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So I went to the spbgma gathering for most of friday and listened to and played a lil bluegrass music . Well I tried Valantly to keep up with Musicans who are worlds ahead of me anyway thats not why I am bummed . I took me Mandolin I built and while I sit in my house alone playing you can hear it ring from the basement , while sitting upstairs . However yesterday , with 2 guitars ,a mando , a banjo , a stand up base and fiddle Playing it seemed the Tone was ok , but the volume disappered .

This was my first build , so I know i have several issues i have to correct .



However I was thinking about it on the long ride home , Question , If I closed the sound hole in front of bridge , and cut 2 f holes in lower bout either side , will that help my volume ? Or am I thinking wrong is there another reason i lost volume around the other player " besides the fact they had better equipment "

Or should i chalk it up to experience and move on to next build and try there?

SUGGESTIONS PLEASE

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Looks like a great opening for a humbucker!

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

That was an idea as well , I actually designed it with that in mind if all else fails , and it may be my best option

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

I think thats sound advice , I may go ahead and instaill a pick up on this one and call it done . and move on to my current projects and never look back . well not often anyway .

Question though , why do you think I was losing so much volume ? Is it that it just isnt there in first place , and just SEEMS to have it when alone ?

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

James...mandos are tricky instruments. It's all about everything and getting it all just right. Perhaps Haans or Grumpy will chime in...they are our resident mando experts. Aside from that, check out the Mandolin Cafe Forum and ask your questions. I'm building my first and it's far more complex in my mind than any guitar I have ever built. Perhaps I'll feel differently after #10. Check out http://www.donohueguitars.com/recent-news-updates/97-a-style-mandolin-build-progress

I also found a lot of info by reading "The Ultimate Bluegrass Mandolin" by Roger Siminoff.

Good luck and keep us posted on your next steps.

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

So I am Learning . I hope some day with alot of , Work , Money , Sweat , Tears , And Beer To advance to the point where I suck at Building !

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Rogers book is great. Another good one is Graham Macdonald's mandolin project. JJ nice build page. I'll keep an eye on it.