Do I need a repair person who specializes in mandolins?

[mdsmith]

Hi guys. I just got a really good deal on a like new The Loar 520v. The only problem with it is that the G string buzzes on the 5th fret. I tried putting a little relief in the neck, and adjusting the bridge, but couldn't get it to stop. So I'm going to take it in for a setup. Here's my dilemma - I have a shop 5 minutes from me that can have it set up in a couple of days. The reviews of the shop repairs are all positive, but they're all of guitars, basses and brass instruments. I did talk to the repair guy there and he did say he's set up inexpensive mandolins before. I also have a shop about 40 minutes from be that is a bluegrass shop, but they'll take about 2 weeks to get done. I'm just wondering if it takes a certain knowledge to work on mandolins, or if an average repair person who mainly works on guitars and basses should be able to do a satisfactory job. Thanks.

[CES]

Hard to know for sure. There’s a Martin Certified repair luthier and guitar builder near me who is pretty well versed in mandolins, banjos, and basses as well. I had him do some minor setup work on my RM-1 without hesitation, and he did a nice job. I’d absolutely let him do minor stuff to my other mandolins. Also have a local guy who owns a store who does pretty good set up work on the mandolins in his store, and I let him do some basic work on my Martin style A (that I’d have let the first guy do, too, but this guy’s much closer). It’s probably worth it to let the local guy check it out. If it’s just a high 5th fret he can probably handle that. If it’s going to involve a refret, fretboard planing because of a hump at the neck join, etc, then I’d go with the shop you know is qualified (or, for that cost on that mandolin, look for another mandolin).

[sunburst]

It all comes down to the competence of the person who does the work, and unfortunately, we have no good way to know how competent someone is until we are personally familiar with his/her work. We have no good way of knowing the competence level at either shop you are considering. Sorry, no help, but as I see it, that's how it is.

[JeffD]

If you could know one would do a better job, I would go there.

All things being equal I would go to the bluegrass shop. Assuming they both could do the job right, it would be good to start a relationship with the bluegrass shop, and help keep them going. There will always be a guitar place.

[gtani7]

I would go to the specialist shop and talk to the specific person who would do your repair. A lot of things could need adjustment: bridge/nut slots, trussrod, frets level/crown/polished etc. I don't believe there are too many people that are really expert at setting up dreads, mando, banjo, fiddles, resos etc.

You can sight down the fingerboard, look at the reflection of the strings off the frets if they're polished and check relief/twisting/high frets etc, adn also look at whether frets are seated but don't try to fix those yourself.

[mdsmith]

Thanks for the responses guys. I agree with you Sunburst, I just didn't know if there was any mandolin specific things to consider when doing a setup. I would figure that if the frets need to be leveled or something like that, and the guy at the local shop levels guitar frets on a regular basis, he should be able to level mandolin frets.

[sunburst]

...I would figure that if the frets need to be leveled or something like that, and the guy at the local shop levels guitar frets on a regular basis, he should be able to level mandolin frets.

On it's surface, that seems to be a logical assumption. Level is level after all. The amount of relief tends to be a little different between guitars and mandolins, but assuming a properly working truss rod, that should be a matter of an adjustment.
After building and repairing for 30+ years, I'm still surprised sometimes at the poor fret work done by folks who should know better.
Good luck!

From what you've said, I would suspect at least one high fret, so a thorough check of the frets and a set up should get you in good shape... once again, assuming a properly working truss rod in a straight, stable neck.

[rcc56]

Anyone who is good and competent with frets should be able to handle it. The only difference between fretwork on a mandolin, flat top guitar, or a banjo is that banjo has that @#$% 5th string nut that gets in the way and slows things down.

However, since it's a new instrument, if the repairman wants to dress down the whole thing instead of just identifying the high spots and leveling them individually, you might want to take it somewhere else or risk having the frets ground down to nothing.

[mdsmith]

That's a good point rcc56, thanks. I dropped it off at the local guys last night. He said he'll take a look st it and give me and estimate. I'll wait to see what he has to say and go from there

[Tom Haywood]

Do I need a foreign auto mechanic to tune up my MGB, or can I rely on the mechanic at the Chevrolet dealership? After all, it is just a car, and all the old cars have carburetors. Well, it all depends on the experience of the mechanic. Unlike most cars, the MGB has two carburetors that have to be tuned perfectly in sync or it won't run as well as it designed to run. It is possible that the guy at the Chevy dealership has dealt with dual carbs and is good at it. It is possible that the foreign auto guy doesn't work on British sports cars because they are very time consuming and frustrating to get right. So you have to listen carefully to what they tell you. I am concerned that the OP reports that the local guy says he has done set ups on a some inexpensive mandolins. That could indicate that he has little experience with mandolins, or it could indicate that he is good with mandolins that tend to be more difficult to set up. Experience with mandolin set ups is the key IMO to a happy outcome.

[Jess L.]

... Unlike most cars, the MGB has two carburetors that have to be tuned perfectly in sync or it won't run as well as it designed to run. ...

