Bluestem Mandolin #nformation

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Mandolin Family Information:

Low Tuned Mandolin

Here's a couple of video demonstrations of my Lo !uned Mandolin"

Fairbury's Fancy

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Bluestem Mandolin #nformation

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Hula Zen

The Smallest Difference

Lo !uned Mandolin features" -omforta'le (./ scale lengt$ it$ +* medium nickel0silver frets

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Bluestem Mandolin #nformation

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Small guitar0s$aped 'ody profile1 2*02%3/ long 'y (*0(%,/ ide 'y 202%3/ 'ody dept$ Strung it$ readily availa'le 'all end p$osp$or 'ron4e 'all end guitar strings 5urc$asing 'ulk (+ packs of 'all end strings results in a string cost of less t$an 6+&7* per set !uning similar to octave mandolin1 'ut raised a full step to 8090B0:; < fingerings play key of 81 = fingerings play key of 91 etc& =esigned to fit ine>pensive Lanikai semi0rigid foam 'aritone uke case Ma$ogany neck it$ +*+,0!, solid aircraft aluminum neck reinforcement 'ar Ma$ogany 'ody it$ solid spruce top and -oco'olo 'indings 9'ony 'ridge1 fret 'oard1 $ead stock overlay1 $eel cap1 and rear center seam joint Mot$er of pearl $ead stock inlay and fret 'oard position markers -ontoured e'ony arm rest for ultimate comfort S$allar 8 style Mandolin tuners !$e Lo !uned Mandolin as made to satisfy my need for an instrument t$at as a p$ysically smaller and $ig$er pitc$ed t$an t$e octave mandolin1 'ut still lo er in pitc$ t$an t$e mandola& ?$at # really anted as an instrument t$at 'ridged t$e gap 'et een t$e t o and ould more closely matc$ my limited vocal range& !$e Lo !uned Mando as presented $ere matc$ed up it$ my desires it$ its a'ility to 'e played in t$e keys of 9 and 8 it$out t$e need to 'e capoed& #t $as t$e added advantage of 'eing si4ed to fit an ine>pensive semi0rigid foam 'aritone ukulele case& !$e case # purc$ased as a /Lanikai Hards$ell Baritone Ukulele -ase/1 availa'le from many on0line dealers at a cost of around 6,*1 a'out $alf t$e total cost # invested in materials to 'uild t$e instrument s$o n $ere& !$e concept as first proven 'y converting an ine>pensive 'aritone ukulele to t$e nylon0strung version s$o n furt$er do n on t$is page1 so # kne # anted it to fit a commercially availa'le case& !$e entire package is very lig$t eig$t and makes an e>ceptionally fun and packa'le travel instrument& #'m totally ent$ralled it$ t$e s$ape1 sound1 and ergonomics of t$is instrument and #'d like to see a lot more players 'ecome e@ually ent$used a'out it& #'m not motivated to produce large num'ers of t$ese1 t$erefore #'m making t$e full plan availa'le as part of t$e construction guide package s$o n 'elo to encourage ot$er 'uilders to follo suit&

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#'ve 'een una'le to find anyt$ing like t$e Lo !uned Mandolin commercially availa'le1 'ut t$e option e>ists for a prospective player to $ave a copy 'uilt 'y a local lut$ier illing to custom 'uild from t$e plan& 8 full si4e 27/ 'y 27/ printed plan1 -= it$ 2+* p$otos documenting my o n e>periance 'uilding t$is instrument1 and accompanying descriptive te>t is availa'le to guide anyone anting to duplicate a Lo !uned Mando for t$emselves or if its desired to enlist t$e services of a lut$ier for a custom project&

luestem Low Tuned Mandolin !onstruction "uide on !D with full si#e $lan%
!$e guide is currently priced at 6+* it$ first class US post office s$ipping included it$in t$e United States1 t$e cost is 6+7 to locations outside of t$e United States& Aour purc$ase allo s me to pay for t$e tremendous 'and idt$ and usage t$is site gets it$out t$e need to sell advertisement space&

