Well I'll be darned!!! It's a mandolin!!

If you got here looking for the Siminoff Lutherie Camp photo essay just click on the 2009 entries link on the left side of this page expand the October entries and you will be jumped to that part of the web log ... or just scroll down and you'll see them ...


So ... after only 22 months ... it's a mandolin!!!  


Truth be told it's been a mandolin for some while now but I hadn't done the setup and actually put strings on it until tonight ... no real excuse other than life getting in the way ...

Regardless, I decided tonight was the night so I dug out my nut files and rooted around until I found a pack of D'Addario J62 strings ... these are pretty light gauge but I knew I wanted a more mellow tone from this instrument AND I really hate stringing up mandolins ... I'm always sure I'm going to pop one of those high E strings and put my eye out ... kinda like a Red Rider BB gun at Christmas!

I filed the nut slots to approximation and the bridge saddle slots (I used an adjustable bridge rather than the older non-adjustable bridge that I think was more traditional on the F4's because I really didn't know what the setup was going to be like).  I had previously fit the bridge foot to the body.  I guessed at the location for the bridge and put the strings on ... heard the first notes of the voice and was impressed by the ringing volume this instrument has.

I completed the string-up, made several adjustments on the location of the bridge to get the intonation "pretty close" (I'll dial it in really close after it's had time to stretch the strings a bit) and played a couple of tunes.

The action is really very good with these J62's ... might be a teensy bit high if I J72's on it but none of the frets buzz, it frets cleanly further down than I will ever play and has a pretty pure sound to my tin ear.

So ... a few pictures ... and at some point I'll try to post an MP3 clip of the sound.

From Lutherie

From Lutherie

From Lutherie

Gotta show that YELLOW ROSE OF TEXAS !!!

From Lutherie

Hope you enjoyed the long long journey from Roger Siminoff's first ever Lutherie Camp to the completion of this instrument ... thanks for looking in!!

Bade