New Boat Paddle

delray48209

delray48209

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Bet you didn't know that Missouri based Boat Paddle ukes also makes Boat Paddle mandolins. I just purchased it a few days ago. I've been wanting to learn how to play the mandolin and came across the Boat Paddle. It has a wider nut than the standard mandolin and it's strung with Aquila Nygut strings. It has a solid spruce top and solid mahogany back and sides.

IMG_0731.jpg
 
Nylon strings? Do you play it with your fingers?
 
Interesting! Would love to hear how it sounds. A lot of that chimey traditional mandolin sound is due to the metal strings.

- FiL
 
Do you know if it's built to handle normal, metal mandolin strings or just uke strings?

Lots of interest in hearing what it sounds like
 
JamieFromOntario said:
Do you know if it's built to handle normal, metal mandolin strings or just uke strings?

Lots of interest in hearing what it sounds like
Click to expand...

I believe it's built to handle nylon strings. The bridge which holds the string is built like that of the ukulele. But, that is a good question that I should ask Jerry from Boat Paddle Ukes. I went to order some of the Aquila M1 mandolin strings from Elderly music and found that they were sold out and awaiting reorder. That tells me that the nylon string concept on mandolins must be popular.
 
delray48209 said:
I went to order some of the Aquila M1 mandolin strings from Elderly music and found that they were sold out and awaiting reorder. That tells me that the nylon string concept on mandolins must be popular.
Click to expand...

Or that they don't keep them in stock because nobody orders them. :) Either way, the nylon-string mando is an interesting concept. How wide is the nut?

- FiL
 
How wide is the fretboard at the nut? Looks a little wider than a mandolin. Wonder if it can be tuned as a "taropatch" uke
 
The nut is a little wider than the standard mandolin nut. I think it's 1 1/4".

I emailed Jerry, owner of Boat Paddle Ukes and he told me the mandolin I purchased was a prototype. He also said steel strings cannot be used on the mandolin. As I mentioned earlier, I always wanted to learn to play the mandolin. I was always turned off by the narrow fret board and high tension steel strings. I found the mandolin at a music store in Missouri, in which Jerry himself had dropped off for consignment. The wider fret board and the tension from the nylon strings really make it easy to play, as compared to a standard steel stringed mandolin.

The sound is sweet. It's a bit more mellower than the traditional mandolin.
 
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