My Most Versatile Instrument: 10 String Mandocello from Lawrence Smart 

I've been looking for something like this instrument. You can play the 6th Bach cello suite on this instrument pretty easily. It was written for a 5 string instrument tuned like your mandocello!

What a great sounding instrument and story. Thank you for sharing your talent and ideas with us. All three of your new instruments are amazing but this one is Extra special.

The Octave Mandolin/Bouzouki is 4 courses while the Mandocello is 5 courses. Both are great sounding. Very Renaissance sounding. Had Bouzouki built by PW Crump in Arcata, CA. Have used it for a variety of genres. I generally use a soft pick so that it stays more mellow and does not overpower the mandolins and guitars in sessions. There are less expensive ones out there but they are not as nice sounding. It is better to have a louder one that you can control than one that is soft and you have to fight with it to get some volume.

Thats a beautiful sounding instrument....and now I want one

This is absolutely exquisite!!! I love the sound, and desperately want one for myself.

Bought a mandola on my way to a mandocello, a goal which has not yet been obtained. Love the sound and feel of that mandola, and it proves I'm on the right track. I didn't require any additional convincing to continue my obsession with the mandocello, but it is nice to see the instrument getting some love out there in the world. Your 10 string has a marvelous look and sound. Congrats, and thanks.

Been over a year since I last looked at your channel, glad you finally got one of these lol

Congratulations! Amazing tonality.

You are a great compassionate musician. Great influencer. Subscribed from Canada.

Beautiful!

Really enjoying watching these...💙 from Oz

Hey! Wonderful instrument. I've been playing 5 string electric cello for some years with exactly the same tuning. Thanks for the video!

Love your ideas for a extended range mando instrument

Amazing sounding instrument!! WANT!!

Thank you for sharing, it sounds beautiful :)

Thanks Baron! I always enjoy seeing your collection... professional musicians should have all the cool tools of the trade :)

One thing to borrow from the baritone guitar world is a relatively thick, sharp pick. Helps with a crisp attack. Strings in this range are getting into a strange area where the setup (no doubt peerless) must be examined in great detail. I recommend Santa Cruz strings for baritone acoustic guitar. Cuts down on the sitar sound in the upper range. I'd dearly love to have one of these mandocellos, but I believe in paying what the man asks for. Simply put, that kind of spare cash isn't heading this way soon. Exquisite instrument. I look forward to hearing from it more often.

Just discovered your channel, I'm considering purchasing a unique electric mandocello, and I'll certainly use your lessons... Also that Rickenbacker tenor in the corner is really catching my eye, I only discovered they exist a week ago and yours is now the 3rd I've seen so far!

I need to buy one of these.

Thanks for the video! I really need to upgrade my OM with more strings. Some european luthiers makes them with pin point capos so you can retune each pair of strings which is a really cool idea.

Great and beautiful sound! I play Japanese new instrument called ‘Ichigo-Ichie’ that has four strings with GDGD or FCFC … just similar range of octave mandolin.

Sounds great! That's exactly the instrument I've been looking for but can't find. CDGAE, all fifths, range of a standard-tuned guitar plus two whole steps. Thanks for sharing.

310th subscriber LIKE; 9.2K+ view. What a great trio of instruments LS built for you. If only you had 6 arms, and could play them all together at the same time. Oh well. Thank goodness for multi-tracking. Takes some big, strong hands to play that beast. The capo tuning sounds great, too.

A retuned 12 string might work just as well?

The little run he played from 8:34 -8:36 sounds like the intro to Story Corp on the JPR/NPR radio stations

That's cool man

Wonderful. I also love 10 strings and have effectively created the same instrument with my lovely old Gibson 12 String. The fretboard/neck is a bit wide but it didn't take long to adjust to that. I'm getting new nut made which will centralize the strings. My only disappointment is that the low C's are a bit floppy (the scale length is 625mm, about 25") and you have to hit them softly; but when you do, with the LR Baggs pickup, the rich base sound is exquisite. What diameter strings do you have on the Smart instrument? I mainly play to accompany singing and so have found the chord encyclopedias by Harvey Reid very helpful. I would, however like to learn some more instrumental playing and will love to hear of any sources for written music, hopefully all on the treble clef if possible. Thank you very much. Have seen several of your RU-vid videos and you do it very well. Cheers. [ I have also adapted a Taylor 8 string Baritone to an 8 string mandocello. Excellent also]

Nice instrument.

