E string woes

[John Bertotti]

In the search for the perfect tuning and intonation I busted an e. Should I change just that string or all at once.They are about 1 month old. I noticed also that i could intonate the e and d perfectly but the g and a stayed a little sharp. Is this a bowl trait? #Thanks John

I placed a link in the builders section for the intonation question. I probably should have made a separate post originally. Thanks John

[vkioulaphides]

John, considering how new your (other) strings are, you can simply replace the broken E; in a few days, it should even out with the others.

As to the progressive sharpness of the A's and G's, that applies to all strings and all mandolins. This is precisely why some bridges are compensated by indentation, giving the G- and A-courses a bit more string-length, bringing the intonation of the frets back in tune.

This problem may, of course, be more perceptible the shorter the string-length— such as, for example, on bowlbacks; I woulnd't know how much the greater scale of e.g. Gibsons might alleviate the problem. Still, the problem is rooted in the strings themselves and is ubiquitous to some extent.

I have yet to come across a G- course that does not go sharp as one goes up the string, past the 7th fret. One may slant the bridge— that helps somewhat; one may reduce the height-compensation of the bridge; or, as above, one may use an indented bridge.

Since intonation on fixed-fret instruments is always a compromise, you really ought to ask yourself "how in-tune is in-tune enough"... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[John Bertotti]

I am of course as new as my strings but decided a couple days ago to change just the one. My local music store is going to start caring the ghs classical strings. I think that even though I am anxious for the lenzners that it will be more cost effective to use the cheapos for awhile. I was aware of the compensation on the carved top style of mandolins. One wonders with the technology of today why a string set can't be created that will be in tune all the way up without compensation. I think I need to go visit the builders section again. Dr. Cohen always has answers for these types of questions. Victor I can't wait till I'm good enough to play one of your compositions. Thanks John http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif

[vkioulaphides]

John, you can also get GHS (and just about any other strings from around the globe) through Juststrings.com, advertised on MC's homepage; they come to $5-or-so per set, plus shipping.

On the imperfection of strings: As I recall, the physics of it all is rather involved but I am sure Dr. Cohen has all the details— and perhaps more than you and I can possibly comprehend! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif