Storage

[Gene Bragg]

I have put my mando up for awhile while I decide what to do with my life. Should I untune the instrument or leave the strings tightened ? If I leave them tuned will it do any harm say if it was that way for 6 months or longer?

[JEStanek]

String tension shouldn't be a problem. More important is to store it properly humidified and at a reasonable temperature while you sort stuff out.

If you were playing it for the next 6 months it would be at tension between playings.

Jamie

[mandolinplucker]

On a personal note. I always do my best thinking and sorting with a guitar, mandolin, or ukulele in my lap.

[pops1]

I would take tension off the mandolin as when you are playing it it is vibrating and i believe that is what keeps it strong and if the tension is left on and just pulling on the instrument i have seen damage too many times. You don't have to take it all off , just tune it down a couple of steps. Also when you are playing it you are changing the strings when they get old and when it is in storage you are not and older strings when they lose their stretch exert more tension on an instrument. Why risk damage, it is much safer to just tune them down a little.

[allenhopkins]

...when you are playing it it is vibrating and i believe that is what keeps it strong and if the tension is left on and just pulling on the instrument i have seen damage...older strings when they lose their stretch exert more tension on an instrument...

Couple of theories I haven't heard before. Evidence?

IMHO, keeping an instrument under the string tension it was built for, isn't going to harm it in six months. What usually causes damage is subjecting the instrument to humidity or temperature conditions that affect the wood of which it's built. Old instruments left in attics for years under full string tension, may get dried out or "cooked" so that their wood warps or splits. Glue joints may let go, if the glue's softened or compromised by heat or excessive moisture.

That said, taking the tension down moderately won't harm the instrument, and may make you feel more confident. Prolonged significant relaxation of the string tension may result in the neck curving backward, reducing the "relief" in the neck and leading to strings rattling or buzzing on the frets.

I have 120-year-old Autoharps that have sat under pretty much "normal" string tension for longer than I've lived. These quasi-zithers don't have necks, of course, so that area of potential damage doesn't exist, but with 28-36 strings, they're under a total string pull that dwarfs that of a mandolin. Not that I'm recommending that you put any instrument away for months and months without checking its status regularly!

[journeybear]

If you were playing it for the next 6 months it would be at tension between playings,

I don't know for sure, but that sounds reasonable, and is succinctly put as well.

What I do know, is this: When I left New England for sub-tropical Key West, I left my 1916 H-2 mandola, tuned-up, with my bass-playing and -fixing friend, who tucked it in his spare room packed with instruments awaiting attention. I was trying to travel light, and also did not wish to subject this fine antique to the vagaries of the weather. I got back three years later for Thanksgiving, and the blessed thing was not only A-OK, it was still in tune! :mandosmiley: I had been missing it, and also had a use for it in the then-current act, so I brought it down, keeping it in AC as much as possible, but it's been fine.

My point is: I agree with Jamie - these things were designed to operate under tension - and Allen - they will more likely go out of whack if not under tension.

Good luck with your decision-making process. Hopefully the mandolin will welcome you back when you are ready to resume with it. :mandosmiley:

[Ivan Kelsall]

Personally,i'd keep it under tension.After all,that's the way it was meant to be. I'd keep in in a place that has as stable a temperature as you can find,one where there are very few high & low
variations. If your home does have a few ups & downs in temp.,then do as has been suggested on here before,wrap the case in a thick Duvet type blanket to insulate it - it'll be fine,
Ivan

[kestrel]

"...older strings when they lose their stretch exert more tension on an instrument."

"Evidence?"

Yeah, I'd like to see that, too.:disbelief:

Gene

[Rick Turner]

I'd take it down a whole step.

[Gene Bragg]

Thank you for the info .Half said tune down other half said leave tuned. I do have it tuned down a bit. I have my mando in a travelite case som what % of humidity should I keep it at ? I checked it and the gauge says 51%. If I have to humidify what is a good humidifier and where should I keep it in the case? Thanks again!:)

[lenf12]

Just send it to my house. I'll take good care of it for ya ;-)

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[allenhopkins]

Half said tune down other half said leave tuned. I do have it tuned down a bit.

I have my mando in a travelite case som what % of humidity should I keep it at ? I checked it and the gauge says 51%. If I have to humidify what is a good humidifier and where should I keep it in the case?

1/ So I guess the weighted average of the advice, says to turn one string of each pair down a full tone...?

2/ Around 50% humidity is pretty close to ideal. There are many good humidifiers, some of which, like Dampit, fit inside the instrument, others of which, like Planet Waves, go inside the case. The only advice I'd give, is to make sure that the damp part of the humidifier doesn't lie against the instrument itself, as the finish may discolor from the moisture.

[allenhopkins]

Half said tune down other half said leave tuned. I do have it tuned down a bit.

I have my mando in a travelite case so what % of humidity should I keep it at ? I checked it and the gauge says 51%. If I have to humidify what is a good humidifier and where should I keep it in the case?

1/ So I guess the weighted average of the advice, says to turn one string of each pair down a full tone...?

2/ Around 50% humidity is pretty close to ideal. There are many good humidifiers, some of which, like Dampit, fit inside the instrument, others of which, like Planet Waves, go inside the case. The only advice I'd give, is to make sure that the damp part of the humidifier doesn't lie against the instrument itself, as the finish may discolor from the moisture.

[JEStanek]

If you use a humidifier, be sure to refill it as needed. You can't put one in with a few mL of water and expect it to be good 6 months later....

Jamie