume knob, it sits right at the 'edge of breakup' and gives off a nice 'woof' on chop chords. In the mix, you wouldn't miss the acoustic qualities at all and I can relax and not fight feedback or push too hard for volume. So, basically all the reasons electric guitars came into the world.

Do I get asked if that is a tiny guitar? Also yes.