Repairs cost more than my mando?

[BarCCakes]

Just had my first mandolin lesson today. After taking a look at my mando, my instructor informed me that my bridge was cracked (i'm appalled I didn't notice, it's really obvious) and the neck is bowing outward, causing the strings to buzz.
My question is this; would the repairs cost more than my little fender mando is worth?

[Ivan Kelsall]

A top quality bridge such as a Cumberland Acoustic bridge will cost between $55 & $85 US for the bridge alone. As for the neck ''bowing outwards'' - do you mean that when you look along the fingerboard from the headstock towards the tailpiece,sideways on,the neck seems to have a 'hump' in it ?.
Normally,that could be put right by adjusting the truss rod,but yours seems not to have one ??. If that is the case,then the frets would have to be removed,the fingerboard planed flat again & then re-fretted, which could be quite costly.
Maybe one of the builders on here could give you an estimate of the cost of doing that. It looks to be a nice little mandolin,but you'll have to weight the cost of a repair + bridge, against finding another mandolin with a truss rod,
Ivan

[HoGo]

Perhaps just fret milling would help.
The bridge could be "Economy" repaired by gluing (with good quality CA glue) and perhaps fitting tiny wedge or strip of wood below the broken saddle to keep it from breaking again. If you have long flat fine file and some fine grit sandpapers (360-400-600-1200 grit) you could do it yourself and learn new lesson about mandolins... (IMO it helps tremendously to know how it works)
Have a look at frets.com for advice about fretwork - they have great tutorials wit pics. This is pretty straightforward job for handy man and you don't need the crowning files if you don't file away too much off the fets (you probably just need the frets 1 -12 levelled and you can leave some drop-off at higher frets) you can just use folded 360 grit sandpaper along the fingerboard and it will round the tops enough for you follow with finer grits for finer polish.
You could do it in 15-20 minutes if you have the tools already (not including detuning and tuning, if you are careful you don't have to remove nut either)

[Bob Visentin]

Why would you put a $55 bridge on a $100 mando? Bridges can be had for under $10 dollars and will do just fine.

[mirwa]

Yes repairs can cost more than the instrument is worth.

Most repairers cannot work for Chinese wages of around a dollar a day, cost of living affects a repairers costs which extend to his required charges.

The price you paid for the instrument includes its manufacture, its shipping, the distributor in your country's markup, then shipping again to the store, then they do there markup and we have a final figure. If for example you paid 200 dollars for the instrument it's likely it was made in china for approx 30 dollars.

Alternatively you can have a go at doing it yourself after research.

Steve

[pops1]

Put a straight edge, or use your strings as one, and look at the bow in the neck. How severe is it? If you want to file the frets to make it straighter, file only the frets at the bridge end of the neck. You can take a fair amount off and not worry about dressing the fret as you most likely won't be playing up there anyway. That will help to get the fretboard flatter. You can shim the bridge as was said and that would be a good temporary fix while you save for a better mandolin.

[Rodney Riley]

Why would you put a $55 bridge on a $100 mando? Bridges can be had for under $10 dollars and will do just fine.

Voice of experience. I put a CA bridge on a Fender acoustic/electric to replace a broken one. The tops on Fenders are so thick a good bridge does nothing for them. Find a cheap replacement bridge or get parts to make it into a lamp.

[Steve Sorensen]

If you are going to keep playing mandolin, you need to budget for a better quality instrument. Adding $100 in parts and repairs to a $100 instrument is the equivalent of throwing away your money . . . when you can use that same money to get a substantially better instrument.

It boggles my mind that folks will budget around $30 per week for a good half-hour lesson, but not budget in a similar way for the instrument.

The leaps in ease-of-play, tone, and reliability as you move to a better instrument (with a good set-up) are worth as much or more per hour as the cost of lessons.

I strongly suggest that, as you decide to continue with the instrument, you think of the investment in a quality the instrument in the same way that you think of investing in quality time with a good instructor. BOTH are critical to your continued progress and enjoyment of playing the mandolin.

