4 string mandolin?

[s11141827]

Single strings sound different than double courses, and magnetic pickups sound different than piezos or mics or unamplified instruments. Single-string electric instruments also lend themselves less to tremolo and more to string bending.

So four-string electric mandos make the most sense for mando players who don't play guitar as well but want to come close to an electric guitar sound.

True there are 4 String Acoustic Mandolins too. They're essentially Steel Strung version of the Cremonese Mandolins. Electric Mandolin builders didn't realize that 4 String Mandolins go back many years. The sound falls in between a Guitar & a Mandolin.

[Magnus Geijer]

Most of mine are 4-string acoustics. After I built my first, I largely lost interest in the 8-stringers. Your mileage may vary, of course.

[Tim N]

I imagine the main principle behind double strings is to increase volume - the same principle as having multiple instruments in a orchestra. Of course, the use of octave pairs on bouzoukis (if desired) and 12 sring guitars gives a wonderful fullness. Does anyone ever put octave pairs on a mandolin?

[s11141827]

Again, the domra actually comes from the dombra.

From where are you getting the misinformation which you're spamming in your necrobumps?

I got that information from an instrumentation manual that's in a mixture of German & Japanese. The 4 String Domra Prima is essentially a Circular Steel Strung version of a Cremonese Mandolin cause they have the same tuning. The Dombra isn't a Russian or Ukrainian Instrument.

[s11141827]

I imagine the main principle behind double strings is to increase volume - the same principle as having multiple instruments in a orchestra. Of course, the use of octave pairs on bouzoukis (if desired) and 12 sring guitars gives a wonderful fullness. Does anyone ever put octave pairs on a mandolin?

I was using Mandriola Strings for that made by Thomastik (they're Optima Copies)

[s11141827]

I have two 4 string electric mandos (a Schwab and a Epiphone) but the nicest 4 string accoustic I have seen is this one owned by Michael Lampert. It is from the ukraine and has a beautifully bowled back. He makes a wonderful tone with it, but then he gets far better tone from my own instruments than they ever make for me.
John

The 4 String Ukrainian Domra is essentially a Circular bodied Steel string version of a Cremonese Mandolin.

[s11141827]

I'm guessing you didn't see there was a giveaway raffle for one just last week. Ironically, it began the same day as your post. (It's already ended, too.) These have been discussed a bit over the last year or so. I'll grant they're shaped like a guitar, but they're tuned like a mandolin.

I've had some single-string electrics. What they lose in that jangly sound they make up for in the ability to bend the strings. I'd expect the same would be the case in an acoustic instrument - I suspect less successfully, though.

Actually to make it work w/ Acoustics the top & back would have to be cut thinner. Jake Wildwood converted this Gypsy Jazz F Style Mandolin into a 4 Stringer because of how lightly built it was:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKf3LNpZUyE It gives you an interesting "mini archtop (tenor) guitar" vibe.

[s11141827]

I have this Doff 4 String Domra Prima which is essentially a Wire Strung Circular Bodied version of a Cremonese Mandolin. It sounds rather loud because the top is cut roughly half as thick as a normal 8 String Mandolin top.

[Jim Garber]

The 4 String Ukrainian Domra is essentially a Circular bodied Steel string version of a Cremonese Mandolin.

Dear s11141827: It is time you stopped cutting and pasting the same misinformation over and over. The Domra is indeed a Russian instrument and has nothing to do with the Cremonese mandolin. Domras were played as far back as the 15th & 16th centuries in Russia: https://www.russianartandculture.com...trument-domra/

In addition the Cremonese mandolin first appeared in Cremona in the late 18th century. This from James Tyler & Paul Sparks, "The Early Mandolin" page 139-140. So, there is no way a domra would have come from the Cremonese mandolin. In fact the original domra only had three strings and was tuned in fourths.

[Charlie Bernstein]

In solid-body electrics, I see more four- and five-string than eight-string.

Right now, I have a broken E string, so the other one is doing double duty while I wait for an E-string replacement pack to arrive. It does sound a little different, but not in a good way. It's not as loud, of course, and it doesn't have the magical mando jangle. Works okay, but something's lacking.

[urobouros]

I owned a Breedlove "Zenkl" model 4-string mandola for a while. It was actually set up for fingerstyle playing, with slightly wider spacing between strings towards the bridge, and a humbucker pickup attached to the end of the fingerboard. Otherwise it was built like the other Breedlove mandolins at the time; a hollow body with F-holes. Here's what it looked like:

Alas, my white whale! I've been searching for one ever since I started playing mandolins. I have a few electric mandolins & octaves and even one of the Eastman electric mandolas but they're all solid bodies. Whether 4, 5 or 8 strings, they definitely have the electric guitar vibe but I'm a blues guy so it works well.

