Electric Mandolin Part 2

 With the body completed (for the time being), the next job is the neck. And in the video I tell you all about it.

Chambered Body E-mando now completed.

I’m glad to say that the latest e-mando has been completed and as I write this, it’s in transit, on a 7500 mile adventure!

Below is the last video in the series and some nice photos!

Nava Electric Mandolin now complete

 

As you can see above, the latest e-mando has now been completed and is looking (sounding and playing) rather lovely, if I say so myself! Photos below, thanks for looking.

Electric Mandolin Build Part 4

The fretboard has been sanded to its compound radius and dot position markers inlaid. Next the mandolin can be fretted. 

Once the frets have levelled, ends bevelled and polished etc, I start shaping the neck.

Many hours later and after a good clean-up, here’s the result……

And, one of my favourite details!

Electric Mandolin Build Part 1

If you follow my blog, you’ll know that as well as my acoustic instruments, I enjoy building electric mandolins too. I’ve just started building this one.

Let me tell you how I got to this point……. I’ve had a lovely piece of Tasmanian Blackwood (related to Koa) in stock for at least four or five years and have been itching to do something with it.

If you are going to run wires through the body, you need some planning to save a lot of hassle later.  So, before the two halves of the body are glued together, I route a slot and drill some holes for the pick-up wires. These channels are painted in conductive paint to improve the shielding. Then the body can be glued.

Using jigs, I route the various cavities; if you can, it pays to remove some of the waste wood with a forstner bit first.

A piece of pre-drilled plywood is glued to the body to act as a guide for drilling the hole for the end-pin jack-socket.

After drilling the hole, a thread is tapped into the wood. My top tip is to take the tap out after every few turns and put in a drop or two of CA, this helps solidify the end grain and give you a nice clean thread. Wait for the CA to dry before continuing!

With all the drilling and routing done the shape is cut out and the body contoured and cleaned up.

To be continued!

 

 

 

E-mando complete

Here are a few photos of Allan’s electric mandolin which is now complete and happily residing in Scotland!

Dave’s in E-mando, “in the black”?

You’ll be used to seeing my mandolins set-up in the white; a phrase pinched from violin makers, i.e. before they apply that coloured varnish that seems to appeal. Dave’s e-mando has reached the stage where I’ve been getting it set-up prior to applying the finish, and as there’s not a bit of white wood anywhere to be seen……….

I’ve got a spare pick-up that I use at this stage i.e. setting the action and intonation etc. As this one doesn’t have an under-saddle transducer, I thought I’d build an adjustable bridge (it will make action adjustment much easier for Dave). It took a fair bit longer to make than I thought and a couple of goes to get it right and it still needs some tidying up, but that said, I’m really happy with its performance. Whenever you go off-piste, you have to be willing to spend extra time designing and developing your ideas.

I’ve included a photo of me with the octave e-mando so that you can get a better idea of its size.

E-mando(s)

If you’ve been looking at the blog lately, you would have seen me sawing big chunks of wood by hand; so, for a change I’ve been cutting some aluminium.

I’ve just completed two e-mando tailpieces; one for Pete’s e-mando which you’ve seen already and the second for Dave’s electric octave mandolin which is still on the drawing board (but hey, I know it needs a tailpiece!). Here are a few photos to give you a flavour of the process.

And here is Pete’s with the bulk of the construction work done and looking very pretty- I now need to sort out all the fiddley bits!