I’ve been thinking about one off and on for years. I’ve even been in contact with Tone Devil Guitars to build a 10 string Harp Mandocello. They build harp Mando’s and Guitars so why not a 10 string Harp Mandocello. Dammann Custom Instruments in Charlottesville VA also make a 10 string Mandocello with a very unique sound board system. Question, with the extra string length can the Mandocello be played fingerstyle without a pick?

That Mandocello is Hourglass Shape

What blows me away is how amazing the sound is when you use a capo - I wonder why more makes don't make large body mandola and octave mandos.

What a superb instrument....! A real dream machine.... Just beautiful.....and beautifully played too. Is a 12 string possible?

I wonder if my old Gibson ES 125 which is the same shape as this 10 string you demonstrate could be made into the higher Mandola/ Mandolin 10 stringer which has a 630 mm scale length

Could you tune it with the courses in two octaves like a bajo quinto?

Alright!

Contramandolin = C G D A E Contramandola = F C G D A

Spiricore C, spiricore G, obligato D, obligato A & pasione high E.

Wich strings do you use? Sound is fantastisch.

One more option. If you tuned it to fourths it would be the same as a Puerto Rican Quarto

... Have and built one too !...

😍😍😍

❤

I'm curious. Could you play a cello & mandolin parts for the same tune at the same time? Would you need finger picks & would this work similarly for a 5 string tenor guitar? I ask because I'm growing out of my current instrument & I'm looking to upgrade to something with better sound quality. If it can simultaneously become 2 instruments that would be worth every penny

Would there be a disadvantage or would it break some unwritten mandocello law if you had octave strings on the C, G and D courses - similar to 12-string guitar practice?

“10 string mandocello” makes sense

Sorry...”that has the Mandola on the bottom four courses and the Mandolin on the top four, as mentioned that Lloyd Loar made???

I really wanna say that I'm impressed. Coming from a mandolin, this thing is pretty incredible. BUT.. coming from a 12 string guitar, this thing is just re-tuned and missing two strings…. which is a much shorter drive, on the luthier's table…

Strings! Tell us about strings. The high E pair in particular. I want a PB wound string but am told that the dimension of such a string, somewhere around .020. I think D’Arrio might have a .017. , but that they can’t handle being tuned up to the E . What do you think, and what are the strings on that beautiful L Smart instrument? If you can be bothered to communicate with me directly, I will send my email. Like you, I am very into 10 strings. Have modified a Gibson 12 string to this set up but have de tuned it slightly (two half steps) to decrease overall tension. It plays beautifully, but top pair in plain steel are no match in tone for the other Phosphor Bronze wound strings. Any/ all thoughts most welcome. Thank you so much. You play beautifully. Music?

Bach cello suite 6, bring it on

I ask again...what string gauges do you/Smart use? Also, if you know of any written music, classical or otherwise, hopefully in treble clef to suit this order. Please can you send the Italian name for it - interested in the history. Thank you.

Including a pasione high E.

Where can I get one?

So how about the higher 10 string that

How much does it cost?

IA am looking for a 12 or 10 string mandolin Could you give the address of the person that built your mandola.

Listen to Mark O'Connor Mandocello.

This instrument should be called octave mandoliola (mandolin and mandola hybrid) or 10-string baritenor guitar or mandoliola tenor guitar.

My bouzouki has 8 strings, like a mandoline or mandola or mandocello... Never heard of 10 strings bouzouki...

It's a Lute

Will you ever stop talking? Play!"

Please see all my comments. Thank you.

@1:49 hehe

Fuck! Whats that?

Cheap Trick...ahhhh