Frequently Asked Questions

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I take it that there is no adjustable truss rod, but it sounds as if you've sufficiently re-enforced the neck to take care of any potential warping issues. Is neck tension why light strings are recommended?

     I am in the camp that don’t like adjustable truss rods because they make the neck more prone to break around the nut, due to all the wood that has to be removed there to accommodate the truss rod. The use of carbon fiber rods (they extend under the peghead veneer quite a ways up the peghead) and the very thick ebony fingerboard provide all the strength and stability needed.   On the strings – You probably know this but to get the same pitch at a longer scale length (mine are really long scale for a mandolin), you have to use lighter gauge strings. My instruments have a very long (for a mandolin) scale length, so that is why mine are lighter. The pounds of force that the string tension applies to the instrument are nearly identical to a typical mandolin with medium gauge strings. Not sure how much you know about this so I will leave it there but if you want a more thorough explanation, let me know.

What brand of strings and sizes do you recommend? I'm sure you've experimented with that during development. 

     I like D’Addario and GHS. You really need to adhere to the gauges that I recommend. Using a heavier than .0095 on the E string, they will break often if not upon initial tuning. For the other strings, this is less critical but, yeah, after a lot of experimentation, the gauges I specify are definitely best. And they have to be ball end strings – I intended that for a variety of reasons.

Is the fretboard flat rather than radiused? 

     Flat. Being a wide fingerboard (1 ¼” at the nut) spreads the strings out so the flat board is as comfy if not more comfy than a 1 3/16” radiused board.

Are the frets tiny like old Gibsons or more robust?

     Modern banjo frets, the same as used on all Collings and Ellis mandolins, and probably a ton of other modern makers.

If I order one to be made what is the ETA?

     I don’t take orders but will put you on the list and I notify the list when one is available. I intend to make about 10 per year, in batches of two or three.

What weight/material/brand of pick do you recommend for the Round? Is the string tension less than a standard mandolin?

     String tension is about the same as most mandolinists use, about 20 lbs per string.  I use a triangular-ish pick with reasonably pointy points in something like a .73mm thickness. My current favorite (at the time of this writing) is a McQuan 3PJC in Torlon at .73mm thickness (the website only offers these a 1mm or thicker but he will make you one at most any thickness) or a Charmed Life clf-75ss polyimide pick. I think the thicker picks commonly used in bluegrass, for example, take away too many of the higher frequencies and result in a dull, sweet sound that doesn’t cut through very well, but to each their own! 

What is the price with the gig bag as opposed to the hard case?

     This is the gig bag that I offer  https://www.thomannmusic.com/ritter_rgs3_mandola_sgl.htm   It fits my instruments really well and is a fairly good bag (decent padding, shoulder/backpack straps, storage compartment, etc.)  It costs just a bit more to get it shipped here than the bag itself costs.  I sell them for what it costs me or you can just order one from Thomann yourself. 

Is the string spacing similar to an old Gibson?

      Spacing between the two strings in each pair is identical to my 1922 Gibson A2. The wider nut means that the spacing between one pair and the adjacent pair is slightly wider.

Is it heavier than a tenor banjo?  Can a strap be fitted?

     Depends on the banjo but pretty much lighter than a “really good” banjo. They come in at 4 lbs so something like twice as heavy as my Ellises. The case is heavier than that.  Yes to straps. That block of walnut that sits between the inner rim and the outer rim at the tailpiece end is a great place to put a strap button, with care to not hit the two steel bolts that go through there (not hard to miss them, there is plenty of room and I have done that twice). The best way to attach the other end is to do a loop around the middle of the headstock. I really resist putting another strap button into the neck heel area because I want that to remain strong and there is already a sizeable hole in it that houses the two barrel nuts on the end of the steel rods.

Is the back resonator plate like a tenor banjo's and is it easily removable for any maintenance purposes? Is there any recommended maintenance?

     Not at all. It functions like the resonator plate on a banjo but the two steel through-bolts keep it tightly pinned in place. The position of the neck is somewhat adjustable and it’s not risky but requires some setup skills, so best to have a luthier do that. Anyway, I can’t think of any maintenance reason for removing the resonator, unless to fix something like a cracked soundboard, but if the need comes up, a luthier would just take off the strings, unscrew the through-bolts, and then the whole instrument becomes a neck, a resonator back (with the walnut end blocks glued on), the inner rim and soundboard as a unit, a tailpiece and the two through-bolts. So, for example, if you had to cleat a crack in the soundboard, no glue joints would have to be unglued, you just disassemble the whole thing.  No recommended maintenance other than new strings, maintaining the fingerboard and frets, normal fretted instrument stuff. Oh, humidify during heater months of course.

Is the 15 1/8 scale length a factor that contributes to the volume?

     Yep, it’s a big factor. It also makes it, to my mind, more comfy to play. Most players either immediately adapt to the longer scale or adapt within a few minutes of playing.

Will playing a Round make me popular at parties? 

    Oh sure. Everybody likes someone who plays a Round.