String dampers

[Uncle Levi]

Do string dampers really make a difference or are they just a gimmick ? I don't see many players using them.

[Tim2723]

It depends. Some mandolins don't suffer from sympathetic vibration very much or at all. Some players are less sensitive to it if it's only there in a small degree. Some consider it part of the mandolin's natural state and enjoy it. And some, like myself, dampen the strings in ways that don't affect the aesthetics of the instrument. For mandolins with Gibson-type tailpieces I like to put a little self-stick felt under the tailpiece cover. Just enough to touch and dampen the strings, but not enough to make the cover hard to move. It doesn't show at all and stops the vibrations nicely. It's a pretty popular trick and since it doesn't show, you may have seen a lot of players doing it without knowing. Some like the look of it so they use a bit of leather or bootlace woven into the strings which is a nice folksy look. Others go for a more sophisticated look and use dampers made of exotic woods. Rubber grommets have become especially popular as well. In some cases the player's technique takes care of it if he places the heel of his hand on or behind the bridge.

[Uncle Levi]

Thanks, Tim. I think I'm going to try the felt idea.

[Tim2723]

I use the little felt circles that people put on their cabinet doors as bumpers. You might need to double them up. They come off easily so you can change your mind. I like them because they don't show and they also eliminate any rattling from a loose cover. They also keep the cover from falling off in the middle of your solo!

[mandobassman]

I like the grommets. They work great for my mandolin. The ringing from the unused string lengths drives me nuts. I can understand why some people don't like them. If you break a string the grommet will fall out, but seriously, you could carry a couple dozen of them in your case because they are so cheap. Of course, I never break strings so I've never lost one.The felt under the tailpiece never worked for me. It seems to me you get a better dampening if you dampen the vibration in the middle of the stringy length.

[lenf12]

Like Larry, I too like the grommets and also similar to Tim, I use self-sticking Velcro, the softer "loop" portion rather than the "hooks". All are available at your local hardware store for just a couple of dollars. In my case, it may be overkill but there's no way that portion of the strings will make any noise.

.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Tim2723]

That's a good point, Larry. The felt trick has always worked for me, but it depends on how severe the problem is. Some mandolins have sympathetic vibrations that are very loud and annoying. Sometimes it seems like the more responsive the instrument the bigger the problem, which kind of makes sense. But the trick is also good for loose covers. A loose cover is a pain. Imagine you're onstage. You start your break and the spot light is on you. You're hot! You're shredding like never before. The women are throwing panties. The men are so jealous they want to kill you but they can't because you're just too hot. Then the cover falls off with a clank and you look like a doof.

EDIT: Wow Len, you use BOTH? That mandolin must howl!

[lenf12]

Hi Tim,

Not sure what you mean by "howl". In my case, it just cleans up a few potential rattles from the TP cover and some nearly imperceptable string vibrations. Like I said, it may be overkill but I want all of my right hand effort to go into the "business" side of the strings producing music, not noise.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[jmp]

I did a lot of A/B testing with grommets in and out on my octave mandolin. To me there was a clear difference in sound and I liked the sound with them in much better. I'll summarize the sound difference as "less metallic"

[Tim2723]

Hi Len. By howl I mean it must be a very projecting, responsive instrument. I've observed that the more responsive the soundboard the more these vibrations are magnified. It seems to make sense anyway. I don't have as much of a problem because my mandolins are basically plywood boxes dipped in urethane and amplified electronically. Except for the Ovations which don't have those extra lengths of strings so it can't happen in the first place.

[Lord of the Badgers]

On my current string set, I spent ages with grommets either side of the playing area to reduce what sounded like a 12th fret harmonic note of the A string. Only to find it was in the playing area and grommets made no flipping difference! Luckily when the strings broke in, it went.

First time it's happened to me!

My double bass player uses one on his bass very successfully albeit a larger thing comprised of metal casing.

