Bridge Tilting Forward

[Bob byk]

My instructor suggested that I have my strings changed. So, had the strings changed by their luthier. It appears that the bridge is tilting forward. I am not sure if it has always been like this. Is this a problem? Should I have him adjust it.




Thanks,

[pops1]

It was most likely pulled when the new strings were tuned up. You can pull it back to straight. It is not a problem, but I would not leave it like that.

[Bob byk]

Pops - thanks! Since you said I should not leave it as is, I will have it adjusted.

[Paul Busman]

You can easily fix that yourself. Loosen the strings, tilt the bridge back in place, then tune them up again. Check to make sure it didn't move much again.
You'd do well to learn to change your own strings rather than going to a luthier to do it. It's really not hard at all.

[buckshot22]

Here's a great how to on changing strings. Super simple.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q2Hk...-69kGRAA05P354

[Bob byk]

Thanks all

[George R. Lane]

From frets.com a step by step tutorial on changing strings.

http://frets.com/FretsPages/Musician...dostring1.html

[Butch Heath]

Be sure to keep an ear on your intonation anytime you make any adjustments to the bridge. Mandolins are very finicky and the smallest adjustments can have huge impacts on the tone and softness of your instrument.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Bob - It simply looks as though the bridge has been pulled towards the neck when it was tuned up. As Paul Busman suggests,loosen the strings,pull the bridge back upright & hold it there with one hand while putting some tension back on the strings. Usually,the string tension will hold it upright after that. Sometimes,the screw threads on a bridge can bend,causing the saddle to lean forward,but looking ot your pic.,i don't think that's the case with yours.
As Butch mentions above,after setting the bridge upright again,check the intonation at the 12th fret against the open strings. They should be the 'same note',but one octave apart. If the fretted note sounds 'sharp',move the bridge towards the tailpiece. If it sounds 'flat',move it towards the neck - keeping it upright all the time. Do this after taking some tension off the strings to make it easier to move the bridge. If you don't,& the bridge flips over.it can go down with a hell of a whack & could cause a bit of surface damage,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

had the strings changed by their luthier.

Is that luthier (who has their own private luthier?) familiar with floating bridges? I suspect that said luthier could be rather a guitar repairman normally dealing with pin bridges. As was said above, learn to change your own strings, like you change your own socks.

Floating bridges tend to lean towards the fretboard after some time, being pulled that way by strings wound up to pitch. it happens not only to adjustable bridges. Changing the strings one by one, leaving the others in place respectively, slows down this process, but there comes the time of readjustment: slacken the strings, pull the bridge back to upright (and a little beyond that to give some leeway for the following tuning up to pitch, or else it will be leaning forward again after that).

[Bob byk]

The place where I took my mandolin is big into violins and cellos

[Bertram Henze]

big into violins and cellos

Ah, those bridges are different in that the saddles are rather sharp edges, other than the flat surfaces of adjustable mandolin saddles. The problem of strings inconspicuously dislodging from the forward edge by a leaning angle won't happen there in a like manner.

[AlanN]

Tilt happens. Need to check often. And holding up the mandolin to eye level and sighting is fine, but flip the mandolin over (so strings are facing the floor) and sight again. You'd be surprised...

[Stephen Perry]

Can just burp the bridge upright, no big deal. Tailpiece towards you, lift saddle and pop back towards you. Not for the wimpy.

[Mandobart]

I use string lubricant (like Big Bend's Nut Sauce) on the bridge and nut grooves when changing strings. This reduces the forward pull. I've seen fiddle bridges collapse from not being straightened out upright after string tension pulls them toward the nut.

[pops1]

I don't bother to loosen the strings, it will move fine. I think he is going to take it back to the luthier that strung it up for piece of mind.

[John Flynn]

After I change strings, I run a very thin feeler gauge around the base of the bridge. Often I find that there are gaps in the side towards the tail piece due to tuning up the new strings. Then I use a small crescent wrench, on which I have put masking tape on the jaws, to grab the ends of the saddle vertically, first the bass side and then the treble. I just do a tiny little rotational tug backwards. That almost always puts the base back to a position where there are no gaps without actually moving the base. That works better for me because when I do it by hand, often I will accidentally move the base and then I have intonation problems. I've found this method more precise.

[AlanN]

Can just burp the bridge upright, no big deal. Tailpiece towards you, lift saddle and pop back towards you. Not for the wimpy.

At IBMA one year, Gilchrist asked to see my mandolin. I gave it to him, he took a look at the bridge, sat down, placed it between his knees and did the burp. I darn near died.

[pops1]

At IBMA one year, Gilchrist asked to see my mandolin. I gave it to him, he took a look at the bridge, sat down, placed it between his knees and did the burp. I darn near died.

Yup that's the way I do it.

[Clement Barrera-Ng]

Depending on the bridge, there may be too much play in the holes in the upper saddle where they go into the two posts on the base, that no matter what you do, there'll always be a little bit leaning. That's the case on every Kentucky Master models I've seen that has the stock bridge on.

[Manfred Hacker]

So, had the strings changed by their luthier .... Should I have him adjust it.

If this so-called luthier did not recognize that something was wrong, I would not let him touch my instrument again.
And in my experience, and contrary to what was said above, violin bridges, too, need to be corrected after most string changes. It is just easier than on the mando due to the lower tension.

[Bob byk]

Could I have done something to create this condition?

[Bertram Henze]

Could I have done something to create this condition?

Since you have never changed the strings on that instrument - no. Whoever did it before you should be able to answer for that.

[Bertram Henze]

And in my experience, and contrary to what was said above, violin bridges, too, need to be corrected after most string changes.

I have never seen it happen in 9 years of forced violin lessons - but then the strings were never changed on that violin...
I believe that violin bridges could be even more prone to leaning from string changing, but I'd have thought that it wouldn't have that deteriorating effect on tone it has on a mandolin.

[twilson]

When I change my strings, I gently use a pencil to add a little graphite to the grooves. On the wound strings I run the pencil lead on the bottom side of the string once it is fairly tight. I use a sharp pencil to put some graphite in the grooves for the unwound strings. Gently now.

This helps limit forward bridge creep over time.

Tim Wilson