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Thread: Mandolin Buying Tips

  1. #1
    Registered User Nonprophet's Avatar
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    Default Mandolin Buying Tips

    Being very new to the mandolin world, I'm going through a pretty steep learning curve while trying to satisfy my MAS. Between my own personal experiences in buying a used mandolin, and, seeing others who have had unpleasant surprises, I think it would be a great idea to try and culminate all the many years of experience to be found here on the cafe into a "Buyer's Guide" of sorts that can help people avoid purchasing mandolins that might need costly repairs that they are not aware of.

    Being both new and poor , I'm looking mostly at used mandolins. If I buy a used mandolin for $800 and it needs $500+ in repairs that I didn't know about, well, that would be very unfortunate. I'm also involved in the photography world, and most photography forums have a "gear buying tips" FAQ or thread to help their members know what to look for when buying used gear. These tips are VERY helpful, and I'd like to apply the same logic to the mandolin world.

    In doing a search here, I notice that someone in the past had tried to start a mandolin buying guide, but it seemed like it got bogged down in the issues of A style vs F style, f-holes, oval holes, new, used, domestic, pac rim, etc.

    I'd like this thread to simply say: "So, you've decided to buy a mandolin that fits your playing style and budget. Here's what to look out for when buying a mandolin."

    While this would apply more to used mandolins that might have developed problems over time, it can also apply to new mandolins that have issues that somehow made it through quality control.

    Hands down I think the best advice is to take a mandolin that you are thinking about buying into a local luthier that you trust to have them evaluate it before purchase. However, not all of us are fortunate enough to have a good local luthier available, and, even if we do have one, they may or may not be able to look at the mandolin for you within say a 48 hour review period like often offered here on the classifieds. So, knowing at least some of what to look for can really come in handy.

    Anyway, based on a few experiences I've had in buying a mandolin, I offer the following suggestions. I really hope that others with much more experience than I will chip in and add new information and/or correct my mistakes!

    I would urge people to buy the StewMac string action gauge (NFI). For $19 it will provide you with several tools that can help you both evaluate a mandolin that you are thinking about buying, as well as help you to maintain good playability down the road. You can use it to: measure the string action, measure the height of the strings off of the soundboard at the nut and bridge, check for unlevel frets, saddle slot depth, and nut height among other things. It has several rulers that will measure in 32's and 64's which is very helpful.

    Here are some suggested ways to check out a mandolin:

    1. Check the top for any sinking, usually around the bridge.

    2. Check for any glued seams that might be pulling apart.

    3. Check for any loose bracing, lining, etc by tapping the top, back, and sides in multiple places. Any "rattling" or "dead" sounds may mean that glue joints are loose inside the cavity. If possible, bring a small pivoting head mirror and flashlight and look around the inside of the mandolin.

    4. Look carefully over the instrument for any cracks. Look especially around the neck to body joint and the tops and bottoms of f-holes if present. If at all possible, bring a flashlight and take the mandolin into a dark room like a closet. Shine the flashlight into the body cavity, and look for any place where you can see light shining through--this can reveal small cracks not otherwise visible. Cracks in the top, sides, and back are usually repairable--cracks in the neck/heel can mean costly repairs.

    5. Use a good electronic tuner and check the intonation and bridge placement. See this video if you don't know how. Make sure that the bridge is centered under the fretboard and nut so that there is more or less the same distance from the outside G string to the edge of the fretboard as there is from the outside E string to the edge of the fretboard. If the bridge wants to move to the left or right, there might be other problems see #10.

    6. Check the string action. Using the StewMac tool (or a set of feeler gauges) check the action at the 12th fret. In general, the action should be around 4/64's to 5/64's at the 12th fret (as measured from the bottom of the string to the top of the fret) with no buzzing. As a quickie check, most popsicle sticks laying flat are about 5/64's. some people prefer higher or lower action, but you should be able to set the action at 5/64's with no buzzing. NOTE: One side of the bridge may be higher than the other--this is ok as long as it's not radically higher--i.e. more than 1/8" or so.

    7. Check the height of the strings at the bridge off of the soundboard/top. From the bottom of the strings to the top of the soundboard ideally should be 3/4" and, you should still have downward adjustment room (1/8" or so) to lower the saddle if need be. More than 3/4" is fine, much less than that could mean a bad neck set angle or other problems. With a good bridge and proper neckset angle, you should be able to lower the bridge to where all the strings touch the fretboard.

