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| Moderated by: Tony Provencher, Richard Hefner |
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| My First Mandolin | Rate Topic |
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| Posted: Sat Apr 18th, 2009 03:26 am |
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1st Post |
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dAndy1288 Approved
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My dad just gave me a vintage Regal brand mandolin that used to belong to my great-grandfather. I know I will have to have it professionaly set up before I can play it, since it is about 80 years old and hasn't really been played for two generations. But, I've been trying to do a bit of initial restoration, and I am very excited about how things are coming along. This is my first mandolin, and my second string instrument (I got my first ukulele a week ago), so my knowledge of mandolins is quite limited (I read the wikipedia article, and looked up some info on Regal brand mandolins... and that's about it.) So, I thought you might be interested in seeing some pictures. It is obviously not a "top-quality" instrument, and wasn't even in its time (being a Regal, which I read produced mainly student-grade instruments). That, and my great-grandfather wasn't exactly wealthy, and this was one of the first things he got when he came to America from Europe because the one he had before was damaged beyond repair in the trip. But I think it is in excellent condition considering its age (especially now that I cleaned it up). It could still use some polish on the wood (if I can, since it is painted...), but all the metal pieces and the fingerboard have been thoroughly cleaned. I've already clocked almost 12 hours worth of meticulous work on it, so I am really looking forward to playing it. I think the tuning pegs are slightly bent, though, because even though they are free of rust, grime, and tarnish, they still don't turn freely... hopefully that can be fixed, because I'd rather not have to replace them (not only because of the money, but because, well, how cool is having all the original parts on an 80-year-old instrument?). So, here are some before/after pictures I took of the mandolin.        So, what do you folks think?
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| Posted: Sat Apr 18th, 2009 03:46 pm |
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2nd Post |
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Charlie Approved 
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Hi Andy, As you said, that it means a great lot to you as being passed dowm from you Grand Father and Father and that what really counts and it is being brought back into playing condition, It was not a expensive instrument as they were, But you can learn from haveing it and then put it away for another genaration to comw and buy you a better one some day. Keep us informed how it is going and post a tune some day with it Charlie 
____________________ Yesterdays Tomorrow is Today http://www.ezfolk.com/audio/charlesculbertson |
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| Posted: Sat Apr 18th, 2009 05:03 pm |
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3rd Post |
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Jim Yates Approved 
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I really like the floral decal on the front and the Mother Of Toilet Seat fingerboard. Good luck Andy.
____________________ Jim http://www.myspace.com/jimyates http://www.myspace.com/mapleleafchampionjugband |
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| Posted: Sun Apr 19th, 2009 05:31 pm |
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4th Post |
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hrlarson Approved 
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Andy, it's a beauty! The floral decoration and the mots fretboard are really nice. I also like the string holder's art deco style. Playability and tone are great values offcourse, but beauty and a history to relate to (passed on by relatives) are not so bad either.
____________________ I'm not addicted. I can stop playing anytime I want. |
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| Posted: Wed Apr 22nd, 2009 06:24 pm |
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5th Post |
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dAndy1288 Approved
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I took the mandolin into the local music store this past Saturday, and I got a call yesterday from the repair person telling me some not-so-good news. It turns out that the bridge that I have for it is only half of a bridge (this I could tell from looking at pictures of mandolins, etc). Not only that, but even if I had the entire bridge, this is apparently the wrong kind of brdige for this mandolin. The repair man told me that a proper bridge would have to be specially manufactured, which could end-up very costly. I have the option of using the bridge I have, but he said that this bridge will make the action so high as to make the mandolin almost unplayable. In addition to that, there are other problems which indicate that, with or without a proper bridge, this instrument will be nearly impossible to tune properly. I didn't understand everything he told me, but he said that I could give it a shot, having some light strings put on. He did not recommend I invest too much money into it, and that I would be better-off hanging it on the wall and buying a new mandolin if I really want to play. So, I'm having him set it up with some strings, and I'll see what happens.
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| Posted: Sat Apr 25th, 2009 09:18 pm |
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6th Post |
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hrlarson Approved
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I haven't seen your mando first hand, but it sound strange that i t would be costly to change bridge. I guess a bridge like this one woud do the trick: http://www.elderly.com/accessories/items/MA4.htm But, as I said, since I've only seen a photo of your mandolin I can't promise this would work. Maybe there's an aspect of this instrument that your repairman spotted and that I missed.
____________________ I'm not addicted. I can stop playing anytime I want. |
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26th, 2009 03:51 pm |
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7th Post |
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dAndy1288 Approved
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hrlarson wrote:I haven't seen your mando first hand, but it sound strange that i t would be costly to change bridge. I guess a bridge like this one woud do the trick: Thanks for the link. That bridge is actually a bit higher than the one I've got now, though. Whatever problems it might have, I love it, and that's what is important. I'm beginning to suspect that this fellow wasn't as knowledgeable as he seemed. I got the mandolin back, and the action does seem pretty high to me, but that could be because I'm a complete beginner and the steel strings are much more difficult to push down than the nylgut strings on my uke. It actually hurts a little, so I haven't played with it much yet. But I picked it back up today, after having practiced a lot more with my uke, and the calluses on my fingertips are getting thicker, so it's easier to play the mandolin now. So, even though he said the high action would make it unplayable, I think it may have been an exaggeration, if even a newbie like me could do it.
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| Posted: Sun Apr 26th, 2009 06:06 pm |
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8th Post |
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Jim Yates Approved
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From the looks of your bridge, I'd think you could glue a piece of sandpaper to a flat surface and use it to lower the height of your bridge quite easily. Don't go too far or your strings will buzz and you'll have to glue a piece of veneer on the bottom.
____________________ Jim http://www.myspace.com/jimyates http://www.myspace.com/mapleleafchampionjugband |
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