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Select your purc$ase location

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Bluestem Mandolin #nformation

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5lease e0mail me it$ /Bluestem #nfo Re@uest/ in t$e su'ject line if you are interested in purc$asing one of t$e guide packages 'y c$eck or postal money order& # accept payment in any form you is$1 alt$oug$ personal c$ecks take an additional (* days to clear my 'ank 'efore t$e guide is s$ipped&

****************************************************** Mandolin Family Strin' S$acin' "uide

-lick H9R9 for a string spacing layout guide in 5=: format& !$e guide is used to directly transfer string centers and pair spacings to nut and 'ridge locations on four course instruments&

****************************************************** (ylon Strin' )*+ Scale Low Tuned "uitar,sha$ed Mandolin

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Here's a Aoutu'e of a Bylon Strung (./ Scale Lo !uned <uitar0s$aped Mandolin t$at # made from a 62* Baritone Ukulele to test t$e practicality of t$e (./ scale and lo er tuning format"

Bylon String (./ Scale Lo !uned <uitar0s$aped Mandolin" -omforta'le (./ scale lengt$ Small guitar0s$aped 'ody profile Utili4es + readily availa'le 'aritone ukulele string sets !uning similar to octave mandolin1 'ut raised a full step to 8090B0:; < fingerings play key of 81 = fingerings play key of 91 etc& -onverted from an ine>pensive 'aritone uke # love playing my standard : style mandolin1 'ut # also really like t$e lo er pitc$ and resonant @ualities associated it$ t$e octave mandolin& # $ad played a fe octaves 'ut as never @uite comforta'le it$ t$e stretc$es involved it$ t$e scale lengt$& !$e mandola as also not t$e solution # as looking for1 as t$e pitc$ as not optimal for me and t$e scale lengt$ as s$orter t$an $at # really anted& ?$at # as looking for as somet$ing a little s$orter t$an t$e normal 'aritone1 'ut at t$e same time pitc$ed some $ere in 'et een t$ese t o instruments& # 'ecame intrigued 'y t$e si4e and guitar0like style of t$e 'aritone ukulele1 so # ordered a Rogue 'aritone ukulele from MusicianCs :riend for 2* dollars it$ free s$ipping& # felt t$at as economical enoug$ to try t$e scale out it$out t$e need to justify a large investment in a $ig$er priced instrument& 8s a 'aritone ukulele it $eld little appeal for me& !$e standard tuning of =<B9 as really like playing an a''reviated acoustic guitar1 $ile restringing and tuning it as a normal ukulele it$ t$e $ig$er pitc$ed fourt$ string Dkno n as re0entrant tuningE didnCt do muc$ for me eit$er& #'m just too conditioned to t$e fift$ interval fingerings of my mandolinF ?it$ a $ole 2* dollars at risk # decided to do a @uick and dirty modification to convert t$e 'aritone ukulele to a dou'le course nylon strung mandolin tuned in fift$s1 'ut in a more desira'le range a $ole step a'ove an octave mandolin& !$e conversion started it$ removal of t$e old tuners and plugging t$e e>isting $oles& # $ad a spare set of Sc$aller 8 style tuners in t$e parts 'o>1 'ut # could $ave purc$ased an ine>pensive set of ,0on0a0plate tuners if t$is spare set $ad not 'een availa'le to me& !$e location for t$e ne first and eig$t$ string tuner posts ere close to $ere t$e original first and fourt$ tuner posts ere located1 so t$e original locations ere drilled out and plugged it$ a s$ort section of 7%3G $ard ood do el rod to provide 'etter support for t$e ne tuner posts&

