1/32" sure makes a neck feel different...

[Dotneck]

I recently go an Eastman (my first mandolin) and last night was playing with some friends. Got to try my friend's The Loar (LM700). The neck on her mando sure felt roomy to my old fat fingers compared to my Eastman...

My Eastman has a 1 3/32" nut and a radiused fretboard. Hers has a 1 1/8" nut and a flat fretboard. Did not expect there to be such a pronounced difference in feel from such a small difference in specs...

Do other folks find these differences to be significant? (BTW...I'm coming from playing guitar which has acres of space on the fretboard compared to my Eastman).

[Jim]

Little things make a big difference, I would be interested in the relative string spacing of both instruments. Some make better use if the space they have than others. Neck contour makes a diff too, More pronounced V shape as opposed to C or D shapes. I tend to prefer a D contour and a flat board myself.

[RBMB]

I think that a 3/16 is much more enjoyable to play than 1 1/8

[Jim Adwell]

In my experience neck contour makes a bigger difference in playabllity than slightly different nut widths. I like C or D and dislike V necks personally, and I'm agnostic on radiused vs flat fingerboards on mandolins.

[sunburst]

String spacing is the big thing, as has been mentioned, and how the frets are done makes a difference in how the strings can be spaced. If the frets are fit inside of neck binding, the strings cannot be spaced a widely as they could on the same neck with frets extending all the way to the edge of the 'board. Until the E-strings are so close to the edge that they are damped by the players hand, or they start to "fall" off the ends of the frets when played, the strings can be spaced wider. The space between the pairs can make a difference too. In other words, there can be a lot more to it than simply neck width, and there is a good chance that your mandolin could be set up to play better than your friends "The Laor" mandolin, especially if neither one has had a set up done since it was bought.

[Dotneck]

. In other words, there can be a lot more to it than simply neck width, and there is a good chance that your mandolin could be set up to play better than your friends "The Laor" mandolin, especially if neither one has had a set up done since it was bought.

That's interesting...and I don't know if the Eastman had ever had a proper set up. It was on consignment at a dealer who is a sponsor of this board...but I never specifically asked about the setup. Maybe I'll try to find who is a good mando tech here locally. I know a couple good guitar guys...not sure if they are good with mandolins though.

[acousticphd]

I recently go an Eastman (my first mandolin) and last night was playing with some friends. Got to try my friend's The Loar (LM700). The neck on her mando sure felt roomy to my old fat fingers compared to my Eastman...

My Eastman has a 1 3/32" nut and a radiused fretboard. Hers has a 1 1/8" nut and a flat fretboard. Did not expect there to be such a pronounced difference in feel from such a small difference in specs...

Do other folks find these differences to be significant? (BTW...I'm coming from playing guitar which has acres of space on the fretboard compared to my Eastman).


Yes.
Judging by the Eastmans I've tried, I'll bet the difference between the Eastman and Loar you tried is actually a little more than 1/32".

A 1-3/16" nut feels by far the best to me (eg, my vintage Gibson paddle head and Kalamazoo A-f), although 1-1/8" is usually comfortable to me as well, depending on string spacing and neck shape. My favorite contemporary mandolins have tended to be made by builders who fashion a wider fingerboard (1-3/16" nut).

[Mike Arakelian]

That's interesting...and I don't know if the Eastman had ever had a proper set up. It was on consignment at a dealer who is a sponsor of this board...but I never specifically asked about the setup. Maybe I'll try to find who is a good mando tech here locally. I know a couple good guitar guys...not sure if they are good with mandolins though.
Check either Harry's Guitar Shop in Raleigh (Charles is their repair tech), or Wes Lambe at The Music Loft in Carrboro. Both are capable of checking your mandolin and fixing any set up problems.

[Dotneck]

Check either Harry's Guitar Shop in Raleigh (Charles is their repair tech), or Wes Lambe at The Music Loft in Carrboro. Both are capable of checking your mandolin and fixing any set up problems.

I've been in Harry's many times. Don't know a Charles but Terry has worked on my guitars before. I've heard of Wes Lambe but never met him. Maybe I'll give him a call to look over my mandolin.

[Mike Arakelian]

I've been in Harry's many times. Don't know a Charles but Terry has worked on my guitars before. I've heard of Wes Lambe but never met him. Maybe I'll give him a call to look over my mandolin.

You're right, it is Terry....my mistake. Charles had responded to a question I had sent to Harry's, and I got the names turned around. I had Wes set up one of my mandolins about a year ago and he did a really good job for me. He does (or at least used to do) all of the set ups for Kevin Douglas at Mandomutt. Wes does his work at his shop in Chapel Hill. You can call him direct at 919/932-9729.

Mike

[Charles E.]

That's interesting...and I don't know if the Eastman had ever had a proper set up. It was on consignment at a dealer who is a sponsor of this board...but I never specifically asked about the setup. Maybe I'll try to find who is a good mando tech here locally. I know a couple good guitar guys...not sure if they are good with mandolins though.

Dotneck, Rob Shaer is a good, local luthier. I had a chance to play a mandolin that he had done a complete set up on and I can highly recommend him. I do not have his info at my fingertips but will pm you tomorrow.

[Eddie Sheehy]

I have a 1" nut, a 1 1/8" nut - both flat fretboards, and a 1 3/16" nut (Radiused board). I really don't find that much difference once I get a tune going. But then I also switch on the fly between OM, Zouk, Mandola, Mandocello...