scale lengths

[AndyV]

I just came across some Stahl propaganda that shows a family of instruments; mandolin, tenor mandola, bass mandolin, mando cello, mando bass.
Anyone know what scale lengths they would be?

I understand there being no octave mandolin (or nothing going by that name anyway). Stahl being pre "octave mando". Curious though that they have an octave mandola, but nothing called a mandola.

[Bob Visentin]

Just my guess. A tenor mandola is a mandola. A bass mandolin is an octave mandolin. A mando cello is a bass mandola. I am just guessing but the scale lengths might be "standard". Mandola = 17" ect.

It's hard to know what you are talking about with out a link to the "propaganda".

[August Watters]

I just came across some Stahl propaganda that shows a family of instruments; mandolin, tenor mandola, bass mandolin, mando cello, mando bass.
Anyone know what scale lengths they would be?

I understand there being no octave mandolin (or nothing going by that name anyway). Stahl being pre "octave mando". Curious though that they have an octave mandola, but nothing called a mandola.

Unfortunately during Stahl's time there was little standardization in naming conventions. Perhaps one of the Stahl experts will chime in here, with more information on the Stahl names. Today there is still no consistent international system for naming mandolas. Check out the European string makers (such as Optima) -- most use simply "mandola" to refer to GDAE tuning.

Generally speaking, the GDAE tuning for mandola is probably quite a bit older than CGDA tuning. "Octave mandola" was (and in some places, still is) the standard term for what today (in the USA) is usually called "octave mandolin." In fact, the "octave mandola" term for GDAE octave tuning still shows up here on the Cafe, often enough to cause confusion.

[AndyV]

Levin had a tenor mandola and an oktav mandola, both 17.125" scale. Also an oktavo with 20+" scale length.

[AndyV]

Just my guess. A tenor mandola is a mandola. A bass mandolin is an octave mandolin. A mando cello is a bass mandola. I am just guessing but the scale lengths might be "standard". Mandola = 17" ect.

It's hard to know what you are talking about with out a link to the "propaganda".

https://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl...MygCegUIARDRAQ

[EdHanrahan]

If it helps, the Gibson mando-bass in our guest bedroom measures 21.25" from nut to 12th fret, for an "official" scale length of 42.5". Actual string length is marginally longer due to compensation differences.

[AndyV]

Are guests required to play?

[EdHanrahan]

Are guests required to play?

Required? Nah, but it certainly couldn't hurt! I'm just the current caretaker, as it actually belongs to the Bloomfield Mandolin Orchestra, out here in the suburbs of NYC and Newark, NJ.

Our actual bass player, thanks to the generosity of another member's relative, lucked into an upright bass that, it pains me to say, sounds way better than the mando bass. And that's even without an amplifier, for which the mandobass has a pickup added.