Old bowlback strings

So I've inherited my grandpa's old bowlback mandolin. Apparently a friend of his was sent to Italy during WWII and brought it back with him. However, from the label, I suspect that it's from Austrian or German origin rather than italian.

Anyway, I took the old strings off because they were pretty rusty, and I have yet to find a set of strings that give me the tension I want. The thing has pretty high action, and I don't want to lower it because the neck is a bit curved and lower action will result in buzzing against the high frets.

I'm not even sure what my question is here, but I guess the bottom line is, what are the best strings for a 13"1/4 scale bowlback. Right now I have a D'Addario J74 set on it (11-15-26-40) and I can only stand their sound if I tune them up to F#-B-E-A.

[PlayerOf8]

Try some Dogal CALACE brand string. They are available from Classic Bows in SanDiego. You'll like them and they are the right strings for your instrument

George

[Jim Garber]

Right now I have a D'Addario J74 set on it (11-15-26-40) and I can only stand their sound if I tune them up to F#-B-E-A.

Get those J74s off or tune it down immediately before your mandolin implodes. Those are one of the reasons so many of these bowlbacks are in poor condition. The Dogal Calace RW92b (as George recommends) are one proper set.

If you want to get comething less expensive and bronze, go with GHS A240s which, as far as I know, are only available from juststrings.com. They ship pretty quickly.

More details on Grandpa's mandolin? What does the label say... do you have pics. BTW the classical area is the place to ask questions of those of us who know and love these old things.

Jim

Thanks for the tips, and here come some more questions: I'm in Toronto and I really don't see where I can get Dogal Calace from. The GHS that you recommend are thinner gauge than the J74's, which I find too loose. How are these going to solve my problem? I really thought I needed higher gauge...

Here are some pictures of it as well. The label says Egwosa in big letters, and Verburgt Qualität in small letters, which I think means high quality in German... Any Germans here?




Thanks for the info guys. I really appreciate it.

[Martin Jonas]

Thanks for the tips, and here come some more questions: I'm in Toronto and I really don't see where I can get Dogal Calace from. The GHS that you recommend are thinner gauge than the J74's, which I find too loose. How are these going to solve my problem? I really thought I needed higher gauge...

Here are some pictures of it as well. The label says Egwosa in big letters, and Verburgt Qualität in small letters, which I think means high quality in German... Any Germans here?

"Verbürgte Qualität" means "guaranteed quality" in German. I've never heard of Egwosa and it does not sound particularly German to me (I am German).

The reason why Jim was so forceful in recommending getting those J74s off is that they will destroy your bowlback. These instruments were built for much lighter gauges and accordingly lower tensions and their neck joint in particular will not withstand the tension that a bluegrass-gauge string will put on it. The main reason why most of the bowlbacks you can get on Ebay are unplayable is that somebody went to a music shop and bought bluegrass mandolin strings for them. As a result, the neck comes forward, the action rises and the extra pressure on the bridge may cause the top to sink in. You must get the lightest strings you can buy on the market these days, and the most widely available of these are the GHS A240s. They are a bit basic; the Dogal Calace or Lenzner Bronce are nicer, but the GHS ones will do to get you a good idea of the merits of the instrument.

In any case, these instruments will not resonate properly with heavy strings. If you're used to bluegrass mandolins, you may well find the string tension disturbingly low, but to play these instruments you need a much lighter touch. You'll get used to it. I play both types, and I find that I need to approach them very differently.

I'm a bit confused about your comments on the action: if you're afraid there will be buzzing if you lower the action, do you mean that the neck has a backwards bend? That would be rather unusual, as it's against the pull of the strings. Getting the action down to between 2mm and 3mm at the 12th fret would be a great help in making it playable; above that you're likely to struggle.

Martin

[Jim Garber]

Thanks for the tips, and here come some more questions: I'm in Toronto and I really don't see where I can get Dogal Calace from. The GHS that you recommend are thinner gauge than the J74's, which I find too loose. How are these going to solve my problem? I really thought I needed higher gauge...

You should be able to order from Classic Bows. Email Greg Gohde at classicbows@nethere.com and tell him what you are looking for.

I can't imagine that you need a heavuier gauge than J74s. I doubt that your mandolin was meant to withstand that pressure. GHS are inexpensive and you can always go for more expensive strings later like Dogals ot Thomastiks.

From the photo tho it looks like the string spacing is not right. It will make it difficult to play. if I were you I would take it to a reliable shop that knows mandolins and have them check it out and maybe do a little set up work on it. The Twelfth Fret is in Toronto and they seem to have a very good reputation. Maybe others can recommend other shops.

If you still have the original strings, the shop may be able to measure them to determine a similar gauge.

Be aware tho that many regular music shops haven't a clue what a mandolin is, never mind a bowlback one.

Good luck.
Jim