Another mando

[sebastiaan56]

I gave the last of my players away for a charity auction a little while ago so Ive had plenty of motivation to get this one up to playing. Its straight from Graham McDonalds excellent Mandolin Project with a modified shape. Spruce top, NGR sides, back is NGR and figured Cheesewood, fretboard and bridge is Cooktown Ironwood, neck is Fijian Mahogony, headplate and bindings are Figured Blackwood. Finish is Tru Oil.

Im still cogitating on the best way to make a tailpiece as the shell shaped one is chrome. The dark line in the soundboard was a poor joint by yours truly.



The back was originally for a renaissance cittern copy but it never happened so it became a mando!



The NGR proved a real PITA to bend. This is quarter cut, 1.3mm thick but still cracked! So in revenge I used it. I thought I could hide it when finishing but no such luck.



It still sounds very new, metallic, stringy, almost holding tune but it is loud and Im happy with the action. The photos dont do it justice Im afraid, the spruce has some wild silk and the back plate some loud grain. Cutting oval hole rosettes by hand is at best fraught with peril,



But I do so like slotted headstocks.



Sebastiaan

[DarwinStrings]

Love the G.T. stripes Sebastian, is it a seventies mando? and a very tidy looking bit of soundboard there. Shame about the NG rosewood I have a stack of it and am now hoping it performs better for me (have never bent it before).

Would you like a closer look at my tailpiece as it is reasonably easy to make from stainless with a piercing saw, gas torch, drill and long nose pliers.

[DarwinStrings]

Oh, also, when am I going to see something with some N.T. ironwood.

Jim

[sebastiaan56]

Love the G.T. stripes Sebastian, is it a seventies mando? and a very tidy looking bit of soundboard there. Shame about the NG rosewood I have a stack of it and am now hoping it performs better for me (have never bent it before).

Would you like a closer look at my tailpiece as it is reasonably easy to make from stainless with a piercing saw, gas torch, drill and long nose pliers.

Thanks Jim, Im going to assume that every billet of NGR performs differently as Taffy seems to have no problems. My issue with the tailpiece is the shape, I havent settled on it yet. Ive used brass before and it seems just fine.

NT Ironwood, hmmm Im just commencing a Torres style classical, cedar top, could work rather well.

[Taffy Evans]

Nice one Sabastiaan, I used to build all my mando's that shape and style years ago. I've had my troubles witht he NGR in the past but seem to have gained a good understanding of the process now and do not have such problems. Try bending the sides inbetween metal slats, I use stainless from Stumacs and/or aluminium [much cheaper] from the hardware store and cut my own.

Heres a shot of bends done this way over a bending iron.


No problems

[jeffhigh]

Hi Sebastian.
Not a Mando maker myself but I am just wondering why you have gone so wide on the headstock especially at the neck end, seems to be causing string alignment issues?
regards
Jeff

[Rick Turner]

The funny thing about "snake head" design is that while it gives beautiful string path to the nut for a paddle head instrument, you get strings rubbing on the inside of the slots on a slot head instrument. I run into this on some of my guitars, so I know the problem all too well.

Try doing a fairly major bevel on the inside of the slots. It can look great, too, especially if you do a couple of layers of veneer as your peghead overlay.

[sebastiaan56]

Thanks Taffy and Rick,

Colin's old tag line about reaching for the mahogany keeps resonating for me Taffy. This will be last NGR until I improve my skills and knowledge. I appreciate the tip.

Jeff is right, the head is bevelled but not as much as it could be. I ruled it all up before I started and chickened out when it came to the last bit of the carving. Should have stuck to the lines I drew. It is something to revisit.