muted string

[yoods]

Hi!

I thought someone in this forum could give me a hand.

I have a Gibson A-9 that has an A string that seems flat, almost muted, deadened, compared to the other A string. I thought at first it was just a dead string so I changed it; still the same problem. #I don't have any similar problems with the other strings. This was not a problem when I first got the mandolin.

It is my thought that maybe I need to widen the slot at the nut and/or the bridge. Does this seem right? If so, how can I do this, or which should I do first (nut or bridge)?

I am not a wood worker so I don't have many wood tools (and there is no one near me to take this to).

Could I just use a slightly thicker piece of mando string and "file" the slot by running it back and forth? #Do I have to worry about making it too wide?

Any and all thoughts on this are welcome. Thanks so #much for any advice you can offer.

[Rroyd]

Does the string seem muted when you fret it? If so, then the bridge slot would be a likely culprit. If it rings clearly when fretted, then check the nut. If the slot is too wide and the string is making contact at the back of the nut, then as it vibrates, it may be "bumping" the front of the slot, causing the muted sound. The string should contact solidly at the front (fingerboard side) of the nut, and any filing you do should be to make that happen. If you have a hobby shop in your area, see if they have any needle files with a knife-type edge, or exacto saw blades the thickness of the offending string, to make an appropriate repair.

[Jim Rowland]

Hi Yoods,

All who responded are right on this one. Remember that the string only makes dynamic contact in those two places..the nut and the bridge. Problems with secondary vibrations (buzzes,rattles etc)may come from anywhere inside or outside the mando,but that dead or muted sound,and sometimes a slight sitar type twang will come from one of the two cited culprits.
Jim

[yoods]

Thanks all, I had not really thought it through. When I have read your responses it makes more sense. When I fret the string, the flatnes goes away. So following what you say, I need to work on the nut.

[A9cp]

I have the same darn dead string problem with my A9 and yep its the 'A' strings. New strings do not help. the 'dead sound' occurs when I fret the 'A' strings any where on the neck. Is this a bridge problem ?? If so, install a new bridge or could be it bridge position or height.

[Jim Rowland]

Hi A9:

I,and others,find the "A" strings often to be problematic,as is the "B" string on a guitar,although for different reasons. Check the intonation at the l2th fret on the A string. If the overtone matches the unfretted note as it should,check the general fit of the bridge to the curvature of the top..it should fit as perfectly as possible...no gaps at all. If all is well there,check out the string grooves on the saddle for fit. A last resort would be to replace the bridge which is a simple enough operation except that fitting the new one perfectly is tedious work. If the strings are still dead after all your efforts,you may have to concede that the instrument just has a dead spot in the "A" area..it happens,not just on the A but on any course of strings. There is a reason for it,but it is devastatingly difficult to isolate and usually impossible to fix without taking the thing apart. All of the above is my own analysis and I stand to be corrected.
Jim

[Jim Rowland]

My last post has an unforgiveable error. It should read "---
If the overtone matches the FRETTED note,as it should---".
Sorry..I was in a big hurry to show how smart I am.
Jim

[Chris Baird]

If only the open string is dead it is the nut slot. On all the setups I've done I run into a slight buzz of "dead" string while cutting the slots. 90% of the time the slot is too big not too small. It is a somewhat finicky operations to lose the buzz or dead sound but it usually is fixed by slightly rounding out the bottom of the slot such that the string sits in it perfectly. It is not a hard thing to fix but a good nut file helps a lot. Frets.com may help you to fix this problem yourself. No need to replace nuts, bridges, etc..

[whistler]

A9 - you say that your A-string sounds dead only when fretted. This seems to me to rule out the causes that Grow mentions above. If the sound of your A-string is somehow not clean, with some semblance of a 'buzz', it is possible that your bridge is too low and the string is making slight contact with the frets when vibrating. If you have an adjustable bridge, this is an easy problem to remedy, and any adjustment is reversible. If this does not help, then the problem almost certainly lies at the bridge slot, as Rroyd says near the beginning of this thread. The string should make clean contact with the bridge on the edge closest to the soundhole. For this to happen, the slot needs to be filed sloping down toward the tailpiece, but at a shallower angle than that at which the string approaches the bridge from the tailpiece. Only the bare minimum of material should be used, so as not to upset the balance of string heights. Slight adjustment of the bridge height may be necessary afterwards, in order to restore the correct string height.

The bridge position and intonation are another issue, which can be considered once a good tone has been obtained

[whistler]

A9 - you say that your A-string sounds dead only when fretted. This seems to me to rule out the causes that Grow mentions above. If the sound of your A-string is somehow not clean, with some semblance of a 'buzz', it is possible that your bridge is too low and the string is making slight contact with the frets when vibrating. If you have an adjustable bridge, this is an easy problem to remedy, and any adjustment is reversible. If this does not help, then the problem almost certainly lies at the bridge slot, as Rroyd says near the beginning of this thread. The string should make clean contact with the bridge on the edge closest to the soundhole. For this to happen, the slot needs to be filed sloping down toward the tailpiece, but at a shallower angle than that at which the string approaches the bridge from the tailpiece. Only the bare minimum of material should be removed, so as not to upset the balance of string heights. Slight adjustment of the bridge height may be necessary afterwards, in order to restore the correct string height.

The bridge position and intonation are another issue, which can be considered once a good tone has been obtained.

[Jim Rowland]

Hey Whistler,

Just to avoid confusion,I should point out that my post is pretty much on the same page as yours,with emphasis on the bridge as the problem.
Jim