Mid-Missouri Mandolas Questions & Answers

Date: Mon, 19 Apr 2004 11:45:04 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Re: Fwd: midmo M14 mandola

Mickey,

Thanks for the quick response! A question, as I have not played any of the three Mid Mo Mandola Models (alliteration made easy), although I am a mandolin player. I have looked at all three models on Mid Mo's web site, so I know that the models utilize different woods in the back and neckpiece. Do you consider the differences primarily aesthetic, or do the different woods produce markedly different or distinctive tone quality? I own four mandos (actually three and an octave), so I know that the type of wood can be a factor in the tone produced. This mandola will be a gift for a friend who is retiring from his day job (military) and who will be spending more time with his night hobby (playing celtic music). He is a fine guitar player who also plays a little mandolin, but I think a nice mandola would be a great retirement gift.

I'd appreciate any input you can provide,
Thanks,

Steve

Greetings Steve,

Yes, the wood differences would influence the tone...
The M-14 would have a warmer tone with the mahogany back and sides...
The M-15 would be brighter in tone...and slightly louder with the maple back and sides...
The M-16 would have a darker...maybe richer...tone with the rosewood back and sides...

These tonal variations are subtle and require a discerning ear...overall, all 3 models offer tremendous resonance and aliveness and would serve well for playing solo or Celtic music...Mickey

Subject: Mid-Missouri Mandola
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 2002 13:08:02 -0500

Mickey
I've been looking at the MM mandolas and am interested due to the scale length being shorter than even the Weber Hyalite. My questions are as follows.

1. Is there a tonal difference between the three models that can be attributed to the wood used in their construction?

Most definitely...as follows:
M-14 Solid Honduran mahogany back and sides. Solid Sitka spruce top. Honduras mahogany neck. Rosewood fretboard and bridge.
The M-14 will have more warmth due to the mahogany woods used in its construction...

M-15 Solid maple back and sides. Solid Engelmann spruce top. Honduras mahogany neck. Rosewood fretboard and bridge.

The M-15 will have a crisper and brighter tone and may even have a little more volume/projection due to the harder maple woods....

The M-16 Solid Morado rosewood back and sides. Solid Sitka spruce top. Ebony fretboard and bridge.

The M-16 would have a darker throaty sound due to the rosewoods used...

You'll notice more difference comparing the maple woods to both the rosewood and mahogany than the rosewood vs mahogany...

This is somewhat subjective when determining what best fits you...even so, I believe I personally would go for the rosewood model...these Mid-Mos are naturally bright so toning that down with a rosewood model would be far more desirable in my opinion. The reason I'd go with the maple wood model would be if I played acoustically with a large band and wanted to ensure that I had the edge on volume and projection.

2. Is the neck noticeably wider than a typical mandolin like the Kentucky series?

Kentucky Nut width: 1.125"
The neck appears to be bulkier on the Kentucky...

Mid-Mo Nut width: 1.125"
Since the neck is not as thick, this should assist in your reach while fretting...
.
3. Is the fixed truss rod accurately installed for a flat fret board? In essence, do they ever need to be fixed or adjusted?

From what Mid-Mo states, they are solid and there to stay...they are designed to hold the neck in a solid state through years of use...unfortunately, they are not adjustable so if the neck was to warp, it would require a heat lamp to straighten...even so, FOTW stands behind every instrument sold for a lifetime to the original purchaser.

A suggestion, could you hang some drapery or cloth in your sound room? The echo sound does not allow the true voice of the instruments in your samplers to come out.

We've recently changed over to a shotgun mic system which is unidirectional. There's a disparity in tonal reproduction from our older video samplers, which utilized the on-board camera mic, to our newer ones using the shotgun mic. Thanks for the input and please stay tuned for our new samplers to be uploaded.

Hope all else is well with you...

Keep on Pickin',

Mickey