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Thread: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

  1. #26

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I'm gathering info right here so I can peruse it later and have the info in document form. I avoid phone inquiries because I seem to spend so much time on hold and then have to repeat myself to every one of the many transfers - where there are transfers instead of automated menus...
    Yes, and no. I want to specifically try the TI's but not on the new H1. I have a "hybrid" H1 with a new Lutz top and X-bracing that I want to try them on.

  2. #27

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I got a set of TI 164 and put them on the x-braced H1. The silk part of the string just stayed above the nut so it worked out good - though I did have to skip the extra loop-holder in the tailpiece. So a 'good' fit for a carved-top 16" scale-length 'dola. I like the sound, tone, and resonance.

  3. #28

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Back to this again... I just acquired another carved-top 16" scale mandola. It has a cast tailpiece with all the strings aligned at the bottom of the instrument. It is exactly 22" to the nut from the loop-holder. I measured the TI 164's I have on the H1 and the loop to the bottom of the silk is approx 22" - but two of the strings are a tad shy of this. So I should really move up to TI 174's for this mandola... or should I ?

  4. #29

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I know the RECOMMENDED tuning for TI 174's is GDAE (on an OM), but surely - since they are the same gauges as the TI 164 - they will happily tune to CGDA on a 16" Mandola (that needs the extra 2 inches of metal between the silks...)

  5. #30
    MandolaViola bratsche's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    174s are not the same gauges as 164s; they are much thicker! I have a set on a 17" mandola tuned to GDAE, and they work, just barely (the Gs are floppier than ideal), but I can't imagine tuning them all the way up to CGDA tension, even if the scale was an inch less.

    bratsche
    "There are two refuges from the miseries of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer

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  7. #31

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Quote Originally Posted by bratsche View Post
    174s are not the same gauges as 164s; they are much thicker! I have a set on a 17" mandola tuned to GDAE, and they work, just barely (the Gs are floppier than ideal), but I can't imagine tuning them all the way up to CGDA tension, even if the scale was an inch less.

    bratsche
    Then that makes nonsense of this:

    The description of the 174W (Light) is 14, 19, 28, 45 with 25.75" of "metal". The 164 medium are 13, 19, 28, 45 with 21.5" of "metal".
    This info is on the Elderly site under the Tomastik Strings...

  8. #32
    the little guy DerTiefster's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Eddie, I used to see the 154 sets (Weich, Mittel, Stark) all listed with the same gauges on at least one string source site. I sort of believed the site was wrong. So it might not take bratsche to "make nonsense" of the site info. Just sayin'....

    I think she keeps a vernier caliper around. And she even knows how to use it.
    You live and you learn (if you're awake)
    ... but some folks get by just making stuff up.

    Michael T.

  9. #33
    MandolaViola bratsche's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    LOL, nope, no vernier caliper here, but I do have a micrometer. The 4th string of the 174 set (not sure which weight, it's been on so long) is 1.49mm thick, while the 4th string of the (mittel) 164 set measures 1.14mm. I can't measure the other strings easily, as they are installed and I have no extra ones at the moment.

    FWIW, the 174 set even came in a much larger diameter envelope than the 164 sets do.

    So yeah, I'd say that info is nonsense... not the first time I've heard of such, though. There seems to be a lot of confusion and misinformation out there on the Thomastik sets. I found that the only way to know for sure what's what was to get ahold of them.

    bratsche
    "There are two refuges from the miseries of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer

    GearGems - Gifts & apparel for musicians and more!
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  10. #34

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I've ordered a set of 174's. I'll have them measured by a luthier and post the results - if they don't fit my mandola I'll put them on my OM.

  11. #35

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    OK. The TI 174 M arrived. I took them to a luthier for measurement and I also took my H1 with 164's. Here's the measurements:
    TI 164: .013, .019, .028, .047
    and TI 174: .015, .019, .029, .053

    I have to think that both those sets are lighter than their counterparts J72 and J76 - both of which tune easily to CGDA on a 16"/17" scale and to GDAE on a 20+" scale.

  12. #36

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I put a set of 154M on an Eastman. One of the E strings snapped near the peg before reaching pitch. Bummer!

  13. #37

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Quote Originally Posted by Eddie Sheehy View Post
    I put a set of 154M on an Eastman. One of the E strings snapped near the peg before reaching pitch. Bummer!
    Elderly put me on to Thomastik who put me on to their U.S. agent - Connolly Music - who are shipping me a replacement string...

