Ultranewbie question

[Lefty5]

howdy, well i got my new mandolin today and have been playing around with it a little already. it sounds great to me but i have a quick question. i guess i never looked at a mandolin too close before but this one has a small 3" strap of leather (like a shoelace) wound in and out of the strings behind the bridge. is that suppose to stay there or was it just a shipping thing or what is it for? thanks

[Ken Olmstead]

Lefty, that keeps the strings from ringing between the bridge and the tailpiece. I used to use something like that but now my palm ever so lightly mutes those for me. Congrats on the new mando!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Tim2723]

Congrats on the new mandolin! Yup, it keeps the strings behind the bridge quiet. There are lots of tricks and widgets for that job, but a bit of leather is one of the traditional methods.

[Lefty5]

thanks for the tips. im working on my first tune. 8th of January... maybe ill get it down by then. ha.:O

[Gutbucket]

You picked a great mandolin to start on. And you'll have good days and great days. As long as you're picking a mandolin, there are no real bad days. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif