Don Rickert Musical Instruments

Octave Mando-Guitar (Guitar Style Octave Mandolin) by D. Rickert Musical Instruments

Attention!: This is an older post. We are currently working on newer and better instruments in this category. Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The new D. Rickert Octave Mando-Guitar is available now at the Don Rickert Musician Shop (D. Rickert Musical Instruments) For reasons discussed in the article The Octave Mandolin and its Relative, the Octave Mando-Guitar, we were absolutely certain that we wanted our first Octave Mandolin to be of the Mando-Guitar type. We decided to base the instrument on the best all-around tenor guitar we could find. That turned out to be a Gold Tone TG-18 Tenor Guitar. We start with a new TG-18 tenor and make the following major modifications: Re-work the headstock into our shape (loosely based on a Stromberg-Voisinet mandolin head stock of the 1920s or later KayKraft models) and modify it appropriately for 8 Gotoh tuners. Replace the 4-string nut with a new Micarta nut that is grooved appropriately for 8 strings. Remove the fixed pin type bridge Repair the instrument top where the bridge was (e.g. expertly filling the bridge pin holes, glue removal, varnish repair, etc.) Craft a custom movable type bridge from ebony with a TUSQ™ saddle (Note: if you choose to have a pickup installed, the bridge may or may not have a TUSQ™ saddle) Key Features Based on Gold Tone TG-18 Tenor Guitar body Solid Sitka Spruce Top Mahogany Back and Sides Mahogany Neck Double Action Truss Rod Ebony Fingerboard Ebony Bridge (moveable mandolin type) Gotoh Tuners... Read more →

The Octave Mandolin and its Relative, the Octave Mando-Guitar

Attention!: This is an older post. We are currently working on newer and better instruments in this category. Please visit the Don Rickert Musician Shop. The Octave Mandolin and its Relative, the Octave Mando-Guitar This article is associated with the announcement of a new 4-course (8-string) by D. Rickert Musical Instruments and available at the Don Rickert Musician Shop. Introduction The octave mandolin is a fretted string instrument with four pairs of strings tuned in unison fifths, G, D, A, E (low to high), an octave below a mandolin. It has a 20 to 23-inch scale length and its construction has generally been, until recently, is similar to other instruments in the mandolin family, particularly those of the flat-top type rather than the carved arch-top (e.g. Gibson “A” or “F” types) type. Octave mandolins did not exist in the early 20th Century, which was the heyday of amateur mandolin orchestras. The primary use of the octave mandolin has been in Celtic music, particularly Irish Traditional Music; however, Octave mandolins have occasionally found their place in modern mandolin orchestras as a replacement for the mandola or alto mandolin. Octave mandolins have also found their way into progressive folk music throughout continental Europe, particularly in Scandinavian and Eastern European bands. The Octave mandolin is also enjoying ever-increasing popularity among Bluegrass and Old-Time mandolin players. The Irish Bouzouki and Irish Octave Mandolin By my reckoning, about 5 decades ago a “tipping” point occurred whereby independent luthiers in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland starting... Read more →