Morris A4 Has A Surprising Flaw

[ryevick]

I love my new Morris mandolin but I just took the strings off to give it a good cleaning and oil the fretboard. The removable bridge obviously comes up but underneath it, I was surprised to find that the bridge was set in place on the mandolin before the finish was even dry. It actually looks like it's going straight to wood in some areas without finish it all. A bit surprising/odd considering how nice it otherwise is.

[peter.coombe]

The bridge was not put into place before the finish was properly dry. I don't know what Morris uses, but that sort of thing is normal for some finishes, especially if the finish is shellac based. No amount of drying will get around it. It will happen with the passage of time. It doesn't happen to the thick bullet proof polyester finishes of the Asian imports, but those finishes kill the sound.

[Marty Jacobson]

Agreed, pretty much any high-quality mandolin without a poly finish will show an impression like this. Definitely not a flaw, but you might see it as a con. The only time it would be a problem is if the bridge were installed in the wrong place, as has happened with many vintage mandolins which also show this kind of impression, just in the wrong place.

[dhergert]

Also looks like some of the finish might have adhered to the bottom of the bridge and come up with the bridge. Check the bottom of the G&D bridge foot, is there finish there?

That doesn't mean the finish wasn't dried. Some finishes just cure very slowly -- like years -- and some never fully cure.

[ryevick]

There's no finish on the bottom of the bridge. Honestly though, it doesn't bother me at all because I don't plan on selling it. It fits me and my playing style not to mention it's beautiful to look at, play and listen to. It also has great sound projection. I just put my braided leather strap on it and it looks really nice on it.

Thanks for the feedback!