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Thread: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

  1. #26

    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    Even if you aren’t the original owner, call Northfield. They might be able to refer you to someone in your local area. It would not be a bad idea to get a setup/tune up on the mandolin.
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  2. #27
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    I had a mysterious buzz that turned out to be the Snark clamped on the peghead.
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  3. #28
    Tired & Cranky Monte Barnett's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    Quote Originally Posted by The_Muppet_Meister View Post
    Hi all,

    I am having an issue with something on my Northfield Big Mon rattling. It only happens when I play one of the G strings. I've tried cranking up the action on the bass side but that doesn't help. If I play hard on the G string from fret 2 and up (with it getting less bad after 8ish) I hear a rattle.

    I've got the bass side of the bridge much closer to the fretboard in comparison to the treble side for proper intonation but I'm assuming that is largely due to having much higher action on the bass side.

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    I don't understand how any mandolin could possibly intonate or play properly with the bridge displaced so severely. Does this not look grossly out of the ordinary to anyone else?
    Monte

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  4. #29
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    Quote Originally Posted by MB-Octo View Post
    ... with the bridge displaced so severely. Does this not look grossly out of the ordinary to anyone else?
    Good point, although some bridge / string-gauge combinations can dictate such an odd angle.

    Several years ago, I spent a month or two messing with altered tunings; lots of re-tuning along the way. Fun stuff until a buzz developed for none of the obvious reasons. Finally tracked it down to the bridge leaning, barely perceptably, toward the fretboard; assume it was pulled that way by the continual string re-tension imbalances. The buzz was from the now (just barely!) leaning bridge NOT solidly contacting the top along the tailpiece-side edge. Straightened it & checked intonation: Buzz gone!
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  5. #30
    Registered User Charles E.'s Avatar
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    Quote Originally Posted by MB-Octo View Post
    I don't understand how any mandolin could possibly intonate or play properly with the bridge displaced so severely. Does this not look grossly out of the ordinary to anyone else?
    I mentioned it in post #7.
    Charley

    A bunch of stuff with four strings

  6. #31

    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    May I suggest a new bridge to be needed. My mando journey began with one of the popular Starter Models. G sting rattle above 5th fret. All previous suggestions were employed to no result. Inspecting the saddle fit during a string change I discovered the base posts were ever so loose in the saddle holes. After the string change I wicked a small amount of superglue into the post holes. The strings were J74s, no change on brand or size. A marked improvement in the G string was the result.
    Of course the glue made the bridge non-adjustable, but the rattle was found. Buy a new bridge, learn a new skill.

    Mike Waters

  7. #32
    Registered User sblock's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    Quote Originally Posted by MWaters View Post
    May I suggest a new bridge to be needed. My mando journey began with one of the popular Starter Models. G sting rattle above 5th fret. All previous suggestions were employed to no result. Inspecting the saddle fit during a string change I discovered the base posts were ever so loose in the saddle holes. After the string change I wicked a small amount of superglue into the post holes. The strings were J74s, no change on brand or size. A marked improvement in the G string was the result.
    Of course the glue made the bridge non-adjustable, but the rattle was found. Buy a new bridge, learn a new skill.

    Mike Waters
    Buying and installing a new bridge is overkill and unnecessary, and it is certainly not the way I'd recommend to fix this type of problem. Nor would I reach for the superglue, either! In the RARE event that the rattling noise is found to be due to the steel bridge posts vibrating against the sides of the post holes in the bridge saddle, you could always wick in a bit of melted candle wax into the post holes, for example. Once solidified, the wax would dampen any rattle, but not prevent you from adjusting the bridge height thereafter. The fix would be invisible, and any excess wax is easily removed. That said, I would really tend to doubt that this is likely to be the source of your G-string rattle problem. There are simply too many other, more common, causes.
    Last edited by sblock; Aug-31-2020 at 5:08pm.