  14. #38

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I put a TI 174 set on a 17" Mandola - Weber Bitterroot - and the sound is amazing... also plenty of 'metal' between the silks... The gauge seems similar (perhaps a tad heavier) to J76's... The TI 164 appear to be similar to J72's...

    I put a set of FT76 on a 16" Mandola and I am disappointed with the overly-bright sound and the strings don't 'feel' nice...

  15. #39

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I have recorded tunes on both mandolas to sample the strings. Check out the Song-A-Week group - Contra Set and Cakewalk.

  16. #40

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Here's a table of TI string gauges for the Mandolin Family Instruments:
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Click image for larger version. 

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  17. #41
    Chief Moderator/Shepherd Ted Eschliman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Working with Thomastik right now on the viability of the 174W for my 16" scale Galatin Mandola. As I've mentioned to some of you privately, the 164M will not fit a mandola with the Weber style tailpiece in which the loops are all the way to the end of the top of the instrument. Though the gauges are heavier than the 164, they are well within range for our American concept of what a CDGA mandola should use. Hope to have full pictorial report soon.

    As a side note, I think we've discovered there is a misprint on the 2nd string of the 174 vs 174W numbers above. We hope to confirm they are actually reversed (should be lighter on the 171W string):

    171W .60 .024
    171M .54 .021
    (wrong)

    I'll keep you posted.
    Ted Eschliman

    Author, Getting Into Jazz Mandolin

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  19. #42

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Yes, those 2nd strings look reversed... I got the chart from John Griffen at Connolly Music - the TI "agents" in USA. I, now have 174M on a 16" DGM3 Mandola and on a 17" Bitterroot Mandola - both tuned CCGGDDAA.

  20. #43

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Here's a link to the SAW group where I did a comparison of the TI's and FT on three mandolas...

  21. #44

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Here's a comparison of TI 164, TI 174, and FT76...

    http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/gr...741&do=discuss

  22. #45

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Quote Originally Posted by Ted Eschliman View Post
    Eddie, it is definitely 164M. $75.99 Mfg suggested List Price. $39.99 MAP price. I use these on my Rigel Fandola (10-string converted mandola) with a TI E string pair.
    PM me if you can't find them anywhere else.
    " $39.99 MAP price." - New Member question, what is MAP?

  23. #46

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I am trying to find the perfect set of strings for my Lyon and Healy Style A mandola. It has a 15.75" scale length.

    I started out with the "Jazzdola" JD13 strings that Ted used to supply. They sounded great, and I like the feel, but there was one big problem: the C string intonation was completely wrong when I put the strings on. At the twelfth fret, I was maybe 30 or 35 cents sharp. And this is with a professional set up, correct bridge placement, all other strings perfect, etc. [This was, of course, not a deficiency in the string, rather a mismatch between string and instrument... Ted and jazzmando.com get the highest marks from me.]

    The C string from the Jazzdola set was .043. So, next I tried the .048 C-strings from the GHS PF280 set. Same exact problem.

    So, today I put on a C-string from the alt-mandoline Thomastik 164 set (which Elderly says is a .045)... and now the instrument intonates PERFECTLY at the 12th fret (and sounds amazing). It's like sunlight shooting through rainbows with confetti and glitter and lens flare and angels singing.

    The only problem, as mentioned before in this thread, is that the silk wrapping at the headstock end of these strings extends too far down the string. In my case, they end up extending about half an inch past the nut (i.e. over the fingerboard).

    So, two questions:

    1. Is there any idiot-proof way for me to strip about an inch of that wrapping off without injuring the strings?

    2. Alternatively, does anyone have any other recommendation as to what string set might work? I don't understand the science of why these strings intonate perfectly and the others didn't, and I'm going broke experimenting. I know that there are other Lyon and Healy mandola owners lurking out there... what do you use?
    Last edited by Nat; May-19-2013 at 4:13pm.

  24. #47

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    As I said above, I have used TI 174's on my mandolas -they are currently on my Absaroka Mandola - and they are longer than the 164's , also a tad heavier...

  25. #48

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Bump so I can get to it easier

  26. #49
    MandolaViola bratsche's Avatar
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    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    Just out of curiosity, what is the longest scaled instrument you've ever used the 174 set on with good results, Eddie? Anything longer than 17"?

    (Also doing my part to bump an interesting and informative thread!!)

    bratsche
    "There are two refuges from the miseries of life: music and cats." - Albert Schweitzer

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  27. #50

    Default Re: Thomastik-Infeld Alto Mandolin/Mandola Strings

    I had the TI 174's on a 23" scale Octave Mandolin - GGDDAAEE. They were a tad muted so I went back to lighter gauge OM strings...

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