Musician Forum - Band Discussion Board - BandMix

in another thread, i said that for my tastes... a single course mandolin doesn't get it for me. without double courses it just sounds like the upper range of an electric guitar.

nonetheless.....that doesn't make those instruments anything OTHER than a mandolin. and pretty much anyone who plays mandolin or has a good working knowledge of instruments knows this.

here is Chris Sruggs playing and talking about a Paul Bigsby 5 string MANDOLIN....someone cue the Debating Captain to fire off a missive to Mr. Scruggs to enlighten him that instrument is NOT a "mandolin" but in fact...say it with me....an "itsy bitsy guitar"!!!!

note, i'm not disputing that it SOUNDS like a gtr.....I'm merely trying to clear up that it is in FACT... a mandolin.

you cannot play guitar chords on this instrument. you cannot use the same fingering to play guitar scales on this instrument. guitar licks will not work on this instrument......unless of course... you play all that as you would play it (say it with me again) ON A MANDOLIN!

anyway....i also put this up because there are still some folks around here whose interests extend beyond arguing and are actually interested in learning about some cool instruments that many people aren't hip to. and what's better than hearing the instr in question being played by a really talented musician?

youtube of Mr. Scruggs playing and talking about the instrument. Enjoy!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBduE5XTRx4

Paul Bigsby was quite the instrument maker who built some very unusual and interesting instr. This certainly was one of them!

george1146561 wrote:
Provide a link to any article that identifies that custom-made, one-of-a-kind five string instrument that Bigsby custom made in which it is clearly identified as a "mandolin", and I will apologize. Otherwise, shut up.

see above you dumbass.

FACT: you asked for one link describing that instrument as a "mandolin" and said plainly enough that if i provided one you'd apologize. simple enough.

FACT: I provided you with two links AND a video. soooo, where's that apology?

FACT: and now, you've proven yourself to be a liar w an empty sack who doesn't keep his word.

since you claim to look things up and do "research", try looking up "four string mandolins", dumbass.

and while you're at it, look up "five string mandolins". they DO exist, and that is EXACTLY how they're referred to, dumbass....as "mandolins". if you'd taken half the time to do that simple bit of "research" as you've already wasted arguing, you'd see that those instruments are in FACT referred to as "mandolins", and you could have spared yourself the meal that sits before you.

oh, and the world is NOT flat either!

now, why don't YOU shut up, grab your lunch plate, and go have your little hissy fit somewhere else, loser.

(affects Sam Elliot voice) "Crow....it's whut's fer dinner!"

I did a google search for "itsy bitsy guitar" and only came up with links to the 'Itsy Bitsy Spider' song, so I guess that's not real either.

Low to high. C G D A E.

Bakersfield Steeler wrote:Low to high. C G D A E.

yep.... G D A E w an added low "C" string. tuned in fifths just like a (everyone say it w me!) MANDOLIN.

if it looks like a mando, walks like a mando, quacks like a mando........

That's not how you tune a spider????

I tune my uke that way and it has 4 strings but I don't call it a mandolin.

Lynard Dylan wrote:I tune my uke that way and it has 4 strings but I don't call it a mandolin.

and why would you???? since it's still a uke no matter how you tune it. any instrument can be tuned any number of ways w/o changing the name of the instr.

gtrs....spanish tuning (standard), or drop D, or any million of open tunings.... it's STILL a gtr

doesn't matter what tuning i use on my lap steels...they're STILL lap steel gtrs.

famous studio great Tommy Tedesco tuned whatever string instr he was called to play in "gtr tuning"....nonetheless he got paid for playing mando, uke, bouzouki, saz, etc.

I knew you had the right answer, and if you didn't Mr Yod would chime in, and he still probably will lol.

so, is the check in the mail, then?

Planetguy wrote:in another thread, i said that for my tastes... a single course mandolin doesn't get it for me. without double courses it just sounds like the upper range of an electric guitar.

nonetheless.....that doesn't make those instruments anything OTHER than a mandolin. and pretty much anyone who plays mandolin or has a good working knowledge of instruments knows this.

here is Chris Sruggs playing and talking about a Paul Bigsby 5 string MANDOLIN....someone cue the Debating Captain to fire off a missive to Mr. Scruggs to enlighten him that instrument is NOT a "mandolin" but in fact...say it with me....an "itsy bitsy guitar"!!!!

note, i'm not disputing that it SOUNDS like a gtr.....I'm merely trying to clear up that it is in FACT... a mandolin.

you cannot play guitar chords on this instrument. you cannot use the same fingering to play guitar scales on this instrument. guitar licks will not work on this instrument......unless of course... you play all that as you would play it (say it with me again) ON A MANDOLIN!

anyway....i also put this up because there are still some folks around here whose interests extend beyond arguing and are actually interested in learning about some cool instruments that many people aren't hip to. and what's better than hearing the instr in question being played by a really talented musician?

youtube of Mr. Scruggs playing and talking about the instrument. Enjoy!https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QBduE5XTRx4

Paul Bigsby was quite the instrument maker who built some very unusual and interesting instr. This certainly was one of them!

Well that is one of the coolest things I have seen! I wonder what those things sell for? I bet they are a pretty penny. I know that mandolins are basically the same as a violin in that the strings are inverted g,d,a,e from top to bottom. That instrument is almost like a mando guitar. Correct me if I am wrong. Still VERY COOL! Thanks for sharing it with us.

J-HALEY wrote:Well that is one of the coolest things I have seen! I wonder what those things sell for? I bet they are a pretty penny. I know that mandolins are basically the same as a violin in that the strings are inverted g,d,a,e from top to bottom. That instrument is almost like a mando guitar. Correct me if I am wrong. Still VERY COOL! Thanks for sharing it with us.

You're welcome, Jeff.

I don't think Paul Bigsby made very many, so I imagine their price tag AIN'T "Itsy Bitsy"!

I'll grant you that yes, it's body shape does LOOK like a gtr....but there are plenty other mandos that also cop a "guitar" LOOK.

hey, i played at a birthday party last wk and the cake was in the SHAPE of a guitar.....but trust me, no mistake... it was in fact...a CAKE....not a gtr!

I hid the razor blades and rat poison the other day and was listening to Leonard Cohen doing 'So Long Marianne.'

In addition to having one of my favorite bass parts there are some very tasteful, very sparse hits on the mandolin.

Talbot