calling mandobird owners

[bjc]

Hello,

Just wondering what people have done to improve their mandobirds? Pick-up changes, pot changes etc...I haven't done anything to mine, other than setting it up...but it does seem to have a little too much high end (which I can roll off)...just curious as to what other owners have done...thanks

[Pete Braccio]

I just had a Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounder pickup installed. That made the sound much better, but I don't know if it is still good enough.

The guy at the music store who put it in did an experiment with a guitar pickup held over the strings. The mandobird wailed with the guitar pickup and was much lower in volume with the quarter pounder. I guess that's what happens when you try and use a bass pickup with low mass mando strings.

Pete

[Trip]

Local luthier took mine apart and tested pots and caps and just as an experiment, soldered in a different cap and it did seem to make the tone control more sensitive....but my E string is getting very little love at this time, since it is so shrill...I just find myself using the A string much more....and have been thinking about restringing it starting with the A string in place of the E.....D in place of the A, etc...

[Yellowmandolin]

Is the finikyness of the pickup a common problem on these mandobirds?

[Spruce]

A good EQ is very useful for any electric mandolin....