Changed stings on Larrivee L-03

01-31-11
Changed stings on Larrivee L-03. Martin M140 set: .012p .016p .025w .032w .042w .054w

Changed strings on Trinity College TM 275 Mandola

01-28-11
Changed strings on Trinity College TM 275 Mandola. D'Addario J76 phos bronze - .015p, .025w .035w .052w, same strings as used on the TC325 Octave Mandolin. Tuned down 1 whole step from standard, or a minor 3rd up from the octave mandolin- Bb, F, C, G. Actually sounds better this way; less nasal and more full than in standard tuning with the John Pearce strings I was previously using. So far no problems with string tension or action; no neck adjustment needed. This tuning should allow me to play flat-key English Country Dance tunes in the same keys I use when playing them on guitar with a capo on the 3rd fret: Bb=G, F=D, C=A, etc. Can also capo at 2nd fret to play in standard mandola tuning C G D A.

Changed strings on TC 250 Mandolin

01-14-11

Martin M400 80/20 bronze light gauge set:

.010p .014p .024w .034w

Trinity College TC 250 Mandolin

For my recent gig with Root Mean Square at Lambertville ECD I changed the strings on my main (and currently only) mandolin, my Trinity College TC 250 (Martin M400 set, 80/20 Bronze wound: .034w, .024w, .014, .010). The TC mando is a unique design, I've yet to see anything else quite like it. It's a flat-top with x-braced spruce top, maple back and sides, a quite shallow body and a very thin neck. However unusual the design may be, it's bright, loud, clear sound makes it very easy to play and especially hear, even in larger groups. It's also fitted with frets that are larger than average for a mando, almost guitar sized frets which I find allow me to play very quickly and clearly with minimal effort, something I really appreciate. I've become accustomed to playing flat-top mandolins over the past few years, ever since I first played a Tacoma mando. I played my Tacomas for a few years, but gave them up eventually for a few reasons- first, both of my Tacomas (I had 2, of course) developed unsightly problems with the finish literally pulling away from the wood in places- something I was later to find out was common to most Tacoma instruments made in the same period as my mandos. Second, over time the E strings would wear into the rosewood bridge, resulting in false notes and a somewhat sitar-like sound. Unfortunately an aftermarket replacement bridge was not available, so rather than try to rework the original bridge back into shape I decided to sell off both Tacomas and try something else. That something else turned out to be the TC 250 I'm still playing. I now also own a TC mandola (my profile pic shows the TC mandola in use) and an octave mandolin, but I'll write more about them another time.

Sunday February 14 - a Valentine's Day dance; also, How Many Instruments Do You Own? The Guitars - the Larrivee

I had a dance gig today so I restrung the 2 guitars I decided to use: first is my Larrivee L-03, a mahogany (I think) guitar with an ebony fingerboard and satin finish. It's a terrific guitar; even though it's the bottom of the Larrivee line it's beautifully built with great attention to detail, and their L model body (an exclusive Larrivee design) with symmetrical bracing works equally well for both fingerstyle and flatpicking. It has a fine, strong, well-balanced acoustic sound that also mics well. I usually use this guitar for GCD Demo team performances and some ECD dances, like today (we played acoustically in a relatively small room - no PA). Currently strung with a Martin M140 set (.012 .016 .025w .032w .042w .054w)

I also used my Epiphone EF-500R VS, mentioned in a previous post. It's acoustic volume + strong bass came in handy for many of the tunes on the program. I replaced the custom-light set with what's becoming my go-to set, the Martin M240 Bluegrass set (.012 .016 .025w .035w .045w .056w), because I needed more string tension (especially on the bass side) for the all-acoustic gig. It did OK on the day, but I'll have to check it in a day or two to see what the added string tension might have done to the setup.

The dance today was a special Princeton Country Dancers Valentine's Day dance; with Adam Oleksa, violin; Jane Roberts, cello; and John Burkhalter, recorder. Our caller was Judi Rivkin, who organizes this special dance every February; all the dances were in triple time, either 3/4 or 3/2. I understand that she was particularly interested in having us (a band with guitar for rhythm) because it would save her the trouble of having to bring the PCD digital piano + some associated amplification equipment to the venue. Chalk up one for the guitar player! It was actually quite well attended, considering that many of our local dancers were away at one of the more popular dance festivals held over President's Day weekend in upstate New York.

