More oomph out of "e" strings

[troika]

Any suggestions as to how to get a little fatter, rounder, bigger sound out of my high "e" courses without going up in string gauge? I'm using J74s and probably should stick to that gauge unless you recommend otherwise.

[Ken Olmstead]

You could try replacing your .11 E string with the .115 that comes with the J75 set. (you can order them seperately) I have tried this before and got more treble response without too much extra string tension overall. Maybe some other folks have some better ideas on how to increase treble response.

[sunburst]

String gauge and bridge mass/type are about your only options for experimentation. Once the top and back plates are carved and the instrument is glued up, there's not much to be done for treble response/tone, so anything you do will be "tweeking around the edges" of the sound.

[JEStanek]

Are you sure your bridge is seated fully on the top and not leaning towards the fingerboard? If those are OK then use the above suggestions.

Jamie

[Jim Kirkland]

Sunburst please discuss bridge mass a little more. I also would like a fatter tone on the high e. I use j75's, have a good set up and a quality bridge that is well seated. Thanks Jim

[mandroid]

Adding mass is how violin mutes have effect .
inertia makes mass want to stay at rest , but once in motion wants to remain in motion.
A buying spree of bridge upper portions identical in every way, but made of different materials
will allow you to discover the sound differences a variety of different mass materials offer.

Not on the same instrument so not a real accurate comparison with only one variable, but,
for some options, I have aluminum on one mandolin's upper bridge bit, , and fossil walrus tusk on another .

a 4 string electric has a brass adjustable bridge which is acoustically rather quiet, but the lower
C G D A tuning is warm and sustains those lower frequency pitches well, amplified.

Lower mass will allow the bridge to respond more quickly,
holes drilled to reduce the amount of material

..and the sound of a string sitting on a metal inlay ,
EX: my Hodson Djangolin uses a notched fret on top of its ebony bridge piece is nice and clear.

so in addition to whole bridge parts there is parts of those parts too.
but these which I have mentioned, are different instruments too, as I said.

In order to know that a single change has effect the changes need to be limited to, er, well, one.

no small part of the perceived weaker sound is a result of the player not standing in front of themselves and hearing the sound that is projected away from yourself.

... but it is a bit of a metaphysical challenge to be in two places at once.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Michael Lewis]

Between your right hand and your pick there is a lot of tone, you just have to find it. Does your mandolin sound weak when others play it too? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[jim_n_virginia]

How low is your action? If it is low raise the string height for more tone and volume. It's cheap to try if you don't like it put it back down.

For myself I tend to like my string height a little higher than most.

[Jim Kirkland]

Thanks for the input, I will be trying some different things tomorrow.

[SternART]

Combine a few of the above, try the E strings only from a set of J75's AND raise the action on the treble side only,
maybe 1/4 or 1/2 a turn & see what that does.....like Jim_n_Virginia says you can always turn it back down

[Jonathan Peck]

Any suggestions as to how to get a little fatter, rounder, bigger sound out of my high "e" courses without going up in string gauge?
Yes, practice playing on the high 'e' course more. OTOH, if you think that changing strings, picks, action or what have you will give you what your looking for then have at it.

Alot/most beginner/inter pickers are strong on the middle strings and weak on the low and high strings....especially above the 5th fret.

[Paul Kotapish]

I prefer the extra snap I get on both the A and E courses with the J-75 set. It's a slightly stiffer, harder action, but nothing overwhelming. I can't do as much with left-hand vibrato, bends, and slides with the heavier strings, for example, and I swap that for the added punch.

Take a look at this article from Frank Ford on the advatages of installing an extra-light bridge. (http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/Mandolin/LtMandoBr/ltmandobr.html)

That might be worth trying, too.

As a slight digression, I know a violin maker who did his apprenticeship in a famous shop in Chicago. He said the old pros there claimed that if you wanted a great G string, your investments started at $40,000. If you wanted a good D, too, add another $10,000 to $20,000 or so. To get four great strings, you were talking $80,000 or more. Of course they were taling about world-class solo instruments that could fill a concert hall without a mic, but it kind of puts things in an interesting perspective.

Good luck.

[David M.]

If you're not, use a good, thick pick like a 1.5mm Jazzmando (ProPlec) pick. Experiment with picks and pick materials.

[sunburst]

Sunburst please discuss bridge mass a little more.
For the most part, the top and the bridge of a mandolin can be thought of as a system; the the bridge/top system. The mass (weight) of that system has some effect on the sound of the mandolin. More or less mass in the bridge/top system can result in sound that is different. When the luthier is done carving, graduating, bracing, and finishing the top, it's done for practical purposes (unless we take the instrument apart and re-graduate the top), so if we want to change the mass of the system of an existing mandolin, we're left with the bridge.
We can assume that there may be some optimal mass for the bridge/top system that will work well with the stiffness, arching, graduations and damping properties of the top and with the rest of the instrument, particularly the back, so there's a possibility that a heavier or lighter bridge can change the sound, or at least nudge the sound in an individual's desired direction whether we all think it's better or not.

Different bridge materials have different densities and different damping properties so those things, too, can make subtle differences in the sound, but we're only messing around with one part of one system in the mandolin here. When the mandolin was completed it became what it is, and no amount of "hot rodding" with bridges, string gauges, tailpieces, nuts and such will profoundly change the basic character of the well set up instrument.