Like JMP I use them on the octave and it's much better now

[lenf12]

Tim said, "By howl I mean it must be a very projecting, responsive instrument." It's my '56 F-12 that had a very successful Randy Wood revoicing treatment back in 2008. So far, only 2 banjo players and a bassist have told me that my mandolin is too loud so yes, I guess it is projecting and responsive. Truth be told, I don't remember what it sounds like without the "noise abatement" so I may have to remove them to refresh my memory (or not).

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[NoNickel]

A cheap and effective (and to my eye, more attractive than grommets) is to take a length of leather string and weave it through the strings below the bridge. I also do this above the nut.

[David Rambo]

I use a piece of buckskin woven in and out of the strings. It works well, is reusable, and doesn't bother any of the historical police at the events I do.

[mandobassman]

Imagine you're onstage. You start your break and the spot light is on you. You're hot! You're shredding like never before. The women are throwing panties. The men are so jealous they want to kill you but they can't because you're just too hot. Then the cover falls off with a clank and you look like a doof.

Yeah, happens to me all the time. tailpiece cover falls off once in a while too.

[Shelagh Moore]

I use them on two of my mandolins. The third doesn't need them.

[Elliot Luber]

The Radio Shack near my house carries them. You get a large assortment for like $2.50.

[lenf12]

The Radio Shack near my house carries them. You get a large assortment for like $2.50.

I tried that route with Radio Shack but didn't like that you got a large assortment of sizes that you would not use. I found that the local Ace Hardware stocked an assortment of sizes and you could pick the ones you wanted. I settled on their smallest size and bought them for about 0.14 cents each. Reminds me that it's time to restock as the grommets tend to dry out and crack after a few years.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[mandroid]

myself , Not really thought about it, before the internet and these topic threads ...

perhaps BG choppers hear the sympathetic ringing continue where they want it not.

FWIW, the O rings that hold the cover down on my tailpiece apparently serve a double purpose.

my right hand often falls onto the strings , behind the bridge , and so forth ,
Like I say, I've never noticed an issue ...

[Elliot Luber]

So what did you save, a buck?

I tried that route with Radio Shack but didn't like that you got a large assortment of sizes that you would not use. I found that the local Ace Hardware stocked an assortment of sizes and you could pick the ones you wanted. I settled on their smallest size and bought them for about 0.14 cents each. Reminds me that it's time to restock as the grommets tend to dry out and crack after a few years.

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[mandobassman]

The Radio Shack near my house carries them. You get a large assortment for like $2.50.

I bought the assorted pack from Radio Shack and the problem I had with them, aside from getting a bunch of un-wanted sizes, is the material is much harder than the ones that are sold for mandolin. The set I bought from Janet Davis Music is much softer and more flexible and they don't spread the strings apart like the RS ones do. And, really, we're talking about $2.50.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I had 'grommets' on my first inexpensive mandolin,so,when i upgraded, i put them on all subsequent ones thinking that they were a necessity. That was until about 18 months or so ago,when after re-stringing both my mandolins,i left them off & found no difference in tone etc.,so i never put them back on. You can only try your mandolin(s) with /without to see (hear) if there's any benefit at all & take it from there,
Ivan

[Tim2723]

Both my MKs came with grommets. I arranged them along the strings like the sliders of a graphic EQ. When someone wanted to try my mandolin I'd point to them and say "OK, but don't change my settings". Once the fun wore off that I switched to felt.

[lenf12]

So what did you save, a buck?

At 0.14 cents each and 4 per mandolin, that's 0.56 cents per mandolin. I only bought the size I wanted so no wasted grommets. At $2.50 for the bag of assorted sizes, how many of the "correct" size do you get? I guess the math is pretty easily done from there. Hope that answers your question Santiago (and gives some insight to my frugality).

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Elliot Luber]

I bought the assorted pack from Radio Shack and the problem I had with them, aside from getting a bunch of un-wanted sizes, is the material is much harder than the ones that are sold for mandolin. The set I bought from Janet Davis Music is much softer and more flexible and they don't spread the strings apart like the RS ones do. And, really, we're talking about $2.50.

We're only talking 2.25 at Janet Davis, but then you have to add 6.95 for shipping.