When eight strings are not enough, go with ten!
Jul 10, 2014, Events
There's another noteworthy instrument moving through the Weber custom shop: a 10-string octave mandolin. When asked about the purpose for adding additional strings, Bruce Weber chuckled and said, "When eight strings are not enough, go with ten!"
He added, "This is a unique instrument. We don't build a ton of them, maybe half a dozen a year. It's a great addition to a player's arsenal, as it gives the player more range and variation in the sound. This is a great instrument for various types of music. It would work great in a small bluegrass gathering, or hold its own in a classical ensemble."
The build process is a little different for this style of instrument. It has additional bracing to handle the added string tension on the front of the instrument. Additionally, the neck is a bit "beefier" and wider. "We can do this to all the instruments in the mandolin family," Bruce noted, "to give the player a much wider range."