    8. Check the neck relief/straightness. You need to do this from several angles. Sight down the neck from the peghead to the bridge. Do this on both the bass and the treble sides of the fretboard. If the relief is even on both sides, then most likely a truss rod adjustment while take care of most relief issues. If one side is more "bumpy" or has more "dips" than the other side, then more than likely you will need to have the fretboard planed and leveled, and new frets installed. This can cost anywhere from $200-$600 dollars.

    9. Check the neck for twisting. Looking down the fretboard from the peghead, does is look like the bass side or the treble side is higher? Note: many necks have some degree of twist, and more often than not an adjustable bridge can take care of this. Seriously twisted necks can lead to costly repairs.

    10. Check the peghead/bridge/tailpiece alignment. Tie a piece of strong string to the end pin and run it up the face of the mandolin/fretboard to the center of the top of the peghead. You can hold the string taught to measure with your other hand, or, you can create a loop by going back down the back of the mandolin and tie off on the end pin. Using a ruler, measure from the center of the taught string to the outside edge of the fretboard. Do this at the top, middle, and bottom of the fretboard. While the measurement will increase as the fretboard widens, it should still be more or less the same measurement on both sides. If off by very much (i.e. much more than a 16th) this could mean that the bridge is not centered properly, the tailpiece is not centered correctly, the bridge notches were not centered correctly, or, that the neck has pulled to the left or right. A relatively easy fix would be to move the bridge so that the reveal (the space between the outer string and the edge of the fretboard) is equal on both sides. However, you may find that the bridge won't stay, or, that centering the bridge still doesn't line things up right. Once you have centered the bridge, sight up the mandolin from the tailpiece up to the peghead. If the strings "curve" in one direction, this may mean neck problems or that the tailpiece is not centered properly. In a worst case scenario, you could be looking at a neck reset or even a neck replacement which could cost from $500 to well over $1,000.

    11. Using a good electric tuner, tune all the strings and strum some chords checking them with your tuner. If you're certain the bridge is placed properly (triple check this!) and you've retuned the strings but strummed chords still read pretty sharp or flat, then it's possible that the fret placement is off. Frets must be accurately placed on the fretboard, and being off by even a few 1000ths can create problems. If the strings are badly worn, this could be the source of the problem and putting new strings on to check costs very little. If after tuning and retuning with new strings you just can't get good clean chords, you may need to have a new fretboard installed. This can cost anywhere from $300 and up. (NOTE: I recently experienced this on a used mandolin originally built by a smaller, independent builder).

    12. Check to see if the frets are level. Using the narrow side of the StewMac string gauge too (or a similar straight edge that only spans 3 frets at a time), start at the top of the fretboard. Place the edge of the tool over three frets at a time, and try to rock the gauge back and forth. Check this between all 4 sets of strings on each fret--place the gauge between the strings. If it rocks, the middle fret is high. Work your way down the fretboard as far as you can go where the edge of the fret tool only covers 3 frets. This will give you at least some idea as to how level the frets are. This video will explain it a little better. If just a few frets are a little high/low, it's probably not a big deal if you're not getting a lot of buzzing. But if you have a lot of rocking/high frets, then you will need to get the frets dressed. This will usually cost $75-$150 or so.

    Well, that's all I can think of for now. I hope that others will correct me as needed and/or provide more tips to be added. Hopefully we can wind up with a clear, concise, and accurate set of mandolin buying tips that will help all of us get the most bang for our buck!

    NP
    Last edited by Nonprophet; Mar-17-2011 at 6:28pm.

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  3. #2
    Registered User dcoventry's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Buying Tips

    That's good stuff right there. Time to go check mine!

    Dave

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    Moderator JEStanek's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Buying Tips

    You ought to blog your post to make it easier to refer people to it. Just click Blog this Post at the bottom left of your post.
    There are two things to aim at in life: first, to get what you want; and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. Logan Pearsall Smith, 1865 - 1946

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  5. #4
    Innocent Bystander JeffD's Avatar
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    Default Re: Mandolin Buying Tips

    good idea
    A talent for trivializin' the momentous and complicatin' the obvious.

    The entire staff
    funny....

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