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Mando set up stories
Since adopting the rest stroke technique I don't remember having any problems with the action on my Sobell mandolin other than an occasional buzz. I usually string it with D'addario J74 strings (11, 15, 26, 40).
For a bit of fun I tried a set of Savarez Argentines which are quite a bit lighter (10, 13 24 34). The G and D strings were a little less bright but otherwise pretty much the same. The biggest change was in the A and E strings which now slapped the frets with the rest stroke whether open or fretted.
This surprised quite a bit, but I suppose that the lower tension allows the strings to vibrate more freely. Even so I don't understand why there is no problem with the lower strings. The mandolin had just been re-fretted so I don't think this is a fret leveling problem.
I put a few strips from a credit card between the bone saddle and the bridge which raised the action to about 2mm at the 12th fret on both the G and E strings. Although this improved the situation it also raised the tension of the strings considerably.
Again I raised the action to 2.5mm and although the sound was better the strings were still slapping the frets. The tension of the strings was now too much for me with little if any increase in volume.
I much prefer the lower tension of the Argentines and they seem to give a brighter sound (although that might just be the zing as they slap the frets) whereas the heavier D'addario A and E strings give a thicker sound.
So, what is the ideal set up for a mandolin to get the best from the rest stroke and is there a way of having low tension without the strings slapping the frets?
For a bit of fun I tried a set of Savarez Argentines which are quite a bit lighter (10, 13 24 34). The G and D strings were a little less bright but otherwise pretty much the same. The biggest change was in the A and E strings which now slapped the frets with the rest stroke whether open or fretted.
This surprised quite a bit, but I suppose that the lower tension allows the strings to vibrate more freely. Even so I don't understand why there is no problem with the lower strings. The mandolin had just been re-fretted so I don't think this is a fret leveling problem.
I put a few strips from a credit card between the bone saddle and the bridge which raised the action to about 2mm at the 12th fret on both the G and E strings. Although this improved the situation it also raised the tension of the strings considerably.
Again I raised the action to 2.5mm and although the sound was better the strings were still slapping the frets. The tension of the strings was now too much for me with little if any increase in volume.
I much prefer the lower tension of the Argentines and they seem to give a brighter sound (although that might just be the zing as they slap the frets) whereas the heavier D'addario A and E strings give a thicker sound.
So, what is the ideal set up for a mandolin to get the best from the rest stroke and is there a way of having low tension without the strings slapping the frets?
Comments
I haven't tried that setup on my mandolin, but I would think a setup optimized for, say, J-74 D'addarrio strings is going to need tweaking for a lighter set of strings with less string tension.
I imagine a 25.5 scale Sel-Mac type guitar would be very tough to play with a set of medium gauge bronze strings-the low tension of the Savarez makes the scale length feel comfortable to me...
I'm no luthier, though :oops:
I've never heard Django play a note without commitment.
If you are going to a lighter gauge set your neck might need more relief in it if the frets are good the the nut is fine. Relief is a SLIGHT bend in the neck done in a predicable manner to allow more room for those lower notes to move more and still feel comfortable. If you are not comfortable messing about with this stuff, take it to a comepetent repair guy and have him adjust the truss rod for a little more relief. It might solve the problem. This is something that takes experience. If you want to do it yourself, read up on it first. Most books on guitar making talk about this and you can find a lot of info on the web. I woujld start at frets.com. Tons of repair info from a master explained and illustrated well.