Common F-style action setup measurements

[Jerry B]

Hi Folks, What is the normal string height that most players use at the 12th fret on the first and fourth strings? Just got the neck and frets done but the action is not set up yet.

[Folkmusician.com]

Between 4 and 5/64ths is the range most players will be in at the G string. I would shoot for 4/64ths. A little lower at the E string. You can sometimes go lower than this, but the rest of the setup becomes hyper sensitive and you can't play overly aggressive.

[pops1]

What Robert says, with an aside. It depends on your mandolin. The mandolin I play is not bothered by driving it hard so I use a little lower. 2/32" (4/64") would be the highest on the G string for me and usually I am closer to 3/64" on the G and as low as I can without buzzing on the E. This won't work on all mandolins, nor for all players. I like a very light action due to arthritis, but I can be heard in a jam. I am also willing to be futzy by adjusting action often because at this height any change by the body (humidity or dryness) may create buzzing or for me raise action and be harder for me to play.

[sblock]

I prefer to go as low as I can without buzzing, and so do most of the folks I know. So, it depends a lot on the mandolin in question and the strings in use. But as a ballpark, I would start somewhere around 1/16" = 1.6 mm (i.e., 4/64" = 0.0625") at the 12th fret and then take it down from there, incrementally. At this point, measuring in units of 1/64th of an inch gets awkward and silly, since 1/64 is already 16 thousandths! I usually wind up with action closer to 55 thou = 0.055" (and perhaps as low as 50 thou), which is in the range of 1.3 to 1.4 mm. And rather than measure with a ruler, it's easier to use a thickness gauge. You can use an actual gauge for this purpose, but a flatpick will also serve nicely, if your flatpick is the right thickness (mine is conveniently 55 thou).

And, as others have written, you may need to go up or down as the humidity changes.

[Marty Jacobson]

For what it's worth, a normal, well-made mandolin with no popped frets and decently-leveled frets can be set up to 1.25mm/.050" on the E course, possibly 1.5mm/0.06" on the G course.
For anything less than that, you will either have to:
1. Get lucky - some mandolins you can set up to .8mm/.030" no problem even though the actual geometry of the fretboard is all over the place and not what you would expect to work well. Such is the nature of tolerances - sometimes the errors are in your favor.
2. Do a lot of careful adjustments and iterative refinements ensuring that the frets are perfectly level, fretboard plane (or cylinder) is consistent and true, and relief is optimal.

With a lot of work you can get a mandolin to insanely low action without buzzing when played gently, about .5mm/.020" on the E course and about 1mm/.040" on the G course. But it won't work for a bluegrass player and you can't get any lower due to the physics of the system.

[Roger Moss]

Does being F or A make any difference? I would think what mattered more would be string guage/material and playing style, with honorable mention to fret condition and neck curve.

[Jeff Mando]

Imagine my confusion......some people recommend 4/64ths, others say 2/32nds, while others are happy at 1/16th!

most of my customers agree with sblock......as low as you get without buzzing. In fact, I've only had one customer in 35 years ask if I could raise the action.......for slide guitar, that is!

[MikeEdgerton]

Imagine my confusion......some people recommend 4/64ths, others say 2/32nds, while others are happy at 1/16th!

most of my customers agree with sblock......as low as you get without buzzing. In fact, I've only had one customer in 35 years ask if I could raise the action.......for slide guitar, that is!

You need my patented gauge.

[MikeZito]

I am presuming that you are setting up the mandolin for yourself . . . so . . . .

Personally, I set mine up by feel - not measurement. I simply pick up the instrument and play . . . if it feels too high for my personal taste, I lower it - if it feels to low, I raise it.

Simple.

[sblock]

I am presuming that you are setting up the mandolin for yourself . . . so . . . .

Personally, I set mine up by feel - not measurement. I simply pick up the instrument and play . . . if it feels too high for my personal taste, I lower it - if it feels to low, I raise it.

Simple.

Nothing simple about it! This is a kind of chicken-and-egg problem for someone who hasn't been playing a long time, and/or set up many mandolins. How can they be expected to know what should "feel too high" or "feel too low"?!

This advice reminds me of those old recipes that used to say "season to taste." Which seems, on its face, like perfectly reasonable advice -- but also fairly useless advice, once you think about it! It only works if you already happen to know, more or less, what the dish should taste like before attempting the recipe. Or if you're an experienced cook who is already familiar with the specific type of cuisine and its taste profiles. But if you don't, then you're out of luck. For example, how would you know how to season Ethiopian cuisine "to taste"?!

Better to supply a range of actual measurements, as the OP requested, I think. Of course, I do agree that some experimentation is in order.

[pops1]

Well you could simply lower the bridge until is starts to buzz, then raise it till it just quits. That would be as low as you can go for that mandolin. Do that on each side and you're done. No tools, picks, feeler gauges or eyesight needed.

[Mandoplumb]

Imagine my confusion......some people recommend 4/64ths, others say 2/32nds, while others are happy at 1/16th!

Quit listening to all those people that don't know. It should be half of an eighth