Whats up with the tone

[BingoFuel]

Recently, I purchased a new Eastman 614 Oval hole and was amazed at how wonderful it sounds compared to my Kentucky 505. I must admit I have never been totally impressed with the 505 , either in its volume or tone. It always has sounded rather 'corked up' if that makes sense. Over the last year or so I installed a C.A. Bridge in it and that brightened up the tone some and increased the volume too.
About two or three weeks ago The factory bridge on the new Eastman broke due to (as I see it) the grain running in a less than Ideal manner. I removed the saddle from C.A bridge on The Kentucky and it works fantastic.
Now, having the Kentucky as a somewhat extra mandolin I decided that I would play around with fixed bridges as per Red Henry and others, experiments we have all read about. I have had some success with this. The volume is much increased and the tone has improved somewhat. All In all, a much more pleasing instrument to play now. But, the tone is still not really 'good'.
Last night I was just picking a few tunes and generally enjoying the sounds coming fom the instuments. After a bit I rested my ear on the side of the Eastman and wow I must say I was rather blown away. The tone(s) I heard were very pure. Each string plucked had a harmony that was very pleasing. As each tone faded away it remained in tune not changing so much in pitch as in just volume. Some of the tones I heard almost sounded 'Electric'.
Trying this with the Kentucky produced almost the opposite effect. Each string plucked sounded full of disharmony, muddy tones. As the tone drifted away so did the pitch, mostly going flat with some strings sharp. Now, I certainly dont expect a mandolin that costs half of what the eastman does to sound as good. But, What I heard was rather ugly.
My curiosity is rather in play here more than the need to "fix" this issue. Anybody have any thoughts on what might be causing this ?

[Fretbear]

You said yourself that the CA bridge on the Kentucky "brightened up the tone and increased the volume too."
While it may never sound fantastic (considering what you have reported about it) in my experience an expertly fit CA bridge will simply allow the mandolin to deliver everything that it has got to give, short of stripping the top or re-graduating the top and back plates.
Your description of the sound of the Kentucky with the fixed (maple?) bridge is what I would expect and what my experience with them has been as well.

[Big Joe]

When you rest your ear on the side of the mandolin you will hear things you do not hear behind the mandolin. This is not an indication one is better or worse than the other. What you hear with your ear on the instrument is not what isheardin front of the mandolin. Do not make tonal judgements based on what you hear with your ear on the instrument. Make them based on what it sounds in front of it.

[Bertram Henze]

As the tone drifted away so did the pitch, mostly going flat with some strings sharp.

Now that is really strange - no matter what part of the frequency spectrum you hear conveyed through the air or ear-to-wood, the pitch should remain constant. This means that during ringing out, either length or tension of the string changes. Too loose strings can do that, bad nut slots can, too. The latter can be ruled out by putting a capo on the first fret and repeating the experiment.

Strings that change pitch avoid the very resonance with other strings which is a precondition of that good sound we want.

[Stephen Perry]

As I think of it, there's harmonic, disharmonic, and intermodulation distortion from wood vibration and boundary layer/standing wave effects. Noise. I've worked a good bit to get rid of noise in instruments. Could be parts of the 505, both structural components glued in place and the bridge, are working against each other. Too bad you're a long way off.

[BingoFuel]

Thank you all for your replies,
There is good points there to think about in all of them.

yes indeed the bridge change had a worthwhile effect on the tone, more so in my opinion , with the fixed bridge. To relate it more specifically, it has taken it from disappointing to acceptable . Not really a big joy to play. As a learner its good, easy to fret, well set up ect. it just doesnt sound pleasing. I have had the opportunity to have another player play this instrument while I listened. Although I understand Big joes point, the tonal judgements were not based on the sole criteria of having my ear on the side of the instrument. I included the information because as i saw it it was possibly an indication of what was going on inside the instument making the tone heard outside the instument unpleasing.
Truth be told, I kinda suspect that it might be structural, on other instuments I have played I have also felt significantly more vibrations in the neck. It is rather a shame it doesnt sound better, from other aspects this mandolin is very easy to play.

[BingoFuel]

For what its worth, I made six bridges. two different styles and three different woods. Ebony, Maple and Bloodwood. Not much difference between the syles of bridge. Ebony sounded best but was quite a bit quieter. Maple gave the most volume but suffered tone wise on this instrument, kinda harsh on the high end. I settled on the blood wood as a good compromise, almost the tone of the ebony with almost all of the volume of the maple.

[kkmm]

Hmm, after reading this post, I listen much more carefully to my Kentucky, after plucking the string, the note came out clear but I do hear another sound behind it, very low volume but I can hear it. I am almost positive that the person in front of me will not hear this sound. When I record my playing acoustically, using a mic, I hear the notes and the sound of the pick hitting the strings (lightly though), not any other sound.
The Ovation, being so solid, does not produce this "background" sound.