Re-stringing

[rbsumner]

New to the Mando and am looking for input on various ways to re-string. IE: 1 or 2 sets at a time or? Do not want to have to realign the bridge every time I change a string set! Thanks!

[man dough nollij]

Some folks advocate taking all the strings off except the outside G and E, to keep the bridge in place. I haven't tried that-- I usually just start on the outside G and change one at a time. It is harder to clean the fretboard that way, though.

I have found that when I have unstrung and restrung for setup work, it is pretty obvious where the bridge was-- it leaves a shadow on the finish where the pressure was.

[devilstone_the_bard]

check out this article - http://www.frets.com/FRETSPa....g1.html

[Tim2723]

To be perfectly honest, I don't think I've managed to get away without at least a slight bridge adjustment every time I change strings. Because of that, I often just go ahead and remove them all and then give the mando a good cleaning. Replacing the bridge becomes second nature once you've done it a few times, and I think we worry too much about that task. I'm sure some bridges probably could use a minor touch up even between string changes so why not just get good at it? Correctly placing the bridge is just part of mandolin ownership.

[MikeEdgerton]

...Correctly placing the bridge is just part of mandolin ownership.

Amen.

[J.Albert]

Just a few comments on the way I change 'em...

A sofa or a bed is a good place for the job, if one's available. The bed, particulary - plenty of room to spread things out. Let the body of the mando rest on the bed, hold the peghead with your knee.

I put some Tri-Flow lubricant on the gears BEFORE I start unwinding the strings - this way it gets worked in while you turn things to get the old strings off and new ones on. (You can get Tri-Flow at many bicycle shops)

I do the strings a pair at a time. Start with the low pair and "work up".

I thread the string through the post _before_ trying to hook it on loop end (traditional Gibson-type tailpiece). Leave some "play" in it, then put the loop into the hook. Use your right arm near the elbow to keep the loop "hooked" while you "tie the knot" at the post. I then put a finger from my right hand on the string near the nut, and "pull the slack out and up" over the fingerboard while I turn the tuning knob with the left hand. I like a few extra winds around the post.

Works for me.

- John

[mdlorenz]

That frets article is IMHO the best method. I replace one set at a time... Never have to deal w/ bridge placement... Unles sI want to clean or move it.

[8ch(pl)]

I wind my strings in the opposite manner that most people use. #

I start by looping the string to the tailpiece first, then pass it through the bridge and nut slots next. #Then I bring it up to the tuner machine post and wrap it 3 times (twice for wound strings) using neat even wraps. #I put it through the hole in the post and tighten it up to pitch. #All the while I keep hand tension on the string so there is no slack during the process. #It will usually gain about a further wrap stretching up to tension.

The string tension fetches the string wraps up on the post to hold the end of the string up against the top of the hole. I don't normally back wrap it to lock the string, but I have passed it through the hole a second time. This is not needed for the heavier wrapped strings.

If I change out all the strings, I start in the center with the A string, then do the D, then A then work out to the sides. I find less dificulty with the bridge shifting off center this way.

Most times I loosen all the strings and then replace one at a time using the same tensioning pattern.

[Denny Gies]

I also go for the one set at a time, beginning with the G strings and working up to the E's.

[man dough nollij]

I wind my strings in the opposite manner that most people use. #

So the strings come up around the outside of the posts? Is that better somehow? Seems like it would put an undesirable side tension on the nut slots, eh? What's an 8ch(pl)? Inquiring minds want to know. Yep.

[Tim2723]

I seems to me that R.B.'s question is more about how to avoid having to realign the bridge. #While the techniques discussed will help minimize bridge movement, it's important to remember that any musical instrument with a movable bridge - mandolins, banjos, some guitars, and even fiddles - will require adjustment eventually. #Only a tiny minority of mandolins use fixed bridges, and the ability to make the adjustment is a basic skill just like tuning and changing strings. #For any mandolin with properly placed frets, bridge location is the next primary key to correct intonation. #It's the first adjustment made during a set up.

As well as being in the right place on the soundboard, the bridge can tilt forward or back, or can slide sideways. #Getting it back to where it belongs is not difficult, but does take practice like any other task. To keep our instruments playing at their best, the intonation should be checked often and adjusted whenever needed, and we should never just assume that it hasn't changed.

