How to remove the neck

[fatt-dad]

Dear NG,

I posted on this sevaral months ago, but my project went on hold. I want to retry to remove the neck on my $40.00 Montana flat-top mandolin. My ultimate goal is to increase the neck angle.

Here's where I am: I got a knife and removed the finish along the neck joint (where it abuts the body) and also along the fretboard/top joint. I can see that the joint that needs work has a glue of some ilk holding things together. I know that there are several types of glue used in instrument making - I just have no clue (other than that it is a $40.00 mandolin)

I am willing to use steam, Xacto, Alcohol, methylene chloride, gasoline, paint thinner or whatever. I am willing to leave the mandolin in the car on a hot day at a shopping mall (windows up of course). I just would like to make some reasonable progress and learn something. I am not the least bit concerned with cosmetics. This is my beach mandolin (photo at www.fatt-dad.com)

Comments?

fatt-dad

[Bob DeVellis]

I've never done anything remotely like this, but it's my understanding that a common method for neck removal is to pull a fret above the neck joint, drill a small hole, starting in the fret groove, into the neck joint, and then use a needle and hose to force steam into the joint. fter, the fret can be replaced and the hole will be invisible. If cosmetics aren't an issue, you could drill through the bakc of the heel, I suppose. If the glue won't soften with steam, I'd worry about ever getting it apart without completely butchering it. As for what to use for a needle, I'm not sure. I've seen small bottles of oil with needle-like tips for delivering a drop precisely. Something like that might work. But more experienced people will know more than I do.

I think it's worth asking whether trying to get the neck off is more likely to do harm than good. If all you're after is the learning experience, I guess there's no harm. But it seems like there's a good chance that things could go wrong that would make the instrument worse rather than better. But you know your skills better than I do, so I may be wrong.

[Big Joe]

Depending upon how the neck is joined you may have to do actual surgery. If it is held together by dowels you may have to cut the dowels to remove the neck. If it is held together by epoxy I'm not sure what you could use except dynamite. If it is a traditional dovetail or mortise and tenon joint steam is a very effective method if it uses a conventional glue.

I just spent 3 hrs setting up a Hondo (don't ask)......So I'd recommend you hang it in the shower & instruct everyone in the household to take VERY hot showers.......in two or three days you should be able to pick up the pieces from the shower floor & reassemble it!

[WoodyMcKenzie]

Another alternative that might be possible is to not remove the neck, but remove the fingerboard instead. then you can add a wedge of wood between the neck and fingerboard to raise the angle of the strings. I am sure there are different ways to do this, but what I have done (on fiddles) is glue a flat piece of wood to the fingerboard and once it's dry, then plane/sand it to get the desired angle. Just a thought...

Woody

[fatt-dad]

Another alternative that might be possible is to not remove the neck, but remove the fingerboard instead. then you can add a wedge of wood between the neck and fingerboard to raise the angle of the strings. I am sure there are different ways to do this, but what I have done (on fiddles) is glue a flat piece of wood to the fingerboard and once it's dry, then plane/sand it to get the desired angle. Just a thought...

Woody
Could this really work? It just seems so reasonable.

Comments?

[grsnovi]

I went to your web site to try to see the mando in question, but in addition to the one you're playing in the beach chair, there are a few. It is really hard to suggest an answer to your question. There is no woodworking reason that you can't simply replace the fretboard with a sufficiently tapered board, but if you're only doing it to learn, open that baby up and see what you will see - the only way to get experience is to do. As Joe points out, you could literally find anything in there but you ought to be able to look at it and get a pretty good idea of what you will likely encounter. If the instrument is old, it was likely either a straight mortise-tenon joint or a dovetail assembled with hide glue.

If it has been fooled with already, it could have been epoxied, it could have dowels, etc...