Steve

[Tobin]

BarCCakes, the replies you've gotten so far are probably going to sound a bit insensitive or condescending, and I hope you don't take them in any way other than well-meant advice. I don't think anyone here has intended to sound insulting or anything, but I could see how it would be tough to read some of these replies and still feel good about things.

There's a hard truth here, though. Mandolins are not cheap, at least, not if you want a decent one that will last and sound good. There are a lot of entry-level (that's being polite) instruments on the market that are best described as "mandolin-shaped objects". They kind of look like mandolins and sound sort of mandolinny, but once you learn a few things on them and wish to advance in your playing, they need to be upgraded. The payoff is huge, when it comes to making progress and enjoying what you play.

I started playing mandolin on a Fender that looks just like yours. I borrowed it from a friend for a month or two, just long enough to realize that I wanted to buy a mandolin of my own. It got me started, so I hesitate to knock it too harshly. But yeah, the quality just isn't there.

So you're at a crossroads right now. Sink money into your existing mandolin just to get it playing again, or upgrade to something a little better? All the experienced mandolin players are likely going to tell you that your Fender just isn't worth fixing. At least, not in terms of getting your money back out of it later, or trying to improve its sound. But you need to do what fits your budget and your situation. Replacement parts and repair services on instruments won't be able to match the low import cost that your Fender was made under. You could keep that Fender and set it aside for now until you feel like tackling a DIY repair job, while buying another mandolin that will get you playing again. But buying new parts and/or sending it to a shop to get fixed? No, it's really a losing prospect in terms of dollars. You'd be better off spending that money on another model like a Kentucky.

Whatever you do, though, don't get discouraged or dissuaded!

[Nevin]

I would suggest you look at this as an opportunity to learn something about instrument repair. A cracked bridge is not that hard to repair. There are several threads on the subject. If your neck does have a twist or warp that can be more involved or more trouble than it is worth. If you can get some good pictures showing the problem that could help us guide you.

[Br1ck]

If you do decide to buy a better instrument, more important than the overall quality is the setup. There is no reason an inexpensive instrument can't be set up to play well. Your chances of finding one at a general music store are slim to none. I've tried enough mandolins at all purpose stores to believe this.

Check out some cafe sponsors. They weed out the junk. Even if you don't want to shell out for a solid wood instrument, and a solid wood mandolin is highly recommended, you likely will find a playable instrument that will start you on the right track. It will play nicely, and play that's important for a beginner.

We tend to get jaded here, forget when an extra hundred dollars was a lot to us, but we have all seen motivated beginners done in by poor quality mandolins. We all want you to succeed because we all want you to have a lifetime of enjoyment.

If you want to know what work is necessary to get a mando playing well, there are lots of YouTube videos.

[HonketyHank]

This may be a bit of a thread diversion, so for that I apologize. But the timing is right. I just noticed that Baron Collins-Hill has been playing a new (or different) mandolin lately in his lessons (mandolessons.com). Turns out it is a Kentucky 150. If you are in the market check out his latest few lessons. I was really surprised when I found out what it is. Sounds quite good for an entry level instrument.

It is quite something for somebody who normally plays an Ellis to just sorta sneak in a few lessons with a K-150. He has a video dated 12/23/16 in which he introduces and demos it.

FWIW, I sadly concur that a new, better mandolin would be the best move in the long run. Get it from a dealer who will do a good setup job on it. Like maybe one of MC's sponsors.

FWIW2, I don't have a Kentucky mandolin, nor do I sell mandolins, yada yada yada.

[colorado_al]

Welcome to the wonderful world of mandolin!
If you are handy at all, you can buy a new bridge and fit it reasonably well, using Rob Meldrum's setup instructions:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...hlight=Meldrum
https://smile.amazon.com/Musiclily-C...dp/B00CE221WM/

Probably can adjust the nut as well. Looks like your instrument does not have an adjustable neck, so you'd just have to live with the neck the way it is.
If you are not able to do what is described in the setup guide, you can likely have a local shop do it for you, though you are getting into more money at that point. If you bought the mandolin new, and haven;t had it long, the seller may take a return on it.

