Epiphone Mandobird Conversion Pt.1

[wupeide]

How do you get this ting to stay in tune - I have been working with it and it is not possible.

[Didgeman80]

@wupeide If you can't get the intination set right, take it to a shop and have them do the setup. It took me a long time to get it. I've actually since sold mine.

[SessleJr]

you have a big muff and a strap on??

[jpablosnm]

es un uku o una mandolina?

[Didgeman80]

@jpablosnm un uku

[jjspens7]

This is so awsome, I been trying to make one for the longest time. THANKYOU



[loveruleshate]

Thank you so much for sharing...

Namaste (The light in me; honors the light in you)



[Pannemat]

HELLO Epiphone,lefty Mandobird please?

[wilkinsongrj]

you have a strap-on and a big muff? dont tell evryone mate everyone will want a bit

;D

[Marquinator]

¡OMFG, a giant playing a Firebird!

[Didgeman80]

@Marquinator LMAO!!! Good one!! ;)

[Marquinator]

@Didgeman80

But well done! :D

[awambawamb]

@Marquinator ZOMFG, a titan playing a thunderbird!

[espectralisis]

@Marquinator LOL

[boweewowee]

I have a strap on, and some punk rock faces...flawless

[JCMcGee]

Brilliant....I've been experimenting with my uke and effects pedals for a few months and not getting great results!

When I saw the mandocaster I got excited....when I saw the Mandobird I got VERY EXCITED!

This video is the icing on the cake!

Cheers.

[XxJakeSxX]

the strings you were talking about were just guitar strings?

[Didgeman80]

@XxJakeSxX Yes, but please note that I eventually dropped the tuning down with these stings to E,B,G,D  Baritone Ukulele tuning, the strings are happier there. You can still do it in GCEA tuning but you'd have to figure out what gauges to use as they should be lighter

[mcknigs]

@Didgeman80 Umm, baritone uke tuning is DGBE, the highest four strings on the guitar, not the lowest. Looks like that's the way you tuned it, just not the way you described it.

[Didgeman80]

@mcknigs Yes, the highest but I meant the lower strings on the guitar, as in, the 4 below the two top bass strings. It was just interpreted differently. ANyone into ukuleles figures that out though.

[drmelalan]

Dude I'm sorry but this sounds awful.

[notrussianyou]

you have a strap-on? is that a threat?

[cratuki]

Thanks a lot for this. Do you think there'd be any problems converting the 8-string version to Uke chords? I like the sound of the doubled strings.

[lindapel1]

I think it would sound great but maybe let a pro do it because if your intonation is slightly off, it will never sound good.

Good luck :)

[kissing88]

that sounds like a lot more complicated conversion, as you have 8 strings to convert to uke tension/action than 4.

i suggest going to ukulele(.)de and getting their 8-string electric ukulele made by the Risa brand.

[awesomewelles90]

1:38 LOLOLOL

[Didgeman80]

LOL! THe truth comes out I guess, ha!

[mkds1109]

@awesomewelles90 I have a strap-on!!!! lol!!!!!!!

[ukemike1]

I did the same thing. In '05 I bought a Mandobird IV and started down the same path. I got the string guage right, but could never get the intonation right. Eventually I paid a luthier about $45 to do it for me. Sounds great.

I call mine the "Fireflea."

You can get a mandobird for a bit over $200. Say you pay a luthier $100 to get it set up like a uke. You'd still have paid about $150 less than a Risa electric, and it looks like a Gibson Firebird instead of a weird kidney bean.

[Didgeman80]

Yeah, for sure!! I'm with ya on that!

:)

I've actually since dropped my tuning on this beast to Baritone and it still sounds great. My string tension seemed too tight so that's why I did it.

[noodle4313]

i play guitar and am lead vocals in my band. im gonna pick up a mandobird for a diffrent twist in our music, wich is mostly powerchords.

[JabezWilsonMusic]

lol at the i have a strap-on bit

uke+muff=EPIC

[GibsonLucille]

Aren´t you breaking a lot of strings with such a light string gauge?

[Didgeman80]

Actually, the gauge is so tight that I recently dropped the tuning down to EBGD (baritone), and to date, have not broken a string yet.

[GibsonLucille]

Tanks, I have a electro-acoustic baritone uke, but it is a bit annoying to use it live. I think having one of this would be great

[saipanboy670]

Can't you also take it to your local music store and they can tune it? Can you use guitar strings instead and discard the 2 other strings?

[Bornonthebayou9]

mandolin is cooler

[Didgeman80]

Why so?

