reseting the bridge

[mandolin tony]

for some reason my Loar 600 sounds off, & I can't get the bridge in the right place for some reason. so can some one please refresh my 62 year old brain.

[MikeEdgerton]

The distance from the nut to the 12th fret is the same distance as the bridge to the 12th fret and make sure the orientation of the bridge top is correct.

The top of the mandolin is usually marked (scarred) by where the bridge was before but I also use blue masking tape to mark the position before I remove the bridge.

[pops1]

Actually the distance from the 12th fret to the bridge will be slightly more, due to the string stretching it needs to be back a little farther so it will play in tune.

Play the open strings E & G and play the note at the 12th fret and put the bridge where the note is correct when fretted at the 12 fret and don't worry about measuring.

[mandolin tony]

thanks guys, Mike I did it your way & it still sounded off.

[MikeEdgerton]

Is the top of the bridge oriented properly?

[MikeEdgerton]

Also, is the base of the bridge oriented right? If that got switched around it might not be fitted to the top correctly.

[Willie Poole]

I usually set mine when the D string intonates the same at the 12th fret as it does open, the A string just never seems to be correct but others have told me that there mandolins do intonate correctly on the A strings and all of the others, I have never seen one myself but maybe my ear is either too good or not good enough...

Willie

[pops1]

I made a new saddle for my mandolin not long ago because of that Willie. I think the intonation of the saddle is general. I have a different gauge of strings than is normal , 11-16-27-41. I think the 15 or 14 on the A is probably ok with the intonation, but I have a 16. I also like my action lower so I needed the A string to come forward from the normal saddle. Cumberland Acoustic was what I had. I also did not like that the bridge had to be angled so the G would intonate, I didn't fit the bridge at an angle so I also needed to move the saddle back for the G string so the foot would be straight across. I have thought about calling Steve about different staggering for different gauges of strings on his saddles. I don't believe you can put a saddle on a mandolin without intonating each string by removing wood from the saddle, or if you need to add make a new saddle to accommodate for the gauge of string and the action of the mandolin it is going on. My mandolin now sounds sooo.... much better.

[Ivan Kelsall]

The distance from the nut to the 12th fret & then the distance from the 12th fret to the bridge should be 'roughly' the same. Use that as a starter - then,after slackening the strings off to allow the bridge to be moved easily,move the bridge towards the neck or towards the tailpiece, until, when you fret a string at the 12th fret,the notes will sound the same,but one octave higher of course.

Addressing Willie's point -it was me who told him that i set the bridge on all my 3, so that the "A" gives a perfect octave at the 12th fret (well - as perfect as it can be !). If i then check each course of strings to each other across the f/board,on my Weber & Lebeda,the "E" strings need a few extra 'cents' of tuning 'up' to get to a correct "E" compared with the "A" strings fretted at the 7th fret. Only my Ellis is spot on. Tom Ellis's favourite strings are GHS A270's which is what i use - but !, Tom knows that other folk prefer other strings, so the bridge isn't compensated exactly for A270's alone. I've had DR MD11's on it with their .015" "A" strings against the .016" gauge "A" string on the A270's, & the As & Es were still spot on. A difference of .001" make no difference - at least on my Ellis. Tom Ellis does make his own bridges, & of course he can custom make each bridge for 'that' specific mandolin = they're simply superbly made bridges,
Ivan

[mandolin tony]

good morning guys, Mike the bridge never came off the mandolin. I was putting on new strings & I went to tune it up & it just did not sound right, off tune. I will tell you this it is much easier to reset the bridge on a banjo for some reason. well I guess the more you do it the easier get will get.

[MikeEdgerton]

If the bridge never moved then you'd have to look at the strings. What was on it and what did you replace them with? Is this the first time you replaced them?

[Manfred Hacker]

Play the open strings E & G and play the note at the 12th fret and put the bridge where the note is correct when fretted at the 12 fret and don't worry about measuring.

I always thought that the harmonic note on the 12th fret and the fretted note on the 12th fret should be the same?

[Phil Goodson]

I always thought that the harmonic note on the 12th fret and the fretted note on the 12th fret should be the same?

True. And that harmonic note will be exactly one octave above the open string. So same idea.

Incidentally, I had the same experience with a new mandolin some years ago when the A strings just would not intonate properly. My luthier ended up spicing (invisibly) a sliver of ebony on the front surface of the saddle just at the A strings and then fine tune the intonation for the A course. Worked beautifully!

[OneChordTrick]

I always thought that the harmonic note on the 12th fret and the fretted note on the 12th fret should be the same?

I think I’m right here, but doubtless someone will correct me info I’m wrong that a surely only true if the 12th fret is in the “right” place. If the bridge is in the wrong position then the harmonic won’t be at the 12th fret but above or below it. In other words the harmonic indicates where the 12th fret should be.

[mandolin tony]

Mike I only do one string at a time, that's what got me miffed. the bridge was never moved. no big deal anyway I 'am not that crazy about that fat neck 600 any way. but I must admit it does sounds nice.

[Phil Goodson]

I think I’m right here, but doubtless someone will correct me info I’m wrong that a surely only true if the 12th fret is in the “right” place. If the bridge is in the wrong position then the harmonic won’t be at the 12th fret but above or below it. In other words the harmonic indicates where the 12th fret should be.

BUT ONLY if the bridge is in the right position.
So, if the harmonic (near the 12th fret) matches the fretted 12th fret tone, the bridge is in the right place.