Do you string up "in the white"?

[arbarnhart]

I am almost to the stage where I could string up, but I am wondering if I should and why. The tuners and tailpiece would have to come back off for the finishing step. I have only dry fit the tuners and haven't drilled the little screw holes. If I am disappointed with the sound, I am not sure there is much I can do about it. I am leaning toward not stringing until after I have the finish on.

[otterly2k]

I'd say string it up. why?
1) cuz you can!! it's exciting to hear the sound of the instrument for the first time
2) it's cool to learn the sound in the white to compare it to after it's finished
3) it could possible reveal set up or construction issues that you might prefer to address before finishing
4) why the heck not?

[arbarnhart]

4) why the heck not?

That was quick - I was editing a punctuation mistake and there was already a reply...

What I consider as the possible downsides:
1 - Taking the time. It would be an interruption of a few days in the process.
2 - Do I toss the strings or keep them and re-use after finishing? It's a pain to hang on to strings.
3 - Whenever possible, I like to drill a pilot hole, put a screw in once and never remove it.
4 - It is easier to repair finish (I am going with shellac) than bare stained wood. The wood can get stained by some things that will just wipe right off the finish.

That last point brings up something - I have stained but not sealed, so I am not really in the white anymore. more like the off white. It's more vulnerable than a truly white instrument, if that makes any sense.

[otterly2k]

good reasons.
I'm not good at waiting... so I'd want to hear it. but I can understand your reasons for wanting to wait.
let's see what other folks say...

[Gail Hester]

I never string them up before they are finished. At that point I have it sounding as good as I can get it, I’m not going to make any changes and I don’t like dealing with all of the screw holes when I’m staining, finishing and French polishing.

[PaulD]

If I recall correctly, Chris Baird (Arches) and possibly other builders have written that they string in the white play for a few days, and dial in the graduations. If you've already got the stain the way you want it the point might be moot.

pd

[sunburst]

I don't string'em up "in the white", though I've been told by many good builders that I should. I just don't figure there is much I can adjust from the outside, after I've already determined the arch of the top and back, the size of the tone bars, etc. Thinning the back would be about all I'd be comfortble with, and I don't leave much excess wood there anyway.
Also, I've never strung them up in the white, so I'd be starting a new learning curve.

[Dale Ludewig]

Interesting. I always string up in the white. Reasons:

-I can fiddle with the neck shape a bit after strings are on it. It has happened that
the customer lives close enough that he/she can come play it in the white and I can alter the neck
to fit their hand just the way they'd like it.
-I can get all the screw holes drilled and the nut just where I want it and not have to worry about
damaging the finish later.
-I can adjust the sound slightly if I want to.
-Those are the basic reasons. It may take a little extra time but I think it's worth it. I pitch the strings.

[Antlurz]

If nothing else, the neck won't feel the same in your hand with strings on it as it does without them. Now is the time to decide if it needs tweaked. It would be a lot easier now to do the string setup. An accident with a nut file scratching the peghead would be a lot less infuriating now than when it is finished.

Ron

[Will Kimble]

I always string them up in the white, same reasons Dale mentioned...

Will Kimble

[markishandsome]

I don't have the best memory, but I think Benedetto thins the recurve from the outside with a scraper while strung up in the white. You could also tweak the voice by tuning the f-holes.

[ShaneJ]

I guess I "always" do too, since my #1 is strung up in the white right now. I'm glad I did a few months ago, because I'd carved the top too thin under the tailpiece and it split. I'd have been even more upset if I'd labored over the finishing process and then had to tear the top off to put a new one on. It was bad enough already!

[sunburst]

I don't have the best memory, but I think Benedetto thins the recurve from the outside with a scraper while strung up in the white.

Actually, he describes tapping on the top, and feeling the back, without strings, and, yes, I've tried that on mandolins, and it didn't work for me.

[Yonkle]

I always thought, there is not much you can do at this stage either in regard to tone other than make the F hole a little bigger in voicing.
I agree with someone above who wrote, I like to put the screws in once and leave them.
I've built 5 mandolins now ,3 I strung up in the white and 2 I did not. My feelings are, cutting the nut slots, adjusting the bridge, checking for rough frets, and sliming the neck if needed, is more easy in the white, because you are not worried about scratching the finish ect., but even so when I do all the adjustments (in the white) it seems you still end up doing a lot of the same adjustments over again later as you play it more and find the (small fine tuning issues) so why bother doing it in the white.
However when you do a lot of fine tuning, (in the white) and got it feeling 95% right or so and then you also find this mandolin feels and sounds great, ("it's going to be a "Hoss") it makes you feel "real good" or comforting while doing all the final staining and finishing. YOu don't have that "I wonder" how she is going to play, sound, feel ect. lurking over you while in the final stages, since you know it is good, you will tend to relax, slow down, and take your time doing the final finishing, already knowing when she's done, she's going to rock!
All in all, it's comforting, as far as tone...??? if you have made a few, you probably will not do much of anything at this point in regard to removing wood, it's hard to tell what they will sound like anyway until they open up. Just my opinion...... JD

[Stephanie Reiser]

I always string up in the white.
As far as strings are concerned, I stock cheapo strings just for this occasion. As Dale mentioned, you can get the screw holes drilled, before any final sanding (or damage) is done. Mostly I string it up to make adjustments in the "action" and the fretwork, nut, and bridge.

[Hans]

What Dale said. I keep old strings around for such situations.

[Antlurz]

My thinking about "put the screw in and leave it" is this: When you take the screws out, then put the finish on the instrument, and then reinstall the screws, they have an entirely new, tighter surface to connect to. The screw will fit tighter after applying finish than it did in the white first installation...

Ron

[Gibson A5]

I strung my #1 up in the white and played it for a week before taking it back apart for finnish. During that time I thinned the neck twice, worked on the back a little and worked the frets several times and modified the bridge feet. I didn't have to worry about messing up the finnish and had a chance to compare the sound when the finnish was applied. My #2 and #3 are almost ready to string up and I will do the same with them. I know it takes longer, but I'm sure I would screw up the finnish drilling holes and fine tuning the plates if I don't. I guess everyone does what works the best for them.
Bill Pruitt

[olgraypat]

I strung up in the white because I wanted to make sure the thing really worked before I proceeded to finishing. Use the strings provided with the kit and then throw them away...you'll want to use your favorite strings in the end anyway.

[arbarnhart]

Pat,

I wasn't smart enough to use a kit; this one is from scratch.

One of the many things I learned on this one is that I did the body staining too early. I have had to touch it up a few times while doing stuff to the neck I thought would be okay to do after the body was stained. I was trying to rush the process too much, letting the oil stain cure longer so that when I finished the neck work the body would be ready to finish.

Anyway, I think I will likely try stringing in the white in the future, but I want to go ahead and protect the stain on this one.

EDIT - With a couple of coats of shellac on, it is a moot point on this one now.

[tope]

Yep, because like they all say there are many things in setup, screws, neck shape, etc. that that can be done in the white without doing damage to a finish. I put the strings on the first time in the white and the same set again when it finally has a finish. I sometimes tweek the back at this point also.