How Many Instruments Do You Own? The Guitars: Martin D-35

This post will be about the guitar I learned to play on: my Martin D-35 (the pictures are not of my own guitar, but of a D-35 from the same period taken from the Elderly site). I'm not sure of the history of this instrument before I purchased it; all I know is I bought it privately from someone who was not the original owner. It's an early to mid-'70's version (I've forgotten the exact year, after I post this I'll look up the serial # on Martin's site and post an update), with all the hallmarks of a Martin from this period; an overly-thick finish, heavily braced, non-adjustable T-rod neck reinforcement, a mahogany bridge plate to name a few. It even came with the peculiar to the '70's blue plastic case as pictured above. This particular guitar has a neck with a rather pronounced "C" shape, as if whoever was carving the neck decided to leave some extra wood on it rather than make it slimmer for easier playing - fingering barre chords are a particular problem on this instrument, even with my larger-than-average hands. Its tone is somewhat bass-heavy, (something I enjoyed when I bought it - this was my second guitar, and my first “real” all solid wood guitar, so I had nothing much to compare it to) and lacking in midrange and treble. It really only sounds good when played “open” or as close to the nut as possible – chords played between the 5th and 10th fret tend to sound more quiet and project less. Installing bone bridge pins a few years ago helped bring out some of the missing high end, as well as adding some definition to its overall sound; but still, it is what it is. I’m not interested in modifying this guitar to change its sound; I’d consider that invasive rather than an improvement. I’ve taken to stringing this one with Cleartone strings (in Bluegrass gauge, of course: #7423 - .012 .016 .025w .036 .046 .056) to have some brightness for as long as possible – this guitar sounds a bit dull with regular strings, but as soon as they get a bit old it sounds dead.

I guess it’s a bit obvious to say that this guitar doesn’t get used very much these days. I used it for many years when I was learning to play rhythm guitar for contra dances and also learning to flatpick. Now it mainly goes out if I’m going to a jam where I don’t know anyone + the name of the peghead of the instrument can serve as an introduction. I could write a whole rant on musicians who judge one another by the instrument they play rather than the music they play or how they play what they play, but I’ll leave that for another time. Suffice it to say that every so often it helps to have that Nazareth brand name on the guitar you’re playing, or some people just won’t take you seriously… Argh.

Manolin, Mandola, and a FingerPyx gig

In preparation for playing with the 'Pyx at Valley contra, I restrung both my Trinity College TC 250 mandolin [Martin M400- .010 .014 .024w .034w] and TM 275 mandola [John Pearce 2250- .012 .021w .032w .049w] this weekend. The gig went really well, especially noteworthy since I had decided to set aside my usual 5-string banjo and play mandolin, mandola and octave mandolin in order to more closely replicate the way the 'Pyx usually sounds with Jansen's mandolin and octave mando (Jan had a previous booking for the date). I played guitar on a few sets, just because I was more familiar with playing the tunes in guitar tuning rather than 5ths tuning, but mostly I stayed with the mandos. I was once again pleasantly surprised how the bright sound and relatively large frets of the TC 250 make playing at the rapid contra dance tempos for contra dances easy - the notes practically fly out of the instrument. I find the Trinity College line of mandolin-family instruments, while being factory manufactured and inexpensive, to be just about perfect for my playing. The mandolin, while not particularly "Celtic" sounding (and having none of the "Bluegrass" sound so sought after by most players), having an unusual construction of a flat top with X-bracing, a very shallow body and extremely thin neck (it's like a tiny guitar), still proves itself worthy every time I use it. The TC 325 octave mandolin with it's relatively short scale (20-3/8") is just right for my hands, especially when strung with D'Addario J72 Mandola strings [.014 .023w .034w .049w]. However, I'm considering letting the mandola go in favor of a 2nd octave mandolin tuned to either CGDA or DAEB - the mandola sounds okay played acoustically, but I've yet to hear it sound as good thru a PA at a dance gig, and since I seem to only use it for English dances I might let it go for something that mics better and I could use for both ECD and Contra.