If you've only had 1 lesson and are not a mandolin player yet, it can be daunting to spend several hundred $$ on a mandolin, but if you are sure you're going to stick with it, buy one from a shop that will set it up for you, if you cannot do it yourself.

Like anything else in life, you usually get just about what you pay for.

If I were you, I'd not spend the money on the Fender, if you can't do the repairs yourself, after reading Rob's free setup book.

I'd sooner spend the money on a Kentucky KM-150 from a reliable seller who will do the setup for you.
Here it is from a great shop for $350, with setup:
https://themandolinstore.com/product...-with-gig-bag/

PS- Where are you located? Maybe a member here is in your area who can help you out with it.

[HonketyHank]

BarCCakes, I sent you a PM (personal message). You should be able to access it via the "Notifications" link at the top of the page.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From Bob Visentin - "Why would you put a $55 bridge on a $100 mando? Bridges can be had for under $10 dollars and will do just fine.". I understand that remark perfectly Bob - but,if it were really true, then Steve Smith's Cumberland Acoustic business would have closed by now. Less expensive anythings can be had,but most are built 'down' to a price level. CA bridges are built up to a 'quality' - that's the difference. I do agree that in some cases,a CA bridge might not add anything,but,the instrument it's on will sound as good as it can (usually). If the 'sound' doesn't improve,then it wont be the bridge's fault !!. One thing though,i've never read on here about a CA bridge breaking in any way. Mostly,we only get the quality we pay for - if we're lucky ,
Ivan

[Paul Hostetter]

Why would you put a $55 bridge on a $100 mando? Bridges can be had for under $10 dollars and will do just fine.

Under $5 is more like it—check eBay. But there is still the time and expertise required to fit the bridge to the top, which is no different than fitting a Cumberland, to consider. Time = $$.

All else aside for the moment, what's more reasonable is to buy one of the eBay bridges and simply put the top on the base that's already on the Fender. There's a very strong chance it'll fit the existing base, saving a good hour of fooling around trying to fit a new bridge base.

Fender mandolins, especially their necks, are squirrelly. Some earlier and/or higher models have adjustable rods, though I don't think yours does. If the neck is backbowed and there's no rod, don't waste time on it—just get another mandolin, and preferably a better one than a Fender. Don't fall for all the advice about filing the frets or heating the neck to straighten it and so on.

[RBMB]

Is it playable for the first 7 frets? If so, I wouldn't worry about the neck for now.

[Steevarino]

I agree with Paul. If the neck IS warped, and there is no truss rod, you might be stuck. However, on the subject of bridges, I realize our bridges might be "a bit much" for certain grades of mandolins, but I have yet to put one on any mandolin and not see an improvement in volume, tone, and accuracy of intonation.

I can offer what might be a more realistic match-up. I have a bucket full of "take-off" mandolin bridges. These are mostly from "The Loar" mandolins that we purchase new, put our bridges and a good set-up on them, and sell them. Not the best bridge out there, but completely serviceable. At ten bucks each, I can't see them breaking anyone's bank. Let me know if you want one. I've been meaning to get rid of them. Might even take them to SPBGMA in a couple of weeks!

[colorado_al]

That's a great offer, and an example of why Cumberland Acoustic is great to buy from. Excellent service and great products! A take-off from another mandolin will also be a good start on getting it fit to your instrument. Also, what was mentioned above, if the broken part is the saddle (the part that touches the strings) you likely can just replace that part from one of the take off bridges that Steve has. Then when you eventually upgrade to a new mandolin, you can go for the Cumberland bridge. More important than which bridge, however, is to have it properly fitted and adjusted to your mandolin. Perhaps your instructor can assist you with it once you get the new bridge?
Best of luck!

[Ivan Kelsall]

My only experience with CA bridges came when i fitted one to my first Lebeda mandolin. I took my time,did a good job,including having to contour the flat saddle to suit contoured the fingerboard & re-cut the slots - it was the only one that the UK store had, & it did improve the overall sound of the mandolin,
Ivan