Northfield Wavelength Shortscale Octave Mandolin - Ox Amber Finish
WaveLength - Ox Amber Finish
An A-style, short-scale Octave that is sure to please.
Short scale: Your left hand can play through fiery, fiddle tunes, and so on, a lot more easily. But slow down and the lushness of the bottom strings might take you somewhere else entirely. A joy to play......
“The mandolinist’s octave mandolin”. The response and character of the lower octave register in the familiar teardrop shape. Fitting comfortably into your lap, your right arm hangs naturally over the edge—your left hand has the room it needs to access the frets, all the way up to the body and beyond. This allows for a much more natural feeling for a lot of players with the octave mandolin. At 19” the scale length is still a reach for 4-finger chord voicing, yet still a lot more accessible for playing those fiddle tunes we all learned first. One part adventure : one part homecoming.
Stretch Out: It's not a 14” scaled mandolin, it's still a little bit more of a spread, but we feel that 19” is perfect. Going much shorter than 19” runs the risk of having issues with string tension and drive. Going longer than 19” like our GBOM at 22" requires that the instrument is held and played in a different way than many mandolinists are accustomed to.
The WaveLength is a different approach to the music that you know and love; leaning into accompanying dynamics with singing and songwriting, ensembles, textural contexts, and beyond… even as a lead instrument, this Octave truly performs.
Specs
Top: West Virginian Red Spruce
Back / Neck / Sides: Highly Figured Michigan Maple
Bridge / Fingerboard: Striped Ebony
Tuners: Gotoh
Scale Length: 19”
Tailpiece: Nickel-plated engraved Gilchrist/Northfield
Binding: Black
Nut Width: 1 & 3/8” (35 mm)
Fingerboard Radius: 5.87” (149.2 mm) at nut, 7.75" (197 mm) at Fingerboard end
Finish: Satin Spirit Varnish
Color: Ox Amber)
Strings: Northfield Custom MED set, Phosphor Bronze, Loop end: G (.058), D (.038), A (.026), E (.016)
Case: Gig Bag