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Looking at building something for my baby girl, Heaven, who LOVES music and "playing" her F-style Kentucky. I want to build her a mandolin that she can really play and begin to learn music on. Something that won't kill her little fingers as she starts developing some muscle memory. Was thinking about something like a little flat top mando that she could start on. Any thoughts? Has anybody tackled something like this?

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

And how about some super light strings?

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

Check out the 2012 challenge thread. Bryan Bear built a little mandolin in a similiar manor. My next project is a mandolin too and I am looking at basing it off of an old Washburn mandolin that I have. It looks simple except that the top has a pliage (fold or crease) as was common in the Neapolitan mandolins. I would think you would want to use a short scale and super light strings.

I'm getting ready to start (hope to start, as I have a baby coming) an ukulele for my 5 year old daughter. My thinking is that the nylon strings will be less likely to dissuade her if she actually shows interest in learning to fret notes (rather than just strumming away). If you want her to learn mando fingering, consider making something in the soprano uke size with nylon strings but with mandolin tuning. There is no reason to have double courses for her to learn on; she should get plenty of volume to please and encourage her. After her resolve has been cemented and her fingers steeled, you can move her to steel strings.

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Bryan Bear PMoMC

Take care of your feet, and your feet will take care of you.

I'd probably go for something with ukulele strings too. For a steel string mandolin, you won't change the tension much unless you really shorten the scale length.
How about a taropatch uke tuned like a mandolin?

Yeah, something like that's what I kinda had in mind. Was considering uke strings and mando tuning, just wondering if anyone else had attempted something like that or had other ideas. But what's a taropatch uke?

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com