[fatt-dad]

I think that I heard that a hair dryer can help soften the glued joints. Will it (whether for the fretboard or the neck)?

f-d

[Steve Hinde]

If your ultimate goal is to change the neck angle, then you should remove the finger board anyway. If you remove the board, you can see what type of construction was used for the neck joint, and facilitate the removal of the neck. Also, if the neck angle is changed, the board level will also have to be adjusted to keep the fingerboard flat past the neck joint. So, I would remove the fingerboard first. My choice would be to try heat first to soften the glue. I don't know if a hair drier would be enough heat. A heat gun would be my weapon of choice. You can insulate the area around the board with cardboard wrapped with aluminum foil in layers to protect the surrounding finish. Then heat the board evenly and see if the glue loosens up enough to remove the board. You may damage the neck binding if it has any. So be careful. Or just plan on rebinding the fingerboard. I agree with shimming the fingerboard as opposed to resetting the neck. Unless the neck is twisted or warped beyond adjustment. You may also discover interference with the back or the soundboard causing a much more difficult neck removal.
Good luck! It sounds like a fun experiment to play with on an inexpensive instrument anyway. And a great learning experience.

Steve

[krishna]

Chubby-father, the suggestion of Woody is the best one here.I have no idea why everyone went along with what you originally sugested instead of actually thinking what you wanted. I have had to do this job(and the exact opposite) a few times.You can get the fingerboard off the mando with a filed down #butterknife (grind it off on a grinding wheel) then get a hairdryer,and heat up the fingerboard.Do the extender over the top 1st. Just heat up about 4 or 5 inches at a time.It will take about 15 mins probably. DON"T RUSH!!! Once you have it off,sand the underside of the board,and the neck surface clean.Get some hardwood,and cut it to the right wedge size and thickness.It does'nt have to be very thick at the extention to make a big difference at the bridge. The wedge you cut does not have to be all that flat to start exept for the part that glues down to the neck.Glue it down. Then get a VERY flat sanding block #(A lot of Luthiers use a two inch square structual aluminnum tube (Glaziers use it alot for remanufacturing windows) with 4 grades of paper 2sided taped onto it.I have 5 different lengths of those things) #and sand the new part down untill exceptable for what you want. Make SURE you are looking at the sanding often,or you will go down off the side or something...it HAS to be square,,,Once you've done that ,It'll be clear sailing for glueing the #fingerboard back on.Got the idea? Email me if you have any Questions. #PS I did'nt tell what to do if there is a trussrod cause it's not very likely....Kerry

[fatt-dad]

This is perfect. Any concerns about what type of wood to use for the wedge? Should it extend all the way to the underside of the nut? I really think that this may work!

f-d

[krishna]

Use some wood that looks like (if you have it) what the neck is allready made of. And PLEASE be carefull taking the fingerboard off. You do NOT want to break it! Make sure also that you scribe exactly were the nut should start. This is were the wedge should start... With a sharp razor score the laquer at the back of the nut were it looks like it might be laquered in,and then put a block of wood on the fingerboard right against the nut and carefully give it a small tap towards the headstock.The nut should come right off. Then scribe it right there against the base of the fingerboard ok?..Kerry

[Jim Garber]

It still seems like neck reset could be a viable alternative. Check out Frank Ford's step-by-step instructions (http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Luthier/Technique/Guitar/NeckReset/00028Reset/00028reset01.html). Granted they are on a guitar but should be similar.

I would think that the wedge might work too but you have to deal with accuracy in keeping the wedge flat. Assuming your fretboard is flat to begin with, you are only changing the neck angle here.

Jim

[krishna]

Didnt we just go through all this?

[Bill Snyder]

If you decide to use a heat gun instead of a hair dryer be careful. I have two heat guns. One will get up to 1200 degrees F (It's no Home Depot model). It will seriously scorch the wood very quickly at that setting.
Even the Wagner heat guns available at several retailers can heat the wood up too hot if you are not careful.

[fatt-dad]

Well, I feel like I have a mission plan. It may be awhile to get the work done, but I'll be sure to repost at some point in the future.

Thanks again!

fatt-dad

[krishna]

Believe it or not, yu could probably get this whole thing done in way less than 48 hours. And if you are gonna use a heat gun...well... I would'nt. I have no experiercewith them other than using them to light fires. Seriosly....Kerry. My email is kerrykrishna2@hotmail.com.I'll give you my home # and you can call if you want for some encouragment...

