Instrument Project
The Mandolin
Essential Questions:
Do different strings and different pickups affect the sound of a mandolin?
Physics behind the sound:
Concept 1:
Strings vibrate at different frequencies dependent on their tension and length. Because I built a mandolin that wasn’t exactly to traditional scale, the scale length of the instrument was not the right size of a mandolin. Also, because the strings were made for a traditional mandolin, the tension on the strings was tighter and I had to tune it in a different key rather than tuning it to the key of E.
Concept 2:
The copper wiring from the pickups, transfers the vibrations of the strings to electric energy, which travels to the amplifier, which amplifies the waves to sound. This was a part of my instrument because I inserted a fender P bass pickup. It was hard to fit in the mandolin, so I ended up having to tilt the pickup at a diagonal angle to get all four strings right above the magnetic field. This allowed each string to send its own sound into the amplifier which was really interesting. This works because each string goes over a magnet and the vibrations the strings make are very clear through the amplifier because they travel directly over the pickups.
Summary:
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test my essential question because of time and budget issues but I am sure that different strings and pickups would affect the sound of the mandolin. Because I used a fender P bass pickup, a very nice pickup, it made the mandolin sound very pleasing. If I did use a different pickup it would definitely affect the sound of the guitar because of quality and specific purpose. It would probably not pick up the vibrations of the strings and would sound less pleasing. Different strings would most likely not affect the sound of the guitar because they are, for the most part, the same.
Construction Techniques:
1. Cut out the body of the guitar and sanded down the neck of the guitar.
2. Designed the shape of the pick guard and how the bridge and nut were going to look and where they were going to go.
3. Then cut out the slots on the pick guard. Then I cut out the slots on the headstock to put the tuners in place.
4. Put the bridge board together and glued the body together and then glued the bridge board on.
5. Dyed the wood, put the pickup and tone and volume knobs though the pickup, screwed on the pick guard, and put the tuning knobs on the headstock.
6. Glued the nut and bridge on the mandolin, put the strings on, and tuned the instrument.
7. Put screws for guitar strap and hooked it up to an amplifier to test the instrument.
Tools Utilized:
Table saw, palm sander, sadder gun, skrew driver, jig saw, and a belt sander.
References:
Katzin music, Mick Stowers, Dave Heershap, and Cooper Stowers.
Mandolin Reflection
When I built my mandolin, it went mostly according to plan. I really didn’t have many problems while building the project. I ordered tuners and fret wire online but they did not arrive here in time, so I had to use Mr. Heerschap’s fret wire and supplies from Katzin music. Luckily, I had a fender P base pickup left over from my brother’s instrument project and used it as a makeshift mandolin pickup. Other than the conflicts associated with the ordering and shipping of parts, everything went according to plan. I was able to build and refine my instrument, meeting my deadline as planned.
If I were to do this project again I would collect all the parts I would need first rather than building the body and moving through the rest of the project. During the last day, I was installing my pickup and tone and volume knobs. It would have been nice to finish a few days earlier. I think that having everything when you start the project would have been the best way to go because I didn't know how to shape the pick guard, how big the pickup was going to be, and how I was supposed to fit the strings directly over the pickup. In the long run, I would have changed the planning strategy for building the instrument.
I found it difficult cutting the body of the guitar, placing the frets on the fret board, and cutting out the pick guard. This was challenging because the shapes that were necessary to form the guitar and the pick guard were very irregular and required accurate cuts. It took a long time to figure out what the shape of the pick guard was going to look like because I needed to cover all the electronics within the guitar. There were not many problems during construction except for the first pick guard fabrication, which was plexi glass. It was scratched and it didn't line up with the fret board, so we re-cut it with a stronger piece of plastic.
I was very happy with the way my instrument turned out. I liked the way it looked and I thought it sounded amazing for being a homemade mandolin. I’m glad I took the extra time to make it an electric mandolin rather than it being an acoustic mandolin. I am very proud of how my project came out.
