Mandola DADA tuning

[thehoffer]

I've been playing my M-14 mid-mo mandola that I got off the cafe in DADA tuning lately. #Should I be worried about putting too much stress on the top by tuning the two low strings up a full step? #Mid-mo's have a pretty short scale length, so I suspect the increase in pressure is less than a longer scaled mandola. #Anyway, does any one else use this tuning or have any input?

Thanks

[Celtic Saguaro]

Generally, Flat topped instruments have less strength than the arch topped. Common mandola string sets, tend to be very heavy. If you really like this tuning you might be wise to investigate lighter individual strings, particularly lighter 'c' strings.

[zoukboy]

I've been playing my M-14 mid-mo mandola that I got off the cafe in DADA tuning lately. Should I be worried about putting too much stress on the top by tuning the two low strings up a full step? Mid-mo's have a pretty short scale length, so I suspect the increase in pressure is less than a longer scaled mandola. Anyway, does any one else use this tuning or have any input?

Thanks

the scale length of a MidMO mandola is 15 1/2" - what string gauges or set are you using?

[Andy Phillips]

While I have played guitar for over 35 years now, I have only just started playing mandolin; I sing songs with harmonica, rather than pluck out tunes. I bought a cheapish tenor mandola to put in an open tuning - it would be DADA, but I drop the bass strings to make it CADA, allowing lots of hammer-on possibilities for songs like The Ballad of Hollis Brown (Dylan), I don't Wanna Know About Evil (John Martyn), Ohio (Neil Young) and Youngstown (Springsteen). Iris by Goo Goo Dolls works well on it too. God only knows what some of the chords I have invented are, but it is great fun working them out!

[Carleton Page]

You can try CGCG.

[multidon]

I used to have a Mid Mo mandola that I tuned in DAEB aka Irish tuning. Kind of like and octave mandolin without the bottom G course and a "bonus" B course. I too worried about the tension so I put together a custom set out of singles using this string calculator:
http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html
The trick is to come up with gauges that mimic the tension of the original set. Please note that you can change the 16 in mandola scale length to your 15.5 in. and also change it from metric to English at the same time just by using inches instead of cm. in the string length value box. After a little preliminary playing around with it on your behalf I came up with .044W for your D and .030W for your A. For DADA keep the second and first course as is. Using custom gauges is the safest approach but it is kind of a pain to not be able to just buy a set.