I put new strings on and positioned the bridge myself

[AndyV]

You can read whatever tone to this you like, but my intentions are friendly and motivating.

My mother was brought up to believe that corporal punishment was motivating. Not entirely untrue, but a lot of downside.

I do agree with you. It seems I don't put a lot of time into string changes (when I infrequently do them), but I honestly don't remember my first string change. Maybe it took a long time and seemed like a monumental task.

As long as I don't skewer myself I generally find string changes etc calming.

[Steve 2E]

I don’t think I’d use 3-in-1 on a fingerboard under any circumstances! But, that’s just me it strikes me rather like pennzoil to season a cast iron skillet!
Tung oil, Watco Danish oil, yes but never 3-in-1, then again I don’t think I’d use coconut oil either.
Dang, I feel old!

I know 3-in-1 sounds a little crazy, but it’s actually been recommended by Martin on their guitars. I’ve been using it for over 20 years on all of my rosewood and ebony fretboards. I guess food grade mineral oil could be used, but I haven’t tried it. The 3-in-1 is very convenient. And I only use a small amount, just a few drops.

[sbhikes]

To me it seems like a waste to change your strings often. They are fine. If they're nice and stable, not breaking, everything works, why upset the stasis?

I have known others who change their strings all the time, but they're not very good mandolin players. I've known others who never change them and they are the best mandolin players I know. I'm sure the only professional genius mando player probably frequently but she is a pro and needs to have things be perfect for recordings and concerts and whatnot so it makes more sense. These types of forums--and believe me I've been a member of all kinds of niche groups from mandolins to recumbent bikes--all start to get on bandwagons about what's best and what's bad and then it becomes wisdom in the forum. Then you go out in the real world and find out that people do a lot of things totally differently.

I think I'll skip the oiling of the fret board. I think the potlucks and pizza parlors I play in oil it up well enough. Maybe if I take it all apart again I'll try coconut oil. It's great on my hair and skin, it would be good on wood too. It's very natural and very pure and doesn't get sticky or gummy and is not made of petroleum products. Or maybe I'll try the oil I have for my wooden flute.

Anyway, one of my E strings broke twice since I did this whole project, and I gave up trying to do it myself anymore, so I went to the music shop this morning and had them replace the bad E string for me. They had a nice Givens mandolin there with a narrow neck like a fiddle. It was nice but my crappy The Loar actually sounded pretty decent next to it, although it's not nearly as nice to hold or to look at or to play as the Givens was. Sigh. Been playing mandolin for about 15 years. This is my 2nd mandolin. Some day I will find my perfect mandolin. I just haven't found it yet.

[Caleb]

These types of forums--and believe me I've been a member of all kinds of niche groups from mandolins to recumbent bikes--all start to get on bandwagons about what's best and what's bad and then it becomes wisdom in the forum. Then you go out in the real world and find out that people do a lot of things totally differently.

In all fairness, there really are some instruments that just do not work well with old strings. Example: my Larrivee guitar will not stay in tune with old strings, but my old Takamine does not care one way or the other. My Collings mandolin performs poorly with old strings as well.

But as far as the bit I quoted from you goes, I think you are correct. I've ran across only a few mandolin players in real life since I've been playing; most of them were VERY good and most of them had never heard of the Mandolin Café. They didn't know a lot about gear (I remember one fellow I met who had never heard of an Eastman - I was playing one) but spent most of their time playing music on whatever particular instrument they happened to own.

And with me, my knowledge of gear, makers, gadgets, etc. does not equate with my level of proficiency on the mandolin or guitar - i.e. my knowledge of "stuff" is greater than my ability to play well. One is obviously a lot easier to achieve.

[Bill McCall]

To me it seems like a waste to change your strings often. They are fine. If they're nice and stable, not breaking, everything works, why upset the stasis?

If you can't hear a difference, why bother? Its like if you can't tell the difference between a Rogue and a Gilchrist, smile that you saved $20K.

[Gary Hudson]

To me it seems like a waste to change your strings often. They are fine. If they're nice and stable, not breaking, everything works, why upset the stasis?

I have known others who change their strings all the time, but they're not very good mandolin players. I've known others who never change them and they are the best mandolin players I know. I'm sure the only professional genius mando player probably frequently but she is a pro and needs to have things be perfect for recordings and concerts and whatnot so it makes more sense. These types of forums--and believe me I've been a member of all kinds of niche groups from mandolins to recumbent bikes--all start to get on bandwagons about what's best and what's bad and then it becomes wisdom in the forum. Then you go out in the real world and find out that people do a lot of things totally differently.

I think I'll skip the oiling of the fret board. I think the potlucks and pizza parlors I play in oil it up well enough. Maybe if I take it all apart again I'll try coconut oil. It's great on my hair and skin, it would be good on wood too. It's very natural and very pure and doesn't get sticky or gummy and is not made of petroleum products. Or maybe I'll try the oil I have for my wooden flute.

I knew a banjo player in high school (many moons ago) who would eat pizza before playing to grease up his fingers and fingerboard. To each his own. I clean and oil the fingerboard on a guitar after a few string changes, but it is harder to do on a mandolin because I only change one string at a time. I forget what I use, but I think it is called bore oil. I believe it was made for treating woodwinds. I have one mandolin that holds its tuning poorly when the strings need changing and another that doesn't seem to go out of tune.

I also have a recumbent bike and have been on the bentrider forum for years. Yes, people get on bandwagons there too.

[Bob Clark]

Many loathe changing strings, but I actually enjoy it. It not only feels good to be competent enough to do things for myself, but it’s part of the pride of instrument ownership to me. Kind of like washing my own car, mowing my own lawn, etc. There can be great satisfaction in such simple things. YMMV.

Amen to that, brother. It is one more way I get pleasure out of my mandolins.