[s11141827]

Dear s11141827: It is time you stopped cutting and pasting the same misinformation over and over. The Domra is indeed a Russian instrument and has nothing to do with the Cremonese mandolin. Domras were played as far back as the 15th & 16th centuries in Russia: https://www.russianartandculture.com...trument-domra/

In addition the Cremonese mandolin first appeared in Cremona in the late 18th century. This from James Tyler & Paul Sparks, "The Early Mandolin" page 139-140. So, there is no way a domra would have come from the Cremonese mandolin. In fact the original domra only had three strings and was tuned in fourths.

The 4 String Domra Prima is more common in Ukraine & it was developed by Liubimov, in 1905. The Ukrainian Domra Prima is essentially a Circular Bodied Wire strung version of a Cremonese Mandolin. I got that information from a music website that's under construction.

[s11141827]

The Cremonese Mandolin came around 1800 & the 4 String Domra Prima came around 1905 (105 years later) so yeah it's essentially a Circular Bodied Wire strung version of a Cremonese Mandolin. It's just that alot of instrument makers didn't realize that until fairly recently. I got that info from doing some extra research on wikipedia.

[s11141827]

Dear s11141827: It is time you stopped cutting and pasting the same misinformation over and over. The Domra is indeed a Russian instrument and has nothing to do with the Cremonese mandolin. Domras were played as far back as the 15th & 16th centuries in Russia: https://www.russianartandculture.com...trument-domra/

In addition the Cremonese mandolin first appeared in Cremona in the late 18th century. This from James Tyler & Paul Sparks, "The Early Mandolin" page 139-140. So, there is no way a domra would have come from the Cremonese mandolin. In fact the original domra only had three strings and was tuned in fourths.

The Cremonese Mandolin came around 1800 & the 4 String Domra Prima came around 1905 (105 years later) so yeah it's essentially a Circular Bodied Wire strung version of a Cremonese Mandolin. It's just that alot of instrument makers didn't realize that until fairly recently. I got that info from doing some extra research on wikipedia.

[Jim Garber]

More than likely the Russians never saw Cremonese mandolins which were very uncommon. But they made 8 string mandolins tuned to GDAE and it made sense to add one more string and tune it to that tuning.

[Jellwoo]

The Arrow Jazzbo 4 string that I have played a few times has the most sublime tone of any fretted acoustic instrument I have ever heard. So pristine and crystalline without a trace of harshness. Wonderful instruments. Pricy but worth the premium for that tone. Loud enough to play along side a full pounding dreadnaught too.

[s11141827]

The Arrow Jazzbo 4 string that I have played a few times has the most sublime tone of any fretted acoustic instrument I have ever heard. So pristine and crystalline without a trace of harshness. Wonderful instruments. Pricy but worth the premium for that tone. Loud enough to play along side a full pounding dreadnaught too.

Here's a good one a 5 string Zeta Mandolin

[Bob Visentin]

I bought a 4 string Mandolindo last Nov. for my wife's birthday. She can no longer play the fiddle because of Parkinson's and she did not like the the double strings on my mandolin. It looks like a small guitar but is the same scale as a mandolin or fiddle. It sounds good. People think it is a ukulele but it has metal strings and a truss rod. I also have a 4 string mando-strat re-issue she tried out on stage. She freaked out when the E string was so weak. We have a new pick-up coming today (thanks to Steve Ryder's Stringed Instrument Shop) that should fix that problem.

[Bill McCall]

The Arrow Jazzbo 4 string that I have played a few times has the most sublime tone of any fretted acoustic instrument I have ever heard. So pristine and crystalline without a trace of harshness. Wonderful instruments. Pricy but worth the premium for that tone. Loud enough to play along side a full pounding dreadnaught too.

Like this, but a 5 string.

[Dave Hanson]

To me having 8 strings defines the mandolin, 4 strings seems to defeat the object.

Dave H

[s11141827]

To me having 8 strings defines the mandolin, 4 strings seems to defeat the object.

Dave H

Actually 4 Strings is basically a modernized version of the Cremonese Mandolin so it's a Revival Cremonese Mandolin

[s11141827]

Again, the domra actually comes from the dombra.

From where are you getting the misinformation which you're spamming in your necrobumps?

The Ukrainian Domra Prima didn't come from the Dombra based on some extra research & besides Wikipedia doesn't even mention it. The 4 String Ukrainian Domra Prima is essentially a Modernized version of a Cremonese Mandolin. Mongolians invented it when they invaded Russia.

[s11141827]

The Dombra came around the Middle Ages, where as the Domra came later. Wikipedia has been edited many times.

[s11141827]

How about this Petite Bouche 4 String Gypsy Jazz Mandolin:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKf3LNpZUyE Jake Wildwood converted his Petite Bouche 8 String Mandolin into a 4 Stringer because the top was starting to collapse from 8 String Tension as it was cut thinner than it was supposed to be. This does produce a Mini Archtop (Tenor) Guitar Vibe, it's a different type of Mandolin.

[Jellwoo]

Like this, but a 5 string.

Yes, though it doesn’t have the pickup. It is the prototype one in blonde. Unfortunately I think it going to be sold so I won’t have access to it much longer. Wish I had the extra money to buy it.