Any tips for this? I have an old mandolin that I'd love to makeover from the ground up :-)
Any tips for this? I have an old mandolin that I'd love to makeover from the ground up :-)
Well, a bit (lot ?) of additional info. wouldn't go amiss here !. What style / what make / what age / what's wrong with it ???.
There's Galaxy's worth of info. & experience on here - but help us out a bit,
Ivan
Weber F-5 'Fern'.
Lebeda F-5 "Special".
Stelling Bellflower BANJO
Tokai - 'Tele-alike'.
Ellis DeLuxe "A" style.
And good as new may not be what you want to achieve. But if you have a wreck of a teens Gibson say, with missing fingerboard and a bad refin, then a restoration might be in order.
If it's a wreck of a round back worth $200 on a good day, you may have nice wall art.
Silverangel A
Arches F style kit
1913 Gibson A-1
Also - you might get much better information if you post this question on the 'Builders And Repair' forum . . . .
Actually better information if you post some pictures.
"It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
--M. Stillion
"Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
--J. Garber
Spokey - welcome to the Cafe!
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2013 Collings MF, 2017 Northfield NF2S, 2019 Northfield Big Mon F
1968 Martin D12-20, 2008 Martin HD28, 2022 Martin CEO 7
1978 Ibanez Artist "Flying Eagle" Masterclone Banjo
I'm not looking for a total restoration, just a dirty old mandolin with bad strings, scratches on the finish, dust everywhere, etc. :-)
Photos please
take off all the strings. The bushings about the tuning pegs may fall to the ground, so collect them in advance. The floating bridge will likely fall to the ground, so watch that!
Use soft damp cloth. You can use soap if you want to. Don't use spray furniture polish, it has silicone usually and that's bad. If there are marks that are too goopy for soap or water, try lighter fluid - no joke - on cloth.
I like a microfiber cloth (dollar store rag for furniture) at the end - and keep one usually in my case.
Replace the strings, don't forget the bushings. Put them all on, one by one with just enough tension for a bit of sound. Get the bridge in the correct location. Bring the mandolin up to pitch. I'd do each string halfway, then halfway again, then to pitch. No use having eccentric loads when you don't have to.
You're done!
f-d
ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!
'20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A
If you're really shooting for "good as new"you might need to refinish it. This is a whole topic in itself.
I'll add to the chorus asking for pictures and more info on your particular old mandolin.
For wooden musical fun that doesn't involve strumming, check out:
www.busmanwhistles.com
Handcrafted pennywhistles in exotic hardwoods.
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