[rbsumner]

Thanks for all the tips! In response to Tim2723, I do understand about bridge placement, intonation, etc. Being very finiky, I always have an "ear out" for anything out of tune. I am and have been replaceing the strings on my OM21 every 4 to 6 weeks due to tarnish and loss of sound quality. Am expecting to have to do the same to the Eastman 815 I just purchased. Just looking for the typical and accepted practice and methods of the routine string change, of course any adjustments, if needed would be performed then but if intonation is ok it seems pointless to remove the bridge for every string change!
Thanks, Brandon

[Lee Bumgarner]

Many thanks for your comments.

I had knocked my bridge askew, resulting in my mando sounding increasingly sour. When I tried to reset/rejigger the bridge, I didn't improve things. Having researched as much as I could in these forums, I gulped, took all my strings off (only a month old), reset the bridge a tad closer to the tailpeace, put the strings on, increased tension, and tuned up. Voila! My mando sounds a lot more in tune, and I learned quite a bit! (I'll still take it to Terry the luthier @ Harry's to check my work.)

[GVD]

A sofa or a bed is a good place for the job, if one's available.

Well unfortunately my dog has dibs on both of those so I'm stuck with using a kitchen or coffee table. #

GVD

[grags]

Leebee,

You mentioned Terry at Harry's. By any chance are you referring to Terry at Harry's Guitar Shop in Raleigh, NC? Harry is a long time friend and I bought my last two mandolins from him. A great local music shop. It used to be my Saturday hangout.

[mickey.cole]

watch for the leaning bridge.

[mandroid]

RB 1) tetanus booster lately? extra bandages?

one string at a time, I pull with my right hand , holding the string like a pencil,

keeps loop on the tailpiece hook until the winding takes tension,

then pull out your hand, maintaining the tension.

the distance up and over my hand turns out to be about 3 wraps around the capstan.

Don't forget to bring the plain strings back under itself so it locks in place, as it winds over itself.

pictures of that process have been posted before.

[earthsave]

I wind my strings in the opposite manner that most people use.

So the strings come up around the outside of the posts? Is that better somehow? Seems like it would put an undesirable side tension on the nut slots, eh? What's an 8ch(pl)? Inquiring minds want to know. Yep.

I think he just means he winds the strings around the post first and then pokes it through the hole, versus poking it through the hole and winding around the post and then tucking under and up the string.

I've done both. Only problem I have with prewinding it is I have trouble getting the string through the hole sometimes. It's great to reduce the number of times to turn the tuner to get to tune though; much faster. However, I still generally go with the traditional method.

[8ch(pl)]

I haven't been back to this thread for a few.

You are right Scot, I wind the strings around the post first, then through the hole. That way I know how many wraps I will wind up with.

And man dough nolli, 8CH(PL) is the official abbreviation for 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's), a Canadian Armoured Regiment to which I was attached as the one and only Tentmaker (nickname Omar)about 25 years ago. In the 25 years that I served it is the only posting where I felt that my efforts were appreciated.

Cheers all.

[devilstone_the_bard]

One trickI just started using is once I get the string loop over the "finger" on the bridge, and have enough slack in the strings, is to use a capo to hold tension on the strings so the loop end does not come off the bridge. Magnets work too, but the capo seems easier. Plus, I have to find some use for my old capos besides using them to PLAY!

[Lee Bumgarner]

Leebee,

You mentioned Terry at Harry's. #By any chance are you referring to Terry at Harry's Guitar Shop in Raleigh, NC? #Harry is a long time friend and I bought my last two mandolins from him. #A great local music shop. #It used to be my Saturday hangout.

Grags,

Yup, that Terry and that Harry's. My instructor is Steve Howell.

When Terry sees my mando, he laughs at how I have strung (stringed?) on the tuning posts, but I'm learning and trying different ways per this forum and the cross-referenced guid to stringing.

Lee B.

[Mr. Loar]

You have to poke yourself in the finger or hand at least once to be totally successful.

[Lee]

Bright light and a pair of safety glasses are not bad ideas either.
One of my dreaded tasks...