  8. #33
    Registered User Erin M's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    My KM1000 does exactly the same thing but only if I play a bit harder. I noticed the action at the nut is very low, but it also does it on fretted strings, not just open strings, so not sure that's the issue; perhaps a nut shim might be in order. I've checked the usual suspects, even removing the tailpiece cover and damping the strings below the bridge and above the nut. Frets are all level on bass side and treble side. Tapping on the instrument with a knuckle doesn't produce any weird vibrations. I've just ordered some string grommets, but I doubt those will solve this issue, they're just to replace the little strip of leather that's in there.

    Either that or it's just the way I'm playing I'm not too worried about it.
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  9. #34
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    If it is a post rattling in the bridge, ten cents worth of teflon tape or a drop of locktite would do the trick and the bridge would still be adjustable.

  10. #35
    Registered User sunburst's Avatar
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    In the video it sounds like a string buzz to me.
    I see no reason to restate the things I mentioned in posts #2 and #16 of this thread, but something in those posts should be the remedy.
    I'd say it is time to take it to someone competent for a set up and all of those things will end up being checked and the rattle should go away unless it is purely your technique, and usually action adjustments can remedy that to some degree, even if playing ends up a little more difficult because of extra action height and/or fingerboard relief.
    Last edited by sunburst; Sep-01-2020 at 8:20pm. Reason: spelling

  11. #36

    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    I took the mandolin in to the luthier for a fret dress and setup. I also had the bushings switched out as the original from Northfield did not sit flat.
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    They sit quite a bit better now.

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    The instrument got marked up from the work done so that isn't great but I figure that is to be expected. The thing get scratches if you look at it wrong. He wasn't able to stop the rattle on the G strings. I haven't played any other Big Mons but potentially that is the caveat of having the bigger low end. I'll just have to lighten up on the right hand when playing that pair of strings.

  12. #37
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    OK, I agree that this sounds like a tailpiece issue. I had this situation once. The tailpiece itself was not making a firm connection to some strings and would cause a rattle. I removed the strings and gently bent the tailpiece just a wee bit so it was making good contact with all of the strings. Problem solved.

  13. #38
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    Another possibility is that the G strings are too close together and hitting each other when you play. Hard enough to figure out a rattle/buzz when you have the instrument in your hand, let alone online.
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  14. #39
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    A few observations...

    Season changes means changes in humidity either directly related to outside weather or due to household heating/AC changes... The area the OP lives in may be experiencing significant changes in humidity at this time. High humidity is absorbed by wood, and particularly in softer top wood humidity can cause expansion which can by itself change clearances between vibration sensitive surfaces, including loose fittings, as well as causing subtle changes in the geometry of the string path. With low humidity wood contracts, also causing changes in many of the same areas. As an example, I find on my main playing mandolin that with lower humidity, slightly higher action not only insures improved string clearance, but also improves tone. During the wet seasons I can lower action if desired while still avoiding buzzing and having good tone.

    When the James tailpiece is installed properly, the string path should be evenly located between the front edge of the hinged top and the front edge of the lower main surface of the tailpiece. If however the tailpiece was not installed properly, or if it has been bumped strongly enough to cause bending, it is very possible for strings to come into contact with either of those surfaces. If this was my mandolin and if the instruction sheet that normally comes with a new James tailpiece is available, I'd want to examine those clearances to make sure they exist properly. If the instruction sheet is not available, I'd want to contact Bill James directly at Axiom Inc and ask him about this. Most people here would agree that the James tailpiece is a premium tailpiece that under normal circumstances should not contribute to buzzing, and I would add that Bill James supports his products very well.

    The following is fodder for a different thread, but regarding the setup work that was done, it's more than a little off-putting that the OP's instrument was marked up so noticeably that he felt compelled to mention it here. In my opinion and experience, it is very possible to do fret work, bushing work and general setup work without leaving visible work related marks -- a part of the job is cleaning up those marks so the owner doesn't have to be bothered by them. Also in my opinion, it is more than a little off-putting that this visit for mandolin setup work did not reveal the source of the OP's vibration problem. To me personally, these factors together are grounds for finding a different place to get work done.
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  15. #40
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    Default Re: Ideas for what could be rattling on Mandolin!

    Since you bridge has been raise so high on the G side, does the G strings "hit" the tail piece cover when you play? It seems that they or at least one of them would.



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