working on your own mando

[arbarnhart]

I am surprised sometimes at some of the threads about setup issues, where people take in their mandos to get intonation set or other minor setup issue. I wondered how many of us are comfortable with and/or interested in doing our own work on mandos. In some cases, it may be the tools and equipment or time (though intonation requires only your hands and a tuner and takes under five minutes).

I made a new bridge for mine last night. I made a paper template on the copier using my bridge set to the right height, glued it to a scrap of maple and cut out a new one. Sanded the feet for a perfect fit, cut the slots with a small file and got them to just the right height with a coupld of little adjustment. I took one fret down just a hair with a fine sharpening stone (I found it high using a steel rule). It sounds great and the action is awesome (both sound and action were good; now great).

[thistle3585]

One of the reasons behind my building an IV kit was to have something to learn on. I am going to do my first refret on it this fall. I already made a new bridge and nut. I can't do much else until I get the frets pulled and the board levelled.

[Chris "Bucket" Thomas]

You never learn unless you do it! (As a computer friend told me: “You really have not messed around with your computer until you have had to reinstall Windows once or twice”)

I have replaced the bridge (sanded and final fit), adjusted the action and set the intonation.

The resources: the café (of course), www.frets.com and the Folk of the Wood web site. Frets has a great wire diagram/link guide to chase buzzing etc. FOTW is outstanding for the online videos/PowerPoint slide shows w/ audio of adjusting/changing bridges & setting intonation.

It may take a few times but I am MUCH better educated about my instrument.

Chris

[acousticphd]

It may take a few times but I am MUCH better educated about my instrument.


A few times, and likely a few do-overs, but I agree.

How about roughing me out a new bridge too, though? That's beyond me with the handtools I have. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[sunburst]

(As a computer friend told me: “You really have not messed around with your computer until you have had to reinstall Windows once or twice”)
Well, I guess I haven't messed around with my computer much then. Windows just wont fit in there! I did have to reinstall OS X a while back though. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

There's a range of confidence and ability in people.

I've seen people take their instruiments to the shop to have the strings changed. They are often the same people who start to panic if they watch me adjust a truss rod, and couldn't dream of doing it themselves.

At the other extreem are the ones who'll grab a wrench and wring a truss rod right off without even asking how to do it first. They're the ones that cause grief in repair people by inflicting uninformed DIY "repairs" on instruments.

Most people fit in between somewhere. There is a lot that the owner of an instrument can do for him/herself, but one should know ones limitations and not take on too much and get in over ones head.

[kudzugypsy]

yeah, i do 90% of my own stuff, including refretting and crowning worn frets. after spending $250 on my last refret, i decided to learn how, as i have enough instruments to require at least one to be done every 2 years or so.
i'm not going to say i can match a skilled luthier by any means, but i have more than paid for the standard set of luthier tools that i have accumulated over the years. the key to good results is always having the right tool.

get a stew-mac cataloge and get started.

[dgb]

Yeah, isn't it wonderfully empowering? It took me some time to screw up my courage to whittle a new bridge out of cocobolo for a cheapy with a nasal tone. I eyeballed the original and carefully measured and then used a x-acto knife and files, even compensated the new one. It made a great difference in tone and volume. Since then, I have made one from ebony and bone for another mandolin and replaced a set of tuners. Small steps, but so satisfying.

Diana

[Bob DeVellis]

I'll do small stuff up to and including making a new, nonadjustable bridge, leveling frets, stripping down tuners, correcting intonation, recutting nut and fret slots to get rid of buzzes, etc. But on my best instruments, which tend to be old, I find that several things often need addressing at once. The hint of a split might appear at about the time some frets need replacing, for example. I'm not comfortable cleating an area where a split may develop, so in those cases, I'll bring it in to a luthier. Also, neck resets are a place I won't go on my own. I understand the approach intellectually, but I'm sure I couldn't execute it half as well as someone with mre experience and there's a real chance for a disaster. So, I'll do things that can reasonably be called adjustments and some very minor repairs, but I feel better leaving the stuff I'm not sure about to the pros. A professional luthier will often also spot minor issues that they can tweak effortlessly that I wouldn't attempt. Recently, for example, I had work done on my Sobell and the luthier did some very minor finish blends on nicks that I wouldn't have done and that are now indistinguishable from the instrument's original state. To get really good at the tricky stuff, I'd probably need to botch a couple of jobs and nothing I have right now is expendable enough to make me want to take that risk. I'd find it really embarrassing if I had to bring a nice instrument to a luthier to undo something I'd completely messed up. And I don't mind sending a little business in a luthier's direction. But I really admire people who've gotten over the hump and are willing and able to take on bigger repairs.