anyone ever convert a mandolin to a mini guitar ?

[Tony Burns]

Been thinking about getting a small travel guitar , but the idea crossed my mind to make a new nut and saddle and set it up like a mini guitar - You can pickup cheap mandolins for around 50 bucks or less - anyone ever do this , mandolins are small and are easy to get on planes -- i know someone out their is thinking why not just leave it alone and play it as a mandolin - It might be fun to try -

[Freeman Keller]

Actually, Tony, my mando has become my travel guitar. I can carry it on an airplane and it is quiet enough to play in a hotel room without disturbing the neighbors. Besides, I need to practice that little bugger.

 

I would guess that all the setup work required - getting a six string tailpiece (or converting the 8, mando strings are loop ends), making a floating saddle, cutting the nut, not using two of the tuners - not to mention those tiny little frets that will really screw up your normal playing.

[Terry Allan Hall]

Gibson is a step ahead of ya!

 

6-String Mandolin

 

The 6-string mandolin consists of a short-scale guitar neck attached to a standard mandolin body. It has six single strings tuned one octave higher than a standard guitar. Thus you can find all the notes exactly where they are on a standard guitar. Only they'll be up in the mandolin range.

 

Having single strings instead of pairs gives the instrument a slightly different flavor than a traditional mandolin. But the standard mandolin body helps give it the crisp attack and relatively short sustain expected from a mandolin. If strung with bronze strings the tone is bright and clean.

 

The finest example of this hybrid to date is the Gibson M-6, pictured to the right. The neck is relatively narrow at the nut and is V-shaped like a mandolin neck. This encourages the musician to hold the instrument like a standard mandolin, with the thumb resting over the top of the neck. However, with the strings being so close together, some standard guitar chords will need to be re-fingered. This is not necessarily a bad thing. For instance, an A chord on a guitar takes three fingers, whereas on the M-6 it takes only two, the middle finger being used to press down two strings at once.

[jd-drafter]

i just love how those gibson's say...

 

"the gibson" as if each one is the only one...

 

my dad repaired a very old one- i want to say circa 30's/40's

 

a nice instrument- the owner handed it to me when he left the room- and said- play it if you like- just don't drop it... 8^)

 

i like the 6 string idea- fretting 2 for 1 has it's advantages- then again tuning that open would be sweet as well-

[guitarcapo]

I'd just advise you to learn chords in a mandolin's tuning.

 

the neck really is too narrow for 6 separate courses.

[Terry Allan Hall]

I'd just advise you to learn chords in a mandolin's tuning. the neck really is too narrow for 6 separate courses.

 

You DEFINITELY need slender fingers for chording, although they're a hoot to play lead on!

[Tom A]

-- i know someone out their is thinking why not just leave it alone and play it as a mandolin -

 

 

That's exactly what I was thinking. Why on earth would you mess with evolution?

 

[guitarist21]

i know someone out their is thinking why not just leave it alone and play it as a mandolin - It might be fun to try -

 

I agree, it might be fun to try. My current mandolin is absolutely the cheapest possible instrument you can buy, I'm sure, and the build quality and tone is accompanyingly cheap. You get what you pay for. But someday I'm going to get a bit of a nicer mandolin (or at least one that's not unplayable without major modifications) and my current mandolin might be fun to experiment with.

 

Ellen

[happy-man]

With such a narrow neck I'm always amazed that people can play those things with 4 (pairs) strings. I'd think 6 would be friggin' nuts.

 

Scott O

[garthman]

There are some good quality regular travel guitars (like Washburn and Johnson) around and you can even use a 3/4 size guitar if you need to so why bother with a mandolin.

[guitarist21]

There are some good quality regular travel guitars (like Washburn and Johnson) around and you can even use a 3/4 size guitar if you need to so why bother with a mandolin.

 

Just because it would be fun to try.

 

Ellen