String Height

[mandonewbie]

Being new to mandolin, and my Kentucky 150S in particular, I've been doing some experimenting with the adjustable bridge height....Just couldn't leave well enough alone.....I did seem to get more volume when I raised it, but it needs to go back down to a lower action until my fingers gain a little more strength......anyway, I've been told that a good starting point would be 5/64 @G and 3/64 @E....Is this a good starting point, and would I then be safe to continue in 1/64 increments on each side if I wanted to be a little lower?

[ShaneJ]

If playability is all you're after, lower it until it's comfortable for you or until you get fret buzz. If you get buzz, raise it very gradually until it quits.

Of course, the neck relief plays a major roll in set-up/playability too. Also, changing the neck relief and/or the bridge height will likely affect the intonation and require the bridge to be moved forward or backward.

Check out Folk of the Wood's website for a good tutorial with photos. Sorry, no time to find it & post a link.

Good luck!

[mandonewbie]

Thanks for the info...I checked out Folk of the Wood...Frets.com...and Fretnot Guitar Repair....Think I got a pretty good handle on it now..

[mandonewbie]

Well, since I don't have a string height gauge, I used a nickel at the 12th fret....Low and behold, action is perfect and intonation did not change....good little tip I picked up from one of the websites, but I can't remember which one.....anyway, it works.