Adjusting Action

[Yellowmandolin]

I have a Gibson F5-G and am having some trouble. The action seems to be fine up at the nut, but gets progressivly worse as it goes down. The bridge is lowered all the way. Are there any simple ways to get it right, or do I have to shave the bridge down? Thanks, Jacob Hawkins

[fatt-dad]

Before you consider shaving anything, take it to a real luthier. Better yet, ship it to Gibson.

f-d

[Yellowmandolin]

I just now took it to a local shop. #The repair guy took one look at it and just went ahead and shaved it down a little. #No charge either! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif #Looks like all it needed was a little work. #When he took it down, he also moved the bridge back a little. #Where it used to be, there is an indentation. #It is all the way into the laquer and won't come out. #I don't think that will be as simple of a fix. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[Luthier Vandross]

Shaving a bridge is not a fix for action adjustment.

I'd be stepping off a curve to comment on it, since I haven't seen it with my eyes, but that sounds like a repairman I would not use.

M

[JiminRussia]

I had a similar problem a couple of years ago and it took a neck reset to cure it, $450 worth and I think that I got a deal (dovetail joint and you you have to really look closely to see any evidence of the reset).

[Yellowmandolin]

Shaving a bridge is not a fix for action adjustment.

I'd be stepping off a curve to comment on it, since I haven't seen it with my eyes, but that sounds like a repairman I would not use.

M
What is the proper way then?

[Kelly_guy]

Lowering the bridge sure isn't working with my Weber Absaroka. I just bought the thing last spring and now it seems like the action is much higher. I hope to heck the neck isn't shifting!

I got my Gibson A-12 lumpy back from the luthier a few weeks ago, and he did a wonderful job. The action is incredibly low, and the mandolin is delightfully easy to play. Part of that is the lighter strings I have, another part is the tiny low frets on the Gibson compared to my Weber.

Should I take the Weber to the luthier, or send it back to Weber to have them look at it? I tried adjusting the Brekke bridge, but it's nearly as low as I can get it, and the action is still way too high.

[Yellowmandolin]

What did he do to the A-12 to get it that low?

[Kelly_guy]

Yellomandolin--Lane Venden is the luthier who worked on my A-12, and since he was resetting the neck, he apparently had some flexibility in choosing the neck angle. This mando doesn't have a dovetailed neck joint, more of a mortise and tenon from what I gather.

So the neck is tipped back more. He said that he set the bridge to the middle of it's range, and set the neck to get low action with the bridge in that position. It gives much more of an angle, and the A-12 seems noticeably louder due to the increased pressure on the bridge.

I might take some pictures this evening of both mandos and post them here for comparison.

[Luthier Vandross]

A neck reset, 9 times out of 10.


M

[Yellowmandolin]

That seems like a pretty serious deal. I imagine it involves lots of dough, too. Why is it so bad to shave down the bridge? It seemed to do what I wanted, are there some other long term affects of this kind of procedure?

[grsnovi]

How old is this F5-G and are you the original owner?

Without seeing the instrument I suspect nobody could categorically say: adjusting the bridge would not address the problem and I would certainly hesitate to suggest that a new F5-G needs a neck reset.

Can you say that the neck was straight (as measured against a machinist's straightedge)?

With a straight neck, the "action" then becomes a factor of the nut and the bridge (which was presumably designed based on a particular net set angle). If the set angle has changed or the neck is no longer straight no ammount of nut/bridge work is going to make things "right".

I wonder if the guy you took it to, shaved the bridge and moved it "back" off the crown to get some more lowering? Does it tune/intonate correctly??

[Yellowmandolin]

I is a 2003 and I am not the origtional owner. I was having intonation problems at firt, that was what drew my attention to the action being so high. He did move it back, about an 1/8th of an inch. I just checken the neck, and it is straight. Hmm... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[mrbook]

I bought one mandolin a few years ago that was not quite what I wanted in terms of action. I adjusted the truss rod to take some (not all) relief out of the neck, and put on a new nut and bridge. Eight years later, it's still my main instrument and plays just as I like it. I can also still raise and lower the bridge for small action adjustments.

Lowering the bridge was the least important adjustment in my case, I think. I would be nervous about someone taking wood off my bridge. I wouldn't suggest trying everything I did without some experience, but action isn't controlled just from the bridge. Also, if the instrument really needs a neck reset, shaving the bridge is probably just a quick fix.

[Luthier Vandross]

How much did he shave off?

The lower the bridge, the less potential volume. Tone.. fundamental also mellows set low, and peaks set high.

If you like the way it plays, I don't have a problem with that... if at some point you decide to go shopping for a different mandolin, it's possible a neck reset could actually give you one... if you know what I mean.

As long as it's in tune, and you enjoy it, it's all good. (unless you play banjo too... then it's bad, very, very bad.)

http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

M

[Yellowmandolin]

He shaved off, and I'm estimating here, about 1-1.5 mm from the top half. You know, the part that comes down on the little brass adjusters and from the middle part.

[Luthier Vandross]

Plays good, sounds good?

Good then. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif


Miles

[Yellowmandolin]

Exactly my thinking! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif