Set Up

[Huda]

Everyone keeps talking about how a good setup makes the Romanian (and other) instruments sound so much better.

But what does that mean? What exactly is involved in setup?
I know about adjusting the bridge and checking for intonation.

What else is involved? And how much does it ususally cost?

[Celtic Saguaro]

It also involves making sure the nut is cut properly so that you can play all frets comfortably. #Usually it means checking the heighth of the bridge so that it's not impossible to play up the neck. #Also checking to see there are no unwanted buzzes (from uneven frets or bad nut and bridge slots) when playing any note should be part of it.

[Tom A]

There's plenty of info on the Web about setting up guitars - the same considerations apply to CBOMs as well. Here's a Google link to get started with some background material:

Guitar setup links on Google

A relatively easy adjustment is setting the neck relief via the truss rod nut (see references above). This can make a big difference in playability and intonation.

Lowering the string heights can be accomplished by cutting string slots deeper (for small adjustments at the nut - requires special files) or by sanding the bottom of the nut or bridge.

If you want to try doing the job yourself, get a cheap set of automotive feeler gauges to check string heights at 1st and 12th frets and measure to see where your starting from.

Lots of good info in the Builders/Repair discussion also.

[otterly2k]

Setup is mostly about intonation, action, and buzzes. But it can be trickier than simply measuring string heights. Buzzes can be complicated to track down, and there are several ways to address action issues that have different implications. Neck relief, lowering or raising the nut, lowering or raising the bridge, adjusting slots in nut or saddle, etc... all of these can be part of setup work, as can be dressing frets and checking for any unevenness in frets.

It's kind of an art and a science. you can definitely learn how to do most of it yourself, but someone with experience will most likely do a better job more quickly. How much it costs will vary based on who is doing it and how extensive the adjustments are (and how much time it takes to make them).

There's a lot of great info on frets.com about setup issues and procedures.

[Martin Jonas]

Specifically for those Romanian zouks you referred to, setup also involves throwing away the terrible bridge they supply with the instrument and replacing it with a nice ebony bridge. More generally with instruments on the cheaper end of the market, you want to think about exactly where corners were cut in production and whether it's possible to remedy them without spending more than the instrument warrants. The standard items that can be upgraded are bridges, nuts, tailpieces or tuners.

When adjusting the action, it's important to consider not only the action at the bridge, but also at the nut. Most cheap instruments have the nut (or the zero fret) set way too high for playability.

Checking frets.com is great advice and will tell you more about setup than you've ever wanted to know.

Martin

[Huda]

Yay! My Romanian OM finally arrived!

I am in the process of setting it up (to the best of my ability) and I saw that martinjonas wrote:

"Specifically for those Romanian zouks you referred to, setup also involves throwing away the terrible bridge they supply with the instrument and replacing it with a nice ebony bridge"

1. Just how bad is the bridge they supplied?

2. Where do I get a nice ebony bridge? How much do they run?

Thanks!

[Martin Jonas]

1. Just how bad is the bridge they supplied?

2. Where do I get a nice ebony bridge? How much do they run?

1. Pretty bad: it's some sort of softwood with an ebony saddle. Changing it will greatly increase sustain, without which it doesn't sound all that much like a bouzouki should.

2. Here. If you get in within the next 12 hours, and nobody else does, you pay £0.75. Similar bridges come up quite frequently from a number of sellers, and you should be able to get one for under £10. These are small items, so international postage is pretty minimal. You will need to take a lot of material from the bottom in order to reach a playable action, and add decent slots that don't buzz.

Martin

[Huda]

I currently have an ebony bridge on my arched-top (small) mandolin. Could I flatten the feet and use it on my OM?

Would that work?

[otterly2k]

Huda-
Wouldn't that leave you with an unplayable mandolin??

Why sacrifice an archtop bridge to make it flat? Keep your arch and get a new bridge for the flat. Also, it is likely that your archtop bridge is way too high for your flat OM, and would require more work than just flattening the feet...

IMHO - Just order a bridge blank and keep playing with your current bridge until it arrives...

[Steph]

Talking of setups - I just got back from picking up my Sobell cittern and '24 Snakehead from Don Kawalek - what an amazing difference a good setup can make - those buzzy G string on my Sobell now jangle nicely. Don tweeked the action and levelled/dressed the frets - it plays like a dream now. Best moment was when Don phoned me at work during the week and gushed "Steph - I've changed the strings on the Gibson!!" er, yes, thanks Don - "It's amazing he enthused" seems that the Thomastiks I'd left him really sounded good on this mandolin. When I picked it up today I had to agree - think I've found the ideal strings for that puppy.
I drove 3 hours each way (twice)to get my instruments to/from Don - I'd read the horror stories on the cafe about "authorized dealers" messing up things big time - I took my stuff straight to a guy I knew I could trust.
Moral of the story - a good setup is is worth the hassle/cost - if you don't know anyone near you - call Don.

[Luthier]

Thanks Steph for the accolades. Set up can make or break the sound of the instrument and as was stated earlier there are many factors that will affect the sound, and ease of playing, and a proper set up will maximize both. I have worked on instruments of poor quality and have managed to liven them up, but it really helps to start with a quality piece.

Don