So, assuming one has an OM with a scale length of about 22.75", and uses it for accompaniment tuned GDAD, how would the sound differ from a bouzouki tuned GDAD with a scale length of 25-26", i.e. all other things being hypothetically the same except the scale?
I’m looking at an OM purchase right now, with plans to mainly do chordal and counter-melody stuff, but I want to make sure I’m not making a bad purchase. It seems that as long as my string tension is correct, it shouldn’t sound too different, but I could be wrong.
No matter what scale length you choose, you can string an instrument in unison or octaves, so that’s the major choice you need to make. An octave mandolin in octave tuning simply becomes a short-scale bouzouki, and a bouzouki tuned in unison becomes basically a long-scale OM. Pick the scale length that best fits your hands and string it as you choose. You can modify the string tension by using slightly thicker or thinner strings.
Personally, for chordal work I prefer the octave tuning, as I feel it has a richer sound, while unison tuning gives more power an clarity for solo work. But that’s just my opinion, of course.
An octave mandolin will sound great for accompaniment and the shorter scale will make the “counter-melody stuff” easier to execute. You shouldn’t regret going that route.
But…
They don’t make long scale bouzoukis just to give the player cramps and make scales and melodies more difficult. I don’t know the physics of it, but the longer string length noticeably improves the quality of sound. It’s pretty amazing, really.
That’s the trade off. The 22.75" scale you mentioned is actually sort of in between, so you should be getting the best (and worst) of both worlds.
I’m pretty sure it has to do with the long neck and thin strings. Gives it that banjo-like twang (banjos, at least five-stringers, also have long necks and remarkably thin strings). You can get a similar effect with very thin strings on a short neck instrument, but it’s not quite as good. I’ve even tried it with a standard mandolin, but the results were very unsatisfactory.
I think the point I was trying so badly to make is that you can take a shorter length instrument for easier playing and string it in octaves like a bouzouki. It won’t be exactly the same, but it will be similar sounding and easier if you have small hands.
P.S. You have to change the nut if you do this trick and sometimes the bridge as well. The slots have to be modified to hold the strings of choice. Not an expensive thing to do.
Thanks for the info, guys. I thought I might lose a bit of “twang” with the shorter scale, but that’s ok. As long as I don’t have floppy strings I think I’ll be ok (coming from a 17-fret tenor banjo I’m hyper-aware of floppy strings!). I’ll definitely be going for the unison tuning rather than octave tuning, btw.
Honestly, I’d be perfectly happy with a bouzouki, but I’ve been looking at kits to give a friend of mine some more luthier experience. The OM kit by Don Kawalek seems like the best quality kit I’ve found so far.
All things being equal, longer strings can be louder at the same frequency.
I recently obtained a Davy Stuart OM, after playing a David Webber bouzouki for about 3 years.
I wouldn’t say the sound is radically different. Comments that others have made in this thread seem right. When I switched to the OM, one of my band mates commented that it was definitely “not as powerful.” But I don’t regret the switch – I needed to lighten the load on my fretting hand.
I’m not sure that scale length is what drives the decision to go unison vs octave tuning. Both my zook and my OM have flat tops, and neither sounds good (IMO) when tuned in octaves. A friend’s Fylde zook sounds great tuned in octaves. Maybe the octave tuning just works better on instruments with curved tops?
Maybe if the nut and saddle grooves were V shaped, instead of U shaped, then maybe one could switch between octave/unison tuning, without modifying the instrument. Well, it doesn’t matter to me, as I’m sticking to unison tuning, on these instruments.