Post by martinrowe on Mar 24, 2021 18:44:30 GMT
I'm after some help folks.
A couple of years ago I started looking for an Octave Mandolin and, in my mind, had an idea of how much I would feel happy spending. At the same time John Renbourn's old Sobell Cittern came up for auction (not eBay). I bid, and won, and, in a sense, I got a fair/good deal.
Since then, I haven't played it much and haven't really got started. I hit a Cul-de-Sac for a couple of reasons. Holding the instrument I found really difficult and I also found it difficult to get the strings and the tone I wanted. I really like the sound Ale Carr gets and after a fair bit of browsing found a description of the strings he uses. It turns out that he has couple of nylon strings on the bass pair which, I think, softens the sound.
Here's his description (and here's a video of the sound I'm after Ale Carr's Tone (It's not the 'usual' video)):
'Some raw facts about my instrument:
It's built in 2007, but looks older because of the special violin varnish.
Mensura 613 mm, the whole instrument is 940mm from top to toe, body is 360 mm wide and 80mm thick.
Internal microfone system - Highlander IP-2 piezo and a DPA microfone.
Tuning D G D A D, with octaves on D and G basses.
I use quite loose strings, which definitely makes the ornamentation easier, and use the following strings:
D-bass: Nylon string from Hannabach for acoustic guitar bass
G-bass: Nylon string from d'Addario (E-6th, Medium tension composite)
D-mid: Thomastik SB30
A: Thomastik AC516 (wound string, .016")
D-top: Thomastik P10
I tried to get the same combination of strings and, as I said, failed, partly because the Sobell is a longer instrument and the nylon strings he quotes are too short. On the Sobell from last tuning peg to the tailpiece, where the ball end strings need to be attached, is about 1000mm - the 'whole instrument is 1000mm'.
I could go with different strings and a different tuning. An alternative would be to tune it GDAEB so that that would give me, with no capo, an octave mandola on the lower strings, and then with a capo on the 5th fret would give me a mandolin on the top four strings and a 10 string with a low C over all the strings. I think this is the tuning it was in when i bought it.
When I bought the instrument I got in touch with Stefan and he said he'd have a look at it if I brought it up to him. I live in Devon and, at the time, it wasn't possible. Anyway, recently, a few things have changed (I can see how I can hold the instrument - sounds silly but there it is), I now have a good strap and one of those Classical footrests that rest on your knee (thanks jackorion and jangarrack ), and Peghead Nation are starting an Octave Mandolin course.
Can anyone recommend any strings, or has anyone been down a similar road?
I could simply buy a set of Clifford Essex Cittern strings (and lose the warm bass sound). I emailed them today about the string length and got a response that was so quick that it made me think that they had hardly read my email and were simply trying to get me to buy a set.
Also, has anyone else experimented with Nylon/gut strings on a double course instrument (Cittern, Bouzouki, Octave Mandolin, etc) and if so, where did you end up?
If you play or make one of these instruments - what strings would you suggest?
Apologies for the lengthy post but, thinking about it, if no one knows on here then I can't really think of anywhere else.
thanks for listening
Martin
A couple of years ago I started looking for an Octave Mandolin and, in my mind, had an idea of how much I would feel happy spending. At the same time John Renbourn's old Sobell Cittern came up for auction (not eBay). I bid, and won, and, in a sense, I got a fair/good deal.
Since then, I haven't played it much and haven't really got started. I hit a Cul-de-Sac for a couple of reasons. Holding the instrument I found really difficult and I also found it difficult to get the strings and the tone I wanted. I really like the sound Ale Carr gets and after a fair bit of browsing found a description of the strings he uses. It turns out that he has couple of nylon strings on the bass pair which, I think, softens the sound.
Here's his description (and here's a video of the sound I'm after Ale Carr's Tone (It's not the 'usual' video)):
'Some raw facts about my instrument:
It's built in 2007, but looks older because of the special violin varnish.
Mensura 613 mm, the whole instrument is 940mm from top to toe, body is 360 mm wide and 80mm thick.
Internal microfone system - Highlander IP-2 piezo and a DPA microfone.
Tuning D G D A D, with octaves on D and G basses.
I use quite loose strings, which definitely makes the ornamentation easier, and use the following strings:
D-bass: Nylon string from Hannabach for acoustic guitar bass
G-bass: Nylon string from d'Addario (E-6th, Medium tension composite)
D-mid: Thomastik SB30
A: Thomastik AC516 (wound string, .016")
D-top: Thomastik P10
I tried to get the same combination of strings and, as I said, failed, partly because the Sobell is a longer instrument and the nylon strings he quotes are too short. On the Sobell from last tuning peg to the tailpiece, where the ball end strings need to be attached, is about 1000mm - the 'whole instrument is 1000mm'.
I could go with different strings and a different tuning. An alternative would be to tune it GDAEB so that that would give me, with no capo, an octave mandola on the lower strings, and then with a capo on the 5th fret would give me a mandolin on the top four strings and a 10 string with a low C over all the strings. I think this is the tuning it was in when i bought it.
When I bought the instrument I got in touch with Stefan and he said he'd have a look at it if I brought it up to him. I live in Devon and, at the time, it wasn't possible. Anyway, recently, a few things have changed (I can see how I can hold the instrument - sounds silly but there it is), I now have a good strap and one of those Classical footrests that rest on your knee (thanks jackorion and jangarrack ), and Peghead Nation are starting an Octave Mandolin course.
Can anyone recommend any strings, or has anyone been down a similar road?
I could simply buy a set of Clifford Essex Cittern strings (and lose the warm bass sound). I emailed them today about the string length and got a response that was so quick that it made me think that they had hardly read my email and were simply trying to get me to buy a set.
Also, has anyone else experimented with Nylon/gut strings on a double course instrument (Cittern, Bouzouki, Octave Mandolin, etc) and if so, where did you end up?
If you play or make one of these instruments - what strings would you suggest?
Apologies for the lengthy post but, thinking about it, if no one knows on here then I can't really think of anywhere else.
thanks for listening
Martin