Essential Questions:
Do different strings and different pickups affect the sound of a mandolin?
Physics behind the sound:
Concept 1:
Strings vibrate at different frequencies dependent on their tension and length. Because I built a mandolin that wasn’t exactly to traditional scale, the scale length of the instrument was not the right size of a mandolin. Also, because the strings were made for a traditional mandolin, the tension on the strings was tighter and I had to tune it in a different key rather than tuning it to the key of E.
Concept 2:
The copper wiring from the pickups, transfers the vibrations of the strings to electric energy, which travels to the amplifier, which amplifies the waves to sound. This was a part of my instrument because I inserted a fender P bass pickup. It was hard to fit in the mandolin, so I ended up having to tilt the pickup at a diagonal angle to get all four strings right above the magnetic field. This allowed each string to send its own sound into the amplifier which was really interesting. This works because each string goes over a magnet and the vibrations the strings make are very clear through the amplifier because they travel directly over the pickups.
Summary:
Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to test my essential question because of time and budget issues but I am sure that different strings and pickups would affect the sound of the mandolin. Because I used a fender P bass pickup, a very nice pickup, it made the mandolin sound very pleasing. If I did use a different pickup it would definitely affect the sound of the guitar because of quality and specific purpose. It would probably not pick up the vibrations of the strings and would sound less pleasing. Different strings would most likely not affect the sound of the guitar because they are, for the most part, the same.
Construction Techniques:
1. Cut out the body of the guitar and sanded down the neck of the guitar.
2. Designed the shape of the pick guard and how the bridge and nut were going to look and where they were going to go.
3. Then cut out the slots on the pick guard. Then I cut out the slots on the headstock to put the tuners in place.
4. Put the bridge board together and glued the body together and then glued the bridge board on.
5. Dyed the wood, put the pickup and tone and volume knobs though the pickup, screwed on the pick guard, and put the tuning knobs on the headstock.
6. Glued the nut and bridge on the mandolin, put the strings on, and tuned the instrument.
7. Put screws for guitar strap and hooked it up to an amplifier to test the instrument.
Tools Utilized:
Table saw, palm sander, sadder gun, skrew driver, jig saw, and a belt sander.
References:
Katzin music, Mick Stowers, Dave Heershap, and Cooper Stowers.
Mandolin Reflection
When I built my mandolin, it went mostly according to plan. I really didn’t have many problems while building the project. I ordered tuners and fret wire online but they did not arrive here in time, so I had to use Mr. Heerschap’s fret wire and supplies from Katzin music. Luckily, I had a fender P base pickup left over from my brother’s instrument project and used it as a makeshift mandolin pickup. Other than the conflicts associated with the ordering and shipping of parts, everything went according to plan. I was able to build and refine my instrument, meeting my deadline as planned.
If I were to do this project again I would collect all the parts I would need first rather than building the body and moving through the rest of the project. During the last day, I was installing my pickup and tone and volume knobs. It would have been nice to finish a few days earlier. I think that having everything when you start the project would have been the best way to go because I didn't know how to shape the pick guard, how big the pickup was going to be, and how I was supposed to fit the strings directly over the pickup. In the long run, I would have changed the planning strategy for building the instrument.
I found it difficult cutting the body of the guitar, placing the frets on the fret board, and cutting out the pick guard. This was challenging because the shapes that were necessary to form the guitar and the pick guard were very irregular and required accurate cuts. It took a long time to figure out what the shape of the pick guard was going to look like because I needed to cover all the electronics within the guitar. There were not many problems during construction except for the first pick guard fabrication, which was plexi glass. It was scratched and it didn't line up with the fret board, so we re-cut it with a stronger piece of plastic.
I was very happy with the way my instrument turned out. I liked the way it looked and I thought it sounded amazing for being a homemade mandolin. I’m glad I took the extra time to make it an electric mandolin rather than it being an acoustic mandolin. I am very proud of how my project came out.