Mandola questions

[jdchapman]

Hey y'all,

I've been playing mandolin badly for years, but this summer added a mandola to the pile. I got a Flatiron pancake, and I love the tone. It's taken me awhile to get used to first position distances--I knew it would--but that's coming along.

What I'm wondering is this: the action isn't bad on my instrument, a little higher than I'd like, but no worse than on some of the mandolins I own and can play with no real problems. But on the mandola, it's more of a problem, especially with bar chords. Maybe the heavier string gauges, I don't know. I played a friend's lovely Ratcliff F model mandola, and had less of a problem, so maybe it's a Flatiron thing? Or was I just hypnotized by the scroll? Is this a general mandola issue? Is there an easy way around it?

I'm lousy, like I said, but I also play enough that I doubt it's that my paw is too weak to keep from unintentionally muting strings.

Thanks

[Folkmusician.com]

I would first suspect the setup if you noticed a big difference between your mandola and your friends. The neck shape, scale length and fret size can have some effect on this, but for the most part, there shouldn't be any reason your mandola can't be setup to play just as well as any other.

If you get a chance, you can check his string gauge, nut height and bridge height and compare it to yours. A mandola can run down to 5/64" at the 12th fret C string.

If this all checks out, the fret size or radius maybe coming into play.

[jdchapman]

Thanks.

I don't have his to look at now; wish I had them side by side. No other instruments like this I can compare to where I live, unfortunately....

I do know the fretwire is narrower and lower than on his. Not any narrower or lower than on the Eastman mando I own, though, and that's the easiest player I have.

For what it's worth: the hardest frets to bar are the first three or four. Up the neck, I have to press down, and think about it a little, but I can bar without accidentally making it all thuddy. I should also say I only have this problem with chording. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, something that I don't notive on the smaller carved-top instruments.

[rico mando]

sounds like the action may be a little high there at the nut. best thing you can do is see someone about setting it up.

[Shelby Eicher]

What strings are you currently using? I used to use the med. gauge D'Addarrio (J-76) set and switched to the light gauge J-72. It made a world of difference in the playabililty and my mandola sounds better. More even with plenty of string tension. Mandolas are also all over the place on scale length. My Steven Anderson is 16 3/4" and it is as long as I would want it to be. It's a perfect length for my hands.
Shelby Eicher
Education Director/National Fiddler Hall Of Fame

[sgarrity]

Playing mandola takes some hand strength. The Flatirons have a 17" scale and even with the J72s, that .49 C string is a bear! I just got a few sets of the GHS PF280s that are a touch lighter to try on the Flatiron. I have a Kimble 'dola as well with a 16" scale and the J72s work perfectly on it. I think you just need to give it some time and practice, practice, practice. Playing the mandola is like swingin' a weighted bat for your mandolin playing!

[jdchapman]

Thanks y'all,

Sat down with it yesterday, and looked at all the specs. It was set up when I bought it by a reputable guy, one mentioned in the cafe sometimes, so I'm sure he knew what he was doing. That said, the strings do look a little high off the nut, especially on the bass side. (I say this without knowing what I'm talking about, really--just looking and comparing to my mandos.) The string gauge is what Flatiron suggests, but I will try lighter strings next set, see if that helps. I may also file down the nut a little--or find a luthier to do it if I can. I know it's a simple job, but I don't want to end up one of those guys who ruined a good instrument because he didn't know better.

[mandroid]

I use GHS Octave mandolin strings on my mandola, H, 400mm, scale set has 6 pbronze wound 44,32,22 strings
and a .012" for the A.

they make up a set 48,34,24..012 for mandola , but wind brass('bright bronze') around those, 6 of 8.

guy who made mine used to do the setups at Elderly , so that part is fine..