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glauber
Jan-09-2005, 12:49pm
Suppose i have a mandolin where the tuning goes sharp as i go up the neck. Does it need ligher or heavier strings to be in good intonation with the same bridge position?

Thanks,

g

John Flynn
Jan-09-2005, 5:58pm
Well, lighter strings should help the problem, but I think you are asking the wrong question. Changing the bridge position (in this case, moving it closer to the tailpiece) is the cure for that problem. Also, lowering the action would help to some degree.

glauber
Jan-09-2005, 9:21pm
Yup, but this is a fixed bridge (Ovation). I'm not sure if i can adjust the little white string saddles (i tried and they didn't seem to move, but i didn't try very hard, for fear of damaging the pickup). It has a TI "mittel" set right now. I'll use this for a while longer, then try an Ovation set, to see if it works better. Or maybe i'll get it a professional setup, if i can find someone local who digs Ovations.

sunburst
Jan-09-2005, 10:18pm
Besides lighter strings, lowering the action can help with the sharpness you describe, but only if you can spare the string height.
I'm not familiar with the Ovation bridge/saddle configuration, but I assume maybe you could also cut compensation into the saddle, sort of like a compensated guitar saddle.

glauber
Jan-09-2005, 11:52pm
I'll find out, thanks.

John Flynn
Jan-10-2005, 11:26am
You can cut compensation into the saddle to some degree. If you cannot cut enough into it, there are things that can be done. A luthier can widen the saddle slot, in the direction of tailpiece, and fit the new slot with a wider, compensated bridge. I have a guitar right now that needs the same operation and my luthier said it would be do-able and reasonable.

glauber
Jan-10-2005, 11:28am
Yes. But i don't want to do any permanent cutting, and the Ovation bridge is a more complicated affair because it includes a series of piezo transducers under the saddles.

glauber
Jan-10-2005, 11:42am
Before i do anything, i'll try a set of Ovation strings.
The TIs i have on right now measure: 0.10, 0.15, 0.21, 0.33.
The Ovation/Adamas strings are: 0.11, .016, .024, .038.

Interestingly, the Ovation strings are thicker than the TIs, so i would expect the problem to go worse, but who knows... They're cheap, at less than $5 a set. The TIs are still only a couple of weeks old, so i'm not doing anything for now. I want to use them for at least a month.

glauber
Jan-11-2005, 5:29pm
(Just for information) I got an email from Kaman (Ovation) saying that the saddles are not adjustable.

Martin Jonas
Jan-12-2005, 8:02am
Before i do anything, i'll try a set of Ovation strings.
The TIs i have on right now measure: 0.10, 0.15, 0.21, 0.33.
The Ovation/Adamas strings are: 0.11, .016, .024, .038.

Interestingly, the Ovation strings are thicker than the TIs, so i would expect the problem to go worse, but who knows...
You can't directly compare the measured string gauges of flatwound strings with those of roundwound strings for questions of intonation and setup. Flatwounds will behave very differently from roundwounds of the same gauge in terms of string tension at pitch and in terms of bending radius, these two being the main parameters that govern intonation differences between different strings.

Martin

glauber
Jan-12-2005, 10:47am
You can't directly compare the measured string gauges of flatwound strings with those of roundwound strings for questions of intonation and setup. Flatwounds will behave very differently from roundwounds of the same gauge in terms of string tension at pitch and in terms of bending radius, these two being the main parameters that govern intonation differences between different strings.
Of course! Thanks for reminding me of that.

Another thing i'm wondering too is if the problem is being caused by low air humidity. I don't have a dampit in this instrument because its basically plywood and plastic, but maybe i should try. I feel weird about putting a water container inside something that has electricity too.

But i think the best thing i can do is try an Adamas 8080 set of strings. I'll let you know... i'll probably leave things as they are for a few more weeks, though, because a set of TIs is a terrible thing to waste.