Re: New mandola, loose strings, bridge moved?, tune up, string br
Cafe member Rob Meldrum ("robster") offers Cafe´members a free e-book on mandolin (and mandola) set-up; Here's a recent thread discussing it.
The procedures offered above will work. Utilizing the 12th-fret octave and harmonic is a standard method. An electronic tuner can also be used to check the octave. Make sure that your compensated bridge is facing the right way, and that its feet sit flat on the instrument's top.
A misplaced bridge shouldn't cause strings to break, though. "Factory" strings with which instruments are shipped, are sometimes not of good quality. Make sure you're tuning in the right octave -- same as a viola -- and try tuning the heavier (4th) course of strings first.
Aren't enough mandolas around to warrant "mandola jokes," unfortunately...
Allen Hopkins
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