Mando Repair

[Lee]

She began making funny noises after I swapped bridges. I've no experience with any luthiers around Philly and there's not much choice. The fellow at Bucks County Folk Music seemed capable and caring. He's recommended a new bone nut and a truss rod tweak, and general set-up stuff as required. She'll be away from home until Saturday. This is as bad as waiting for a new one.

[mando_pete]

Do you have another to keep you company while you wait ?

I know how you feel, mine went in for general maintenance a year ago for a week and all I had as backup was a $60 dollar e-bay special.

Hang tough.

[Lee]

I'm not at all lonely. Just worried.

[mandolooter]

Did the new bridge lower the action? I've been doing a lot of repair and set-ups as a hobby and its turning out to be a lot easier than i had at first imagined. Common-sense and attention to detail seem to go very far along with my motto long ago learned as a finish-carpenter/cabinet-maker...Ya can cut it long a bazillion times but ya can only cut it short ONCE! Good luck, it outta come out fine!

[Lee]

I'm pretty good with my own bridge height and position adjustments but never fitted one to a top before. Luckily the replacement bridge was actually the original equipment so didn't need to be fitted. I could tell the nut was too low from my own home learnin' about such things. #The mystery was why it was playing OK when I got it. #The luthier feels the humidity change to my home from the previous owner's has changed the neck just a hair enough to make the low nut cause buzzing on the frets behind the ones being fretted. He accuses me of not keeping it humidified enough although I have a 3-1/2 gallon unit I use religously whenever the hygrometer indicates <40%. #The mandolin is only 8-months old so it may just be settling in.
I've never used this luthier before and have heard no reports about him with mandolins either. Especially a nice F with a radiused fingerboard.

[jasona]

Which one is it Lee?

[Lee]

Pomeroy F #44. (Not the Ratcliff as you suspected.)
As soon as I got it I noticed the nut was super-low but it played fine. The previous owner had an alternate ebony bridge fitted; maybe that luthier lowered the nut.
After I put the original bone bridge back on, the buzzing began. Bridge height made no difference.
Don offered to check it out but I hate shipping to Colorado and need to find a local luthier anyway. I'm confident Bucks Co. Folk will do a good job or I wouldn't have left it there.
I'm really hoping I can post a positive two-thumbs up so other regional mandolin players will know about them too.
They got some new stock in, including a 1923 Gibson H2 mandola. I tried it out for a little while but my mind was elsewhere.

[jim simpson]

Lee,
Thanks for the heads up on the H2 Mandola. I just drove by their shop yesterday and was tempted to stop. The last time I was in there, they had a Mike Terris F5 that seemed pretty nice. I almost bought a Flatiron F5 from them but something else came up. The shop has a cool vibe.

[johnwalser]

I enjoy the repair and setup aspect almost as much as the playing of mandolin. I have made from scratch nearly forty bridges, ten nuts, removed a fretboard and planed neck to square (and it worked!), restored two really old banjolins and have become decent at fixing finish flaws. I would love to learn French polish techniques, but have some allergy problems that will probably prevent this. I had to do a lot of reading and then apply logic to every aspect of the problem I was trying to solve. Great deal of fun learning new skills and ending up with instruments that play easier and sound better.
John

[jasona]

Pomeroy F #44. (Not the Ratcliff as you suspected.)
Not suspected. Feared. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Seems a simple job really, no worries.