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Thread: Getting more bass?

  1. #1
    Registered User pmadison's Avatar
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    I am interested in getting more bass out of my F style. Any suggestions on make and type of strings that may provide the 'tone'? And, how far (currently using 41s) can I go before stressing the neck?

    thanx
    p
    Throw my wife out the window, a kiss.

  2. #2
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Do you have a Tonegard on the back? [or #shift to a way to play without holding the instrument touching it's back to your body?
    I found bass tone #was helped #by allowing the whole instrument to resonate , when
    I put a TG on mine.

    soundwaves longer than the whole mandolin would be wishful thinking.


    Also, Consider buying a Mandola ..



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  3. #3
    Registered User pmadison's Avatar
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    Thanx. I have not tried a Tonegard, but I am considering a mandola, (never have played one). My wife will shoot me, again, if another instrument joins the family.
    Throw my wife out the window, a kiss.

  4. #4
    Gilchrist (pick) Owner! jasona's Avatar
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    Instead of spending the cash on a new instrument (and winding up dead) hows about you drop a few tens of cents down on a D'Andrea ProPlec or a Dawg or a Golden Gate pick? That will darken up your tone somewhat.
    Jason Anderson

    "...while a great mandolin is a wonderful treat, I would venture to say that there is always more each of us can do with the tools we have available at hand. The biggest limiting factors belong to us not the instruments." Paul Glasse

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  5. #5
    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Convince your 'pistol packin mama' that a duet would be fun with mandolin and mandola.
    she can play one too.
    writing about music
    is like dancing,
    about architecture

  6. #6
    Registered User pmadison's Avatar
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    I have done the pick part, I use a dawg mostly, haven't tried a D'Andrea ProPlec. Me being the clever person that I am, 'SHE' asked "Why so many mandolins and geetars" and I replied that they are like womens shoes...they are all different. Now 'SHE' wants a new pair shoes if I get a new instrument. 'SHE' has a lot of shoes!
    Throw my wife out the window, a kiss.

  7. #7
    Registered User Yellowmandolin's Avatar
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    I like Gibson Sam Bush strings specifically for the low end pop. They are, IMHO, much "thicker" than the phosphor bronze G and Ds that most people seem to use.
    Play, play, play!

    Jacob Hawkins

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    A new pair of shoes for her for every new instrument you buy? That sounds like a screamin' deal to me. Wish I could get away with such an arrangement. I've pretty much managed by supplying jewelery.
    Peace - Jon

  9. #9
    Ursus Mandolinus Fretbear's Avatar
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    GHS Silk & Bronze mandolin strings (Silk & Steel if you don't mind changing them every week)
    But Amsterdam was always good for grieving
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    So I walked around with the Ft. Worth Blues

  10. #10
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    My mandolin brings more bass if hit the strings closer to the fretboard. If you're near the bridge you'll get that thinner sound. Think about how you hold your pick, and where you strike the strings. I have attended workshops with numerous players who emphasize this as creating your tone. Play near the fingerboard, strike the string just right, and as Ronny would say "keep your wrist loose, like a dish rag". He uses a triangular shaped Fender extra heavy, which in my experience brings out the bass, with more manueverability than a Dawg pick. Start slow on your tone, up down, and then mix up with a lot of down strokes for that Monroe or Drew Emmitt sound.
    david blair

  11. #11
    Registered User pmadison's Avatar
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    Well... I went out last night and got the Sam Bush strings and was surprised at the amount of sustain lost compared to the D'Addario J74s. Wish the lower tone difference was as much as the sustain loss. I have GHS Silk & Bronze on another F model and I think I like the GHS S&B on the geetar better.
    Thanx 4 all the tips.
    Throw my wife out the window, a kiss.

  12. #12
    Registered User Yellowmandolin's Avatar
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    Oh yeah, the sustain does go down a fair bit on the Sam Bush stings... That was a sacrifice I was willing to make though. Another advantage of the SB stings is that I have found their good tone lasts much longer for those of us with acid sweat. Good luck find the perfect set!
    Play, play, play!

    Jacob Hawkins

  13. #13

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    Nothing really you can do if your mandolin doesn't have bass already. It has to be "built in". A mandolin, or for that matter, any instrument, is like a band. If you don't have a bass player, you don't have a band. You gotta have the lows, mids and highs "built in" your mandolin, or it just isn't complete.

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    Just a thought. Is your bridge fit correct. Does it contact the top completely with the feet. Sometimes a better fit will help. Like stated above though if it is not built into the instrument it usually means the top is to thick.
    Five

  15. #15
    Got Buckstrips? Jerry Byers's Avatar
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    How old is the mandolin? The bass should develop with age. While I agree that the lows, mids, and highs are "built in" your mandolin, some of it develops with age, curing of the finish, drying of the woods, and opening up. Between the trebles and bass, the trebles don't get any better - whatever you have when its built, that's what you have; the bass on the other hand should get better with age. Of course, a poor sounding mandolin doesn't get better with age, it just sounds bad from the get go.

  16. #16
    Registered User MandoSquirrel's Avatar
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    You might try Flatwound strings; Thomasticks or JazzMando J-11's for instance, you should get more bottom, I haven't noticed any difference in sustain with my Breedlove oval hole, but the Sound is definitely better than bronze roundwounds.
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  17. #17
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    if are using light gauge strings you may have some luck trying a heavier gauge.
    Five

  18. #18
    Registered User pmadison's Avatar
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    To respond to above feedback, & continue....I am wanting to 'get more bass' on three mandos. Two fs and one 2-point. They are all from the 70s so they should be seasoned and getting better by the year. Bridges are sitting flat and perpendicular and am using 11-41s or 11-40s. The fs have the better tone, I am giving up on the 2-point..... probably. After 2 days of Sam Bush strings, I miss the sustain from the bronz strings. I don't play blue grass fast and I think that is what SB strings give you is that lower 'pop'. As for the instruments having 'the sound' that is probably a big factor. Maybe an older A Style Gibson?
    Thanx 4 the input.
    p
    Throw my wife out the window, a kiss.

  19. #19
    Registered User steve V. johnson's Avatar
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    My experience with -octave- mandolins is similar to what some folks here have written, especially that the bridge placement, and to some extent, the bridge design, can make a large difference in getting the full range of sounds from a mando-family instrument.

    One thing that I've discovered is that there is a point of diminishing returns with using larger strings. At some point, larger strings dampen the bass response of instruments. This was a surprise to me when I discovered it, but it's proven to be true.

    So, with some instruments, the full range of sound will come from less-than-large strings.

    stv
    steve V. johnson

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    Whatch it with flatwounds, I tried one set and I couldn't put them on because they would've required a nut re-carve.
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  21. #21
    Jason Wicklund DryBones's Avatar
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    the Jazzmando JM-11s are smaller than the J74's so slot size shouldn't be a problem. I suppose you could have the opposite problem with the slots being to big creating possible buzzing?
    Jason

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    Registered User cooper4205's Avatar
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    i have to agree with the silk & bronze recommendation. they seem to give my mandolins a darker tone on the wound strings than the john pearse or d'addario phos. bronze strings.



    Wes
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