Re: Octave Mandolin (GDAE) vs Mandola (CGDA)
In an acoustic I prefer the OM tuning (GDAE), it can be capoed up to CGDA easily enough, and if you remove 4 strings you have a tenor guitar (especially if you get a flat-top as it will sound like a guitar with 4 strings on it).
So an OM would allow you to test drive 4 and 8 string OM's and mandolas.
You could even restring it as a tenor in CGDA if you really wanted to.
Alternatively, a longer scale mandola (18" - which is very short for an OM) can be strung down to OM GDAE with custom strings chosen for proper string tension. You will need to widen the nut slots to do this however, which I have done and it works pretty well.
I love them all, but find I prefer 4 strings for the lower tunings as 8 strings gets a bit muddy down low to my ears, whereas in mando tuning the 8-string sound is fantastic.
I am currently in a tenor-guitar phase so I am trying not to gush to much there. :-)
Davey Stuart tenor guitar (based on his 18" mandola design).
Eastman MD-604SB with Grover 309 tuners.
Eastwood 4 string electric mandostang, 2x Airline e-mandola (4-string) one strung as an e-OM.
DSP's: Helix HX Stomp, various Zooms.
Amps: THR-10, Sony XB-20.
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