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8fter drilling ne $oles and installing t$e replacement tuners # turned my attention to t$e nut& # fas$ioned a ne nut from 'one1 spacing t$e string pairs (%3G 'et een centers and spacing t$e string pairs so t$ere as (%3G clearance from t$e outer string pairs to t$e edges of t$e fret 'oard& 8lt$oug$ t$e distances and spacing ere some $at ar'itrary 'ased on my kno ledge of t$e Mandolin and -$arango1 t$ey turned out to 'e @uite accepta'le& !$e 'ridge as t$e last area needing attention& # marked locations for t$e ne string pairs and drilled $oles as needed for t$e strings to fasten t$roug$& ! o of t$e original $oles lined up it$ t$e ne string locations and t$e remaining $oles ere filled it$ glue0covered toot$picks1 trimmed flus$ it$ t$e 'ridge surface1 and dyed it$ t$e tip of a 'lack S$arpie permanent marker to matc$ t$e 'ridge color& =rilling t$e ne string $oles proved to 'e an easy task1 as # $ad a (%(HG drill 'it in an e>tra0long ,G lengt$& !$e 'it as angled do n ard over t$e saddle slot so t$e drilled $ole ould e>it t$e rear edge of t$e 'ridge it$out contacting t$e instrumentCs top& #f you desire a IprettierG conversion a t$in layer of standard (%2HG veneer could 'e added to t$e front face 'efore drilling t$e ne tuner $oles and t$e rear surface of t$e $eadstock could 'e stained to matc$ t$e e>isting finis$& My primary interest in doing t$e I@uick and dirtyG version as to test t$e practicality of t$e mec$anics of dou'le course nylon strings and t$e actual feel of t$e resulting instrument 'efore committing time and resources into making a more IprofessionalG version& String tension from adding , additional strings isnCt a concern $ere as t$e final tension is a'out t$e same 'ecause t$e ,t$ string pairs are tuned do n to 81 2rd string pairs do n to 91 +nd string pairs t$e same at B1 and t$e first string pairs raised to an :; from t$e standard 'aritone ukulele =0<0B09 tuning& Jne note a'out nylon strings" 8dd no more t$an JB9 rap around eac$ string post $en attac$ing eac$ string as t$ey ill stretc$ to t$e point t$at t$ere ill 'e several raps around eac$ post 'efore t$ey finally sta'ili4e& !$ere ?#LL 'e a lot of re0tuning initially1 alt$oug$ it ill settle in after a $ile& !$e original strings ere reinstalled and a ne set of 'aritone ukulele strings ere added to make t$e dou'le string courses& !$e instrument as tuned to 8090B0:; lo to $ig$& # as pleasantly surprised 'y t$e mello tone of t$e nylon strings com'ined it$ t$e ric$ness of t$e lo tuning and dou'le string courses& !$e $ole step $ig$er tuning allo s me to play key of 8 tunes it$ < fingering and key of 9 tunes in = fingering& Jt$er common playing positions like ise yield a $ole step s$ift up ard& #tCs a really nice alternative& # certainly encourage anyone interested in trying out t$is configuration to go a$ead and try a conversion like t$is if you $ave t$e capa'ility of doing so& # t$ink youCll 'e very $appy it$ t$e resulting instrument& :or me1 it as love at first strum& Sounds pretty good1 especially if you $old it in a manner t$at allo s t$e 'ack to freely resonate and it plays like 'utterF # liked t$is instrument's configuration so ell t$at #Cve made a version of it using 'etter oods and standard guitar construction tec$ni@ues& !$e ne Lo Mando features steel strings and a pinless 'ridge on an induced arc$ top plate& !$e ne version is outlined at t$e top of t$is page&

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5lease visit my ot$er e'site designed to provide information on musical instrument construction& !$ere are free plans as ell as construction tips and tec$ni@ues availa'le at t$e present time& Rudy's Sketc$'ook of Musical #nstrument 5lans1 #deas1 and #nspiration

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If you desire to contact me about luestem Strin's $roducts:

=ue to scoundrelous spammers actively mining sites for e0mail addresses1 #'m forced to include t$e follo ing te>t version of my e0mail address meant to confuse t$e automated ro'o0searc$ of e'sites for e0mail addresses& 5lease e0mail me at" rcordle Dsu'stitute t$e at sym'ol $ereE fastmail Dsu'stitute t$e dot $ereE fm 5lease include /Bluestem #nfo Re@uest/ in t$e su'ject line1 !$anksF

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