[mandroid]

as I understand a steam needle thing fitted thru the removed fret above the dovetail joint is the practice, to remove the neck, if it needs removing, #if its solidly glued, then taking your fingerboard off and shimming it is better, I would think.
removal later is why modern glues are crazy,for these puropses. seek hide!
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif

[Rob Grant]

Here's an example of a flattop I made several years ago that uses the "wedge" to change the angle of the fretboard.
I wanted to raise the bridge to increase the pressure on the top without affecting the action. My necks are fixed in such a way that they literally become part of the head block. This was an easy and elegant method of obtaining that end. The wedge is a different wood from the fretboard or the neck and is therefore readily visible with this example.

[fatt-dad]

Again - Thanks for the great feedback. I guess my lingering concern is whether I have the proper tools for the job. I suspect that a real luthier has specialized tools for every step of this entire process. I, on the other hand, will approach this with the butter knife, hand plane, scraper, hair dryer, sanding block, etc. I know it will be crude, but the challenge/learning process will be great (I hope).

fatt-dad

[Rob Powell]

Rob,

While that wedge is readily visible, it certainly doesn't detract from the appearance in any way!

[Rob Grant]

The "wedge" is the same material as the binding (New Guinea ebony). No doubt the lamination and creation of the wedge would actually increase the strength of the three piece neck with truss rod... now a four piece neck! When it was done, I actually liked the look of the wedge. It also fixed the low bridge problem and helped produce one of the loudest mandolins I ever made. This instrument was sold to a local violin player who used it to back up Christine Olson at a gig she did here last February.

[fatt-dad]

Hey, I'm thinking that the wedge will help resize the neck for my big hands also! I mean there must be a playability factor (hope it's not too much of an effect). I am not dismayed though as I am really into this for the learning, but want to be successful too.

f-d

[PaulD]

I don't know if anyone is still monitoring this thread, but I thought I would suggest using a household iron to soften the glue. I use this method to disassemble glued joints on chairs and other furniture. I use the lowest heat setting that will soften the glue... sometimes I end up just leaving the iron sitting on the joint for 15 or 20 minutes on a very low setting, checking occasionally to see if things have softened up. I would imagine this would work very well for fretboards, but I will add the disclaimer that I've been known to have a vivid imagination and I have never actually removed a fretboard! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/laugh.gif I would also suggest using an old iron that you can dedicate to your shop rather than baking glue into your clothes next time they need ironing!

With regards to your tool collection: I think what you listed is probably all you need. Sure, you could have a specialized heat blanket, or some thin-bladed knives for working the joint apart, but I don't think you should need those things to make it work.

[sunburst]

I just read this thread since it popped up again.
As for the special tools that a "real" luthier would use, I guess I'm pretty much a "real" luthier, and my tool of choice for fretboard removal in a Red Devil putty knife that I've had for years and hope I never break because I can't find another like it.

Now for the real reason I'm posting here. All this talk about hair dryers and heat guns.
Once in a while you get to learn from someone else's mistake and avoid making that mistake yourself. Well, once another "real" luthier asked me if I could think of any reason not to use a heat gun to remove a guitar bridge. I said "no", that I couldn't think of a reason not to. Here's what happened. The blowing hot air found it's way under the aluminum foil covered cardboard protecting the guitar top and bubbled the finish well before the glue turned loose.
You don't get paid for touching up something like that when it's your own fault.

For fingerboards I usually heat with a household iron set on "kill".
For guitar bridges, and for fingerboard extenders during guitar neck re-sets, I use a heat lamp with aluminum foil covered cardboard to protect the top.

[fatt-dad]

So, should I post a thread on "Where do I find an iron with the Kill setting"? Just interested in knowing whether the use of the steam would help with the killing heat?

I am having some troubles with the project using a hair dryer. It seems too difficult to just get the heat where I want it. For the iron method, would you focus the heat on one 4 to 6 inch interval, work up the joint, keep it lifted (i.e., using a shim) and then work down the line?

Thanks for the warning on the bubbling of the finish, but for this project (and the subject mandolin) bubbles would enhance the character - ha.

fatt-dad

[PaulD]

I tend toward using the least amount of force necessary (translation: I'm chicken), so I would rather let the iron sit on a lower setting for a little longer rather than using the "kill" setting. If I did this work frequently and was comfortable with knowing how long and how hot I could run it, I would probