Nylon-string mandolin

[shiloh]

Hi friends, can anyone recommend a mandolin specifically made for nylon strings? Actually, probably only 4 strings? I know there is a Cremonese gut/nylon strung that is lovely. Mandolino with 12 strings. Any others? I think Mandolele Bill Griffen used to build. I'm curious if you have played a nylon-string mandolin. Classical guitars have nylon strings, so do 'ukuleles. Can't mandolins be built to support nylon and still sound lovely? I have problematic hands (autoimmune issues and arthritis) - I hate to give up playing the mandolin, but I struggle now with steel strings. Thanks!

[mandroid]

Radim Zinkle had one made. I tried it 20+ years ago .. he always had a preference for wide necks anyhow..


maybe add a tail piece to a cheap uke to not rely on the bridge glue job..?
Or a Fluke banjo uke?

'Kawlija' my wooden headed Slingerland 20's banjo uke rescue , job. has 1M Aquila strings on it

Not snapping strings to attempt to reach high E, so it's in in an E B F# C# tuning ..

Aquila, in Italy, serves the Baroque era replica instrument players , there is where you find nylon string mandolins used.

[Jcdraayer]

James Wilson of Red Valley mandolins makes a four string nylon specific model, the AMW nylon. I haven’t played one, but I know his flattop mandolins are highly regarded.

http://www.redvalleymandolins.com/mandolin-amw-nylon

[rcc56]

I would think that a lot of the old lightly built Chicago cant-top mandolins might respond well to nylon strings. You would have to find a way to ensure that the tailpiece doesn't cut through the strings, though.

[poul hansen]

I have Aquilas on my Mandolinetto. My tailpiece has the tradiional (4) "hooks" but also 2 rounded knobs, which I use, to protect the strings. I had 1 string break when installing them, but immediately got a whole new set from Aquila. It's been stringed up now for ½ year without problems and I like the sound, especially for (trying to) playing classical tunes.
They do of course stretch more initially than steel.

Why would you want a mandolin made for nylon strings? They excert a much lower pressure on the mandolin than steel, so the only issue could be the tailpiece and maybe a bit of filing on the saddles.

I did plan to tie a round bar to the hooks and then the strings around the bar but that wasn't necessary.

Or put shrink tube around the hooks or the string through a small tube and then around the hooks.

[kjbllc]

if you don't mind a bigger instrument check out the nui uke, use guitar strings nice low sound

[Bob Clark]

The late Walt Kuhlman (Gypsy's Music) made two mandolins specifically for nylon strings. I had the pleasure of owning one of them for a time. It was a wonderful instrument. It had fan-bracing like a classical guitar.

I am currently building a nylon-strung piccolo mandolin. This one has a cherry back and sides, maple neck. The top will be a bit thinner than my usual piccolos and it will have fan-bracing like the one I had from Walt Kuhlman. I'll post pictures as it nears completion. Next I'll build a mandolin to match it. Nylon works well for the music my duo plays. I like the sound.

[Steven_bxl]

One cheap option would be to buy a soprano ukulele and tune it as a mandolin. Aquila sells strings for this.

[milli857]

One cheap option would be to buy a soprano ukulele and tune it as a mandolin. Aquila sells strings for this.

I just did this as a travel mandolin, it works pretty well. The string spacing wider than my mandolin though, so some of the 4-finger chords are a bit harder to do.

[milli857]

I found a 4- nylon string A style mandolin:
http://www.redvalleymandolins.com/mandolin-amw-nylon

Edit: Oh, somehow I missed that this was already recommended. It's the only one I've seen of this exact style though - might be worth checking out.