string guage question regarding action

[MandoNicity]

Question for you all. My mandolin has high action and was built as a BG instrument, and it's a canon, but my interests are more along the jazzier side of things. The action is way too high and the nut needs to be taken down. I am a klutz and wont attempt doing this myself. In the mean time I have lowered the bridge as much as I can and this helps some.

My question is, if I put lower guage stings on it, like JazzMandos or some such, will this improve the fingering of the instrument. As it stands, it takes a lot of pressure to cleanly note the instrument. I'm a lifetime user of J74's and haven't experimented with any other strings other then J-75's which are even higher gauge. So if I put lower guage strings on, will this improve things, or do I just need to wait until I can get the nut taken down by a luthier? Any imput from those that have experimented with this is much appreciated.


JR

[swinginmandolins]

The Jazzmando JM-11's will be much easier on the G and D. The A and E is the same gauge as J74's so you may still struggle until you have the nut taken down. I would suggest you give the JM's a try to see if you like the tone. If you like them then have the mandolin set up with those. Another thing to check is how much relief you have in the neck, this can make a difference IMHO.
One last thing is if you do switch to a lighter gauge of strings you will have to revisit your right hand attack, as you will have to lighten up. If you are already a light picker it won't be an issue.

[MandoNicity]

Thanks for the imput Terry. The E and A are the hardest to fret so not sure if this will help, but for the cost of a new set of strings I'm sure it's worth a try.

JR

[swinginmandolins]

Just for a change of tone the JM's are worth a try for sure. The JM's also have a long life. Are your strings hard to press at the first few frets or higher on the neck? How low is your action at the 12th?

[swinginmandolins]

Oh and didn't you or don't you play violin?

[bratsche]

Well, I can't offer advice, but I can commiserate, sort of, as I'm having a similar problem, but somewhat different. I've never used J74s, but I am accustomed to Thomastik Mittels on my MidMo M2. Thinking JazzMandos were about the same, only cheaper, I put a set on. They are definitely not the same, and my only question is should I take them off right away, or wait a few days. They are so much higher tension than I'm used to that it is killing my fingers. Oh yeah, and I hate the non-wound JazzMando A strings. They sound to my ear like the timbre of e-strings only tuned lower, and they don't transition well sound-wise from the d strings on this instrument at all. Oh well, back to expensive Thomastiks for me, I guess! Funny, because I like the JazzDola strings all right on the instrument I tried them with... go figure!

bratsche

[Rob Gerety]

I don't know how you stand it - I'd be getting a new set up quickly.

[Malcolm G.]

JR,

I have worked on guitar and mandolin nuts and set-up for years, and proper set-up is wonderful. Makes a HUGE difference.

I would suggest a visit to a skilled mandolin luthier. Nut, bridge, neck relief, fret leveling, and intonation all have to be looked into for proper set-up.

Trust me - it is so worth it.

[Big Joe]

Getting the mandolin properly set up is the key to your issue. It does not matter if you play bluegrass or jazz, the mandolin does not have to have high action. The only reason for high action is not tone or volume, but because the instruments are not properly set up. A decent mandolin, properly set up, does not have to have high action to have its full volume and tone. The only thing high action does is make it hard to play. Actually, high action can rob the instrument of tone or volume.

[DWMANDO]

Do yourself a favor and get proper set up. Take it or send it to good repair/luthier. Big Joe did mine and it has made my playing performance better and made me like my Stanley mandolin even more.

[MandoNicity]

Oh and didn't you or don't you play violin?

Don't know what that signifies, but it was viola, which I played when i was in school. I'd still be playing it if a certain ex of mine didn't steal the beautiful viola I had, built by a master builder with my french bow, worth a LOT of money. But that's another sad story.

[MandoNicity]

Just for a change of tone the JM's are worth a try for sure. The JM's also have a long life. Are your strings hard to press at the first few frets or higher on the neck? How low is your action at the 12th?

Harder to fret at the low frets (first few). Intonation is fine. It's just a chore to finger it.

[pops1]

As those before me have said, a good set up is worth it's weight in gold. It won't matter what gauge of strings are on the mandolin, it should play easy. In fact lighter strings usually require a higher action as they vibrate more when struck because of the less tension. I like my strings to be the same above the first fret as above the second fret with the first fretted. or even slightly lower. Do it and you will not regret it.

[swinginmandolins]

Harder to fret at the low frets (first few). Intonation is fine. It's just a chore to finger it.
I have found that if you have a lot of relief in the neck it will amplify this, but more that likely the nut will need to be taken down.


Don't know what that signifies, but it was viola, which I played when i was in school. I'd still be playing it if a certain ex of mine didn't steal the beautiful viola I had, built by a master builder with my french bow, worth a LOT of money. But that's another sad story.

Just asked to give you a comparison of the JM's to the flatwounds used on bowed instruments. They feel similar on the G and D.

[MandoNicity]

Getting the mandolin properly set up is the key to your issue. It does not matter if you play bluegrass or jazz, the mandolin does not have to have high action. The only reason for high action is not tone or volume, but because the instruments are not properly set up. A decent mandolin, properly set up, does not have to have high action to have its full volume and tone. The only thing high action does is make it hard to play. Actually, high action can rob the instrument of tone or volume.

Thanks for the reply Joe. I always think of high action as a bluegrassy kind of thing, and lower action as a jazzy/celtic kind of thing. I am totally sure that the nut needs to be taken down on this instrument and as I said I don't want to do that myself. I'm still looking for a qualified local luthier to do this, and don't want to ship the instrument out. And in the mean time I thought that lighter gauge strings might make some difference, which is why I asked the question. The bridge was high when I got it, and I've lowered that and it intonates fine, and the mandolin sounds fine, it's just hard to fret, and for the style of music I am into these days, (jazz/swing, some classical) lower action would help my technique immensely. And so, I am not looking for lighter gauge strings to fix my problem with the nut, but rather questioning from the expertise out there if they might help some, untll I can get the nut taken down. Thanks one and all.

JR

[CES]

Since you're really just buying some time until you get it set up and you like J74s, I'd recommend trying J62s...they're very light and are the gauges I use (per Flatiron's instructions) on my pancake. There's a definite tension difference even above and beyond (or, I guess below) what I feel with the JM strings I have on another mando. My Flatty is a little high at the nut also, but the 62s are so much lighter that I haven't really felt compelled to get it fixed yet.

That said, I don't think I'd like the 62s on any of my other mandos. But, they may work for a short term fix. Another option might be some silk and steels...

[Rob Gerety]

I have 4 sets of Curt Mangan lights listed in the Classifieds - unless its run out?? I wouldn't mention this normally but it might be something you would like. Shoot me a PM. Hope I'm not crossing and lines here??? If so, I apologize.