[samtay6]

Very cool concept and I loved the punk rock faces.

One little note, I paused your video cause my roommate came in and asked me a question. I unpaused right as he left and you were just saying "so I have a strap on". Needless to say my roomie thinks I'm into some weird stuff now.

Seriously though awesome work, and congrats on one sweet electric uke

[Didgeman80]

HA!!!! That's funny!

Thanks.

I just tuned this thing down to baritone ukulele tuning--

(DGBE), and it sounds and feels way better; better for my vocal range too.

:)

[McNizzle]

oh wow... i suppose there is a reason I haven't ever heard distorted uke before. That was awful.

[Fretkillr]

My time online is short and I bail on a clip if nothing happens after 20 seconds. I don't know what the contest requirements were but short and concise are the key points when making any clip. I'm not into contests but I could explain the uke conversion in under a minute and go right into the song. Also, the text box is a great place to enter the technical information. Good luck and I hope you won.

[Fretkillr]

Over 9 minutes to explain a string change? This clip to way too long. 5 minutes in and he still hasn't explained how to convert to a uke. Save your big speech and playing for another clip and get straight to it. Just look at a mandolin string package and get the matching gauge with electric git strings. No rocket science here.

[Didgeman80]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, no rocket science here. This was an entry to a contest.......there were certain things that I was required to say and I had to play a song in order to meet all requirements. That is why it is a long video.

;)

[Fenderprecision51]

how does the mandobird sound in startd tunnig and clean sound, can it soud like a aucustic mando? i love the distortion, but i also like to play in an aucustic sound for some stuff, Help?

[Laryodienhizer]

The answer to that is yes, if you dont use distortion, and clean up the tone with you amp and tone knob on the mandobird itself, It is also very very fun with delay or looping pedal, you know what, its just fun with effects in general! Dont go all crazy distortion though, it sounds weird unless you use good dist... if you are considering buying it, go for it, unless you have an extra 200 to drop on an Eastwood Mandocaster, because that is just better. Havn't heard about about it? Look it up.

[Didgeman80]

No, sorry I don't

[lelecolon]

its a mandolin fag!

[Didgeman80]

Mandolin's normally have eight strings on them, this has four. It was released as a four string mando which makes it work perfectly for this conversion. I guess you missed the whole point.

[geordo2001]

That brings back memories!

[Laryodienhizer]

damn.....some one better go on craigs list and buy my stuff so I can get one of these, Im just going to keep the mandolin part though

[oldmanbassoon]

So, you used 10-32-10-17 for C tuning with the G-C-E-A. Would it be pretty much the same for D tuning where the strings are A-D-F#-B?

[lusefer]

i have a question, i just got that same exzact model you have and could you tell me what the nob next to the volume (the one closest to the input jack) does? cuz ive turned it wial im playing and it does nothing

[Didgeman80]

It's a tone nob....it just helps to brighten the sound.

[lusefer]

ahh ok, i never really hear a differance but it also migt be cuz ive never had it set up.

thanks tho

[PsychedelicPercept]

COOOOOOOOOOOOOL!

[Zakulele]

Well done

[giardia2]

super cool uke!

very nice,i'll get one one day!

[nuclearukulele]

Video rock. Was wondering if instead of the strings you recomended, is it possible that Risa Tenor Uke Electric strings can be used?

[Didgeman80]

Most likely......I don't see why not. You may still need to do some tweeking ;)

[jakegio2]

quick question, what is the gauge of the string you moved?

10 - ? - 10 - 17

i think i'm going to buy one and i hate using strings that come with the instrument. this is way cool btw.....thx for posting!

[Didgeman80]

10-32-10-17

Because your C is the lowest note, you have more options for string gauge but I just so happened to have used a 32. These string gauges give a really tight feel and don't have much bend. IF you want bend you'll have to play around with the gauges.....time, once again, to get custom!! :)

[DiscoMisfit]

This is soooo cool!!

[TeleTubeee]

Nice teaching style.

Always wanted to know what an uke sounded like through guitar effects.

Can you show us what an uke sounds like through a harmonizer?

Is there a way to lower the pitch of an uke electronically, too?

Thanks,

Doug

Oakland, California

[Didgeman80]

Hi Doug, thanks for your comments :)

I don't have a harmonizer :(

I think that you could change the pitch using some kind of computer software...but why would you want to? I figure if you lower it too much, you may as well just play a tenor guitar? I've never played a tenor guitar, but that is my first thought regarding the subject.

Also, I have a double muff which sounds better than the big muff...only it seems to have a problem that needs fixing.

:)