Interesting Guitar (and a real nice performance)

[MrBJones]

So my wife and I were in the car earlier today (coming home from our first covid shots!) when we heard Sarah Jarasz doing a nice cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Look For" on XM. Thought it was so nice that looked for it online afterward and found it HERE. Besides being a really nice performance, check out the 8-string guitar she's playing...never seen one before.

[Doons]

Was not at all familiar with the artist. Will pay attention now, that was good stuff.

[fitness1]

That's a Fletcher Brock octave mandolin.

[MBee]

Thanks for posting this. Great performance, and beautiful-sounding guitar. I look forward to hearing what others say about the instrument she's playing.

[Fishermike]

fitness1 nailed it on the first shot. Not a guitar, an octave mandolin.

Sarah Jarosz is a rabbit hole well worth diving down, IMO. Just be prepared to spend some time there. She and most everybody she plays with are amazing and versatile musicians. Wonderful stuff. A few random examples:

https://youtu.be/v38ld7jN6L0

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSkaoC7g3yM

[Dave Hicks]

An earlier discussion of the mystery instrument:

https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=595558

[Silly Moustache]

The first Fletcher Brock instruments I met up with were played by these guys : Cahalen Morrison and Eli West.

Saw them twice in the UK and the second time spent a little time with them prior to their gig.
Cahalen plays a FB A5 mando, and Eli played a very basic looking (but divine) 12 fret jumbo (kinda Roy Smeck design), and his octave mando which he sometmes plays with only four strings.



https://youtu.be/sZiTWppq-4c

I'm not sure but the first time I saw one it was played by Tim O'Brien, whose is by "Nugget"

It is also called a Bouzouki or even mando-cello and as far as I can work out the difference is minimal apart from the tuning you choose.

I had a Hofner guitar modified into a bouzouki once :



https://youtu.be/RiEoWgn99sM

It sold very quickly!

[Mr. Paul]

I suspect Sarah is a bit of a gear geek. Just this morning I noticed she is featured on one of Fretboard Journal's podcasts, have not listened to it yet.

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

The first Fletcher Brock instruments I met up with were played by these guys : Cahalen Morrison and Eli West.

I'm not sure but the first time I saw one it was played by Tim O'Brien, whose is by "Nugget"

It is also called a Bouzouki or even mando-cello and as far as I can work out the difference is minimal apart from the tuning you choose.

Octave mandolin's have been around quite a while. Used a lot in Celtic and Irish trad. Predates Cahalen and Eli, Sarah Jarosz and even Tim O'Brien by quite a few decades.

I've been fortunate to see all the above, as well as Darol Anger playing around the Pacific northwest. Darol and Sarah hosted a fun OM workshop at Wintergrass several years ago. Unfortunately, Cahalen and Eli are no longer a duo.

There's quite a difference between the scale length and standard tunings between OM's, 'zouks and mandocellos.

OM's run 20" to 21" scale length and are normally tuned G-D-A-E (one octave below mandolin). Zouks usually start at 22" and go up from there. The original Greek bouzoukis were 3 course instruments. Now most are 4 course using octave pairs. They may be tuned like an OM but are typically in an open tuning.

Mandocellos are at least 25" scale and tuned C-G-D-A. As a result the strings are much heavier than what you'll find on an OM or zouk.

I've only been playing these lesser known mando family instruments for about 10 years (as opposed to 44 on guitar) but they've become my main gigging axes. Visually and audibly different from guitar, and allows me to offer something unique.

[Daniel Grenier]

Sarah Jarosz (and this “guitar”) just won a Grammy for best Americana Album. Well deserved.

[boombox]

Originally Posted by Daniel Grenier

Sarah Jarosz (and this “guitar”) just won a Grammy for best Americana Album. Well deserved.

She's an immense talent who can't be ignored - nine Grammy nominations so far, out of which she has won four!

[Everton FC]

Originally Posted by MrBJones

So my wife and I were in the car earlier today (coming home from our first covid shots!) when we heard Sarah Jarasz doing a nice cover of U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Look For" on XM. Thought it was so nice that looked for it online afterward and found it HERE. Besides being a really nice performance, check out the 8-string guitar she's playing...never seen one before.

I listen to her a lot. And yes, this guitar she's using is pretty cool. She is definitely someone people should give some time to.

[deltoid]

My favorite video of her is





and this one, I've never heard a Cello player play a wicked solo ...

[boombox]

Originally Posted by deltoid

...

and this one, I've never heard a Cello player play a wicked solo ...

The trio of Sarah, Nat and Alex Hargreaves are so talented. But I agree, Nathaniel Smith is an amazing cellist. Here's him and Sarah doing some Bob Dylan:

[eyesore]

Never heard of her . she sounds fantastic .