Would those be dual SU carbs, by any chance? I had those on a car once, although not an MG. Did not like. It was impossible to keep them in sync for very long, despite meticulously following all the instructions in whichever repair/maintenance manuals I had at the time.

[sblock]

My old Volkswagen camper bus had dual (Bosch) carbs, and I used to tune it myself, carefully synch'ing the carbs. And that was before Rob Meldrum wrote his book on tune-up...

[Willie Poole]

I live in Maryland but am not familiar with just where Forest Hills is, how far are you from Columbia where I live? I could take a peek at it but am not a builder but do some minor repairs and have done quite a few set ups for friends...There is a shop in Catonsville called Appalachian Bluegrass and Emery does a pretty good job on set ups.....I would think that if it is a high or loose fret that anyone that works on stringed instruments should be able to correct that....

Willie

[mdsmith]

Hey Willie - I'm in northern Harford County, probably about an hour from you. Appalachian Bluegrass is the shop I was talking about that's about 40 minutes away. I talked to them first, and they said they could do it in a couple of weeks. If it ends up being anything big, I'll take it there. It's at Music Land (near me) right now waiting to be looked at. I appreciate the offer though. Do you give lessons?

[Br1ck]

All in all, I go with the shop who has so much work their turnaround time is longer.

It's like hiring a contractor to remodel your house. would you want one that could start tomorrow?

[Willie Poole]

Smith...Have you considered taking it up to Mark Bluette in York, a find repairman....If Mark isn`t busy he will turn it around in a short time, at least he always has for me, he does teach mandolin repairs so maybe you can join one of his class`s...No I don`t give lessons still learning myself after 60 years of playing one of these mind busters...Mark also gives lessons or has someone at his shop that does...Tell him I sent you if you decide to contact him...I can`t believe that Appalachian is that busy, maybe Emery is going out of town on vacation or something...

Good luck..Willie

[Jess L.]

All in all, I go with the shop who has so much work their turnaround time is longer.

It's like hiring a contractor to remodel your house. would you want one that could start tomorrow?

Years ago one of my valuable old Gibson instruments (back when I still owned such things) needed repair. The only luthier I knew of who I trusted enough to not screw it up, was Mike Tagawa. I already knew of the long wait times, I had no problem with that. It was well worth the wait - he did a superb job, even better than I'd anticipated, absolutely outstanding work, every detail was perfect.

Getting everything done right the first time, offset the long wait time.

At least I knew upfront that it was going to take a while, so I planned my instrument usage accordingly.

The alternative, I could have taken the instrument somewhere else that did quick work, and possibly with a lot lower quality and far less attention to detail.

[mdsmith]

Smith...Have you considered taking it up to Mark Bluette in York, a find repairman....If Mark isn`t busy he will turn it around in a short time, at least he always has for me, he does teach mandolin repairs so maybe you can join one of his class`s...No I don`t give lessons still learning myself after 60 years of playing one of these mind busters...Mark also gives lessons or has someone at his shop that does...Tell him I sent you if you decide to contact him...I can`t believe that Appalachian is that busy, maybe Emery is going out of town on vacation or something...

Good luck..Willie

Thanks for the recommendation. I'll have to look into one of those classes. I love the idea of being able to maintain my instrument myself.

[Timbofood]

Before my wife and I started keeping company she had inherited the mandolin banjo which had been built by her great grandfather when he worked at some place on Parsons street here in town. She took it there to have it looked over and cleaned and “set up” at the same address. It came back with a different (non original) fingerboard, and a complete refinish, still basically unplayable.
Be careful where you take anything for even the most “basic” work.
I know the MB can be put right but as far as I know there are no pictures of the original fingerboard anymore.
The minute I saw the case with the repair tag on it my heart sank. I was working at a shop with extremely talented luthiers when she took it in but, like I say it was “ before my time” when they picked it up she knew something was wrong but, her first husband didn’t care enough to get back down there and snoop around. I am still sick about it and while I have the instrument, having it in its proper original state would make us all happier!
See people that have knowledge and express some sense of genuine respect for what they are working with.
The above story is absolutely true and may not reflect other folks experiences from that address just my wife’s.

[Wrnchbndr]

In the initial post it seems clear that you either have an elevated 6th fret or a damaged 5th fret. This is something that any reputable tech should be able to address. But a tech with a lot of mandolin experience is going to be able to dial in all of the other adjustments to get the most from your new instrument.

[mdsmith]

I just heard from the guy. He said that I have a loose fret that he's gong to fix. He also said that there a a couple of other high frets that he's going to address. He said that he will file them down and leave the rest alone so that he's not needlessly filing them all. He did also mention that he adjusted the neck a bit, but that it's still pretty flat because that's what you want on a mandolin as opposed to more relief like you would have on a guitar. It made me feel good that he mentioned that and not wanting to needlessly file all of the frets since those are two of the things that you guys mentioned above. Thanks for the replies.

[mdsmith]

Well, I picked it up from the shop last night, and it turned out great. Thanks for all of the advice guys.

[Jess L.]

Well, I picked it up from the shop last night, and it turned out great.

Good to hear.