Trouble intonating my mandolin and my mandola.

[Blip]

It seems that I can never get the intonation right.

and my tuner is an analogue guitar tuner that wont pick up my 12:th fret notes. I also think that the bridge is a lower at the side with the high-pitched strings on my mandola.

The mandola has a non-adjustable bridge and the mandolin has an adjustable bridge.

The instruments are both pretty cheap. The mandola is made by Hora and the mandolin is a low-end stagg.


Any tips?


I can't afford to take them to a music store to get them set up. The local place charges $75 (+ the cost of new strings) to set it up.

[Folkmusician.com]

Hi Blip,

It sounds like the main problem is getting a good solid reading. I would suggest using a clip-on pickup along with your tuner. If possible, clip it right to the bridge.

The quality of your tuner is crucial. It is downright difficult to intonate with the vast majority of lower priced tuners. Especially the digital versions. The old style analog needle tuners will typically do an acceptible job.

As long as you are able to move the bridge, you should be able to get a good intonation compromise going. I start with the E and G, but then factor in the A and D to try and get the best compromise accross all strings.

When stuck with a less than desirable tuner, I lean more on my ear.

[EggyToast]

Since you have at least two instruments that use non-guitar tuning, you should probably invest in a decent tuner. I have a Korg AW-1 that I use for my double bass, and it was quite nice to just use the same tuner for the mandolin when I picked it up.

When I've had my mandolin with me and guitar friends are looking for their tuner, I just hand them mine and tell them to clip it to the headstock. Inevitably they all say "whoa this is a cool tuner, I love it!" Mostly because it's not ###### like most cheapy guitar tuners ;D

But anyway, since you have at least these two instruments, you probably want to pick up a tuner that covers essentially "any note," so you can not only tune these properly but any other instrument that you come across.

[Mike Bromley]

A chromatic tuner is key. Guitar tuners are usually calibrated to listen to the notes of a guitar, and while a guitar shares the same NOTES, the octave is different and thus the tempering.

Keep in mind also that the double string courses need to be split up when tuning. Tuning both strings at the same time with a tuner will confuse the tuner, guaranteed. Pluck only one of the pair to get a firm note. Tuning the second string is done by "Beating" it against the in-tune string, by listening for a 'shimmer' or 'throb' that occurs when the two strings are struck together. You eliminate that throbbing when the two strings are in tune. Usually, do this by down-tuning the string to be tuned, then bringing it back up to match its partner. Sometimes the throb is best heard by putting your ear right on the mando.

This applies when intonating as well, pluck only one string of the pair. One other thing, make sure your strings aren't so old as to be unable to pair up, up the neck! You'll never get intonation right with old strings that have gone sour at different rates.

[lenf12]

This applies when intonating as well, pluck only one string of the pair. One other thing, make sure your strings aren't so old as to be unable to pair up, up the neck! You'll never get intonation right with old strings that have gone sour at different rates.

I'll go along with Mike on everything he says except the "aren't so old" part. I would say that you should only set the intonation with brand new strings. Install them, let them settle in for an hour or two, then check/set your intonation. In a pinch, it's amazing how accurate your ears are for setting intonation. Hit the 12th fret harmonic then fret that string at the 12th fret. The notes "should" be exactly the same. Do this with the G string, then with the E string. If you can get them both intonated properly, check the D and A strings. Often, one or two sets of strings will be slightly off. In that case there are compensation issues with the bridge which can be cured or tolerated depending on your inclination. There are many resources both here and at frets.com detailing bridge compensation.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[acousticphd]

I agree with the recommendation for a decent chromatic tuner; there are several which will work fine which are not too expensive ($15-$20).

I don't have much to add as far as the procedure of setting intonation, which others have mentioned and is covered nicely in other places, like frets.com. But one suggestion is to set the intonation as close as possible at the 5th or 7th fret, if most of your playing is in 1st/2nd positions.

Also, especially with the mandola, you want to consider your strings (guages, and whether you use a wound or unwound A string) and whether your bridge saddle is compensated correctly for the strings. If your strings, especially the plain strings, are especially light it can cause more difficulties. I wonder also whether when you say your mandola bridge is "not adjustable", that it is a fixed bridge, not floating?

[barney 59]

Back in the day we did it by "ear" and that seemed to work. I had a tuning fork and that was all. I of course have become reliant on my electronic stuff like it seems many people are--At first because it was always difficult to tune in a group situation when someone was always plunking away at something and now partly because I've spent many years blowing my ears out with loud machinery and mainly because I'm lazy. I would suggest though that people should learn to tune their instruments, it can only help. If it doesn't help then join the Grateful Dead. I do have a stobe tuner and have found that in comparison testing those little snap ons are not entirely accurate anyway- probably as close as a human being would ever need but an elephant or dog could probably hear the difference.

[Mandoist]

Get a Peterson Strobe Tuner and eliminate all tuneage issues! You can even program it for different instruments, different tunings. It's dream come true and a real time saver.

[Lefty Luthier]

Using a good tuner is more than half the issue. The Korg CA-30 is very inexpensive and when used with a clip-on sensor, is pretty accurate. The other issue, particularly with a one-piece bridge, is matching intonation at the G and E ends. Depending upon which end is sharp, twist the bridge towards the tail on that side a bit and check again. You should be able to get within 15 cents providing you are using a tension matched set of strings. My suggestion is the D'Addario J62 set for the mandolin and their J76 set for the mandola.

[Mike Bunting]

This applies when intonating as well, pluck only one string of the pair. One other thing, make sure your strings aren't so old as to be unable to pair up, up the neck! You'll never get intonation right with old strings that have gone sour at different rates.

I would only add the suggestion that you somehow mute the other string of the pair to prevent any sympathetic vibrations that may confuse the tuner.

[Blip]

Thanks people!

I guess I need a better tuner and a clip-on sensor then.


I managed to nearly intonate the instruments by ear now. It's a tiny bit sharp at the higher frets, but it's not too bad.