Anyone converted an old violin into mandolin?

[vic-victor]

Though it will look a bit silly it would make a nice little mando wouldn't it? There are plently of antique inexpensive violins around. The woods are great, all solid and carved. Anyone tried?

[bmac]

I do recall seeing one, on Ebay a few years ago. But I would guess there is a reason why a violin is different in body shape compared to a mandolin. It would certainly be an interesting experiment, and well worth doing.

I suppose you could also do the opposite... Turn an old mandolin into a violin... They can often be found cheap too.

[Malcolm G.]

Going from 4 nylon/gut strings to 8 steel strings? 4 times the tension?

Trying to cut fret slots into that radius?

I dunno.............

[vic-victor]

I was thinking of is using an old mando neck and violin body. I once came across a fretted violin, it looked a bit odd.

[mrmando]

Bad idea.

It will sound like garbage unless you remove the soundpost, and if you do remove the soundpost, the top will collapse ... unless maybe you rebrace it. Which is a lot of work.

[Stephen Perry]

Narrow nut. Would need at least a second bar. A way to reduce down force. Maybe a 4 string mando would be fair. Violins are a bit small. Might well do better with a viola, unless you prefer to stick to musical instruments.

[Big Joe]

Not on purpose . They are not the same instrument and would likely not hold together all that well. Violins are much lighter built and designed to do what they do. Mandolins are built quite a bit heavier and are designed to do what they do. Similar (though not much) certainly is not the same as identical.

[f#54]

Look Here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QAhQn...7&feature=plcp
There was also a thread which contained a better video on his first attempt.

[f#54]

Found it YAY!

[Jim Garber]

Been there, done that -- even earlier: Violaline from the JTL shop (France)

[Bernie Daniel]

Cool! Both instruments in the videos (or is it only one instrument?) seem to have 4 strings so they are not really mandolins by definition at least? I'd be inclined to call them fretted fiddles.

The sound is certainly interesting but it seemed a little "thin" to my ear (of course its a YouTube video) so I wonder if anything is gained by it -- in an instrument sense that is?

One thing is that violins produce a lot of volume compared to mandolins -- I wonder if that is the case with these instruments too. Hard to tell on a video but maybe this is that banjo killer everyone is looking for!

[bennyb]

Howdy Vic,
Search for fidolin in the post a pic forum on this site. They're 4 stringers with a replaced fingerboard.

benny

[Jim Garber]

Cool! Both instruments in the videos (or is it only one instrument?) seem to have 4 strings so they are not really mandolins by definition at least? I'd be inclined to call them fretted fiddles.

Sorry, Bernie... there are many other mandolins with less strings and also ones with different tuning that do fall into the definition. Check out this one. And what about 4 string electrics?

[TijnBerends]

I doubt that a fiddle-based mandolin would be louder than a normal one. Fiddles are loud only when bowed, when you play them with a plectrum they are a tad lower than a mandolin.

[Bernie Daniel]

Sorry, Bernie... there are many other mandolins with less strings and also ones with different tuning that do fall into the definition. Check out this one. And what about 4 string electrics?

Oh I agree people call all kinds of things "mandolin" including vegetable slicers!

But in my opinion mandolins (from the lute family originally?) should at least have courses of strings -- how many courses or how many strings per course varies.

Electric mandolins? Hey the Gibson ES-150 is clearly a mandolin -- but my Kentucky 300E? I'm really not sure what to call that (I do call it a mandolin most of the time because I don't have another name handy I suppose) but it seems to me more of an electric alto guitar (as in tenor guitar tuned up a 5th?).

Anyway, its not something I am overly concerned about I guess -- call'em what you wish and pick away.

[vic-victor]

Thank you guys

[Ken]

Then again you can just flat pick the fiddle as it is, no modifications necessary. Great plunky sound. Benny Martin was a master at this.

[Gregory Tidwell]

This thread reminds me of a question I've been meaning to ask the board. Does anyone know what that thing Chris Thile was playing in the video for Here and Heaven? It looked like. Cross between a guitar and a violin. I think someone else was playing one as well in that video.

[BradKlein]

I'm thinking, viola da gamba.

Does anyone know what that thing Chris Thile was playing in the video for Here and Heaven? It looked like. Cross between a guitar and a violin.

[Jim Garber]

Electric mandolins? Hey the Gibson ES-150 is clearly a mandolin

Sorry, Bernie... I think you mean EM-150.

[Jim Garber]

I'm thinking, viola da gamba.

Close but I think it may be a smaller member of the viol family maybe tenor, small tenor or alto.

[Bernie Daniel]

Sorry, Bernie... I think you mean EM-150.

I do mean that -- but I'm really not "sorry"about a typo!

[Dfyngravity]

I think the "thinness" in sound comes more from the pick being used in that video I would think. It's sounds really nice though. I would say it would probably have more volume than a mandolin strung up with 4 strings unless the mandolin was carved to be a 4 string mandolin. It think it would fit in nicely in a classical setting or even jazz...and definitely if you are doing solo material.

And some lutes, though not the entire set of strings, do have single courses. I believe it is typically the last two? So I think that a mandolin can still be called a mandolin if it only has 4 strings......a 12 string guitar is still called a guitar right?

[Stephen Perry]

How I would do conversion:

1. Start with viola of roughly the same scale length as a mandolin.
2. Remove the pegs and fit Perfection Pegs, with internal gearing
3. Remove the top and fit twin matched tone bars or maybe some other system, reassemble.
4. Fit a somewhat stronger bridge, possibly maple with an ebony or ivory top.
5. Fit a bone or ivory nut, or at least put a slice of bone or ivory at the front
6. If I felt like a weenie, stoop to putting frets in. Probably on a 12" radius, rather than the 42 mm violin radius

Not that big a deal, I don't think, but I'm probably a bad example because ripping the top off a fiddle and fitting bars isn't a big deal in my shop.

[Phil Goodson]

I think the "thinness" in sound comes more from the pick being used in that video I would think. It's sounds really nice though. I would say it would probably have more volume than a mandolin strung up with 4 strings unless the mandolin was carved to be a 4 string mandolin. .....

Nope. I bought that 'fiddolin' from Jake on a whim. Thin sound with any pick. And sadly, the instrument didn't hold up well. Top sinking has indeed made the instrument all but unplayable without the sound post. I have the post but haven't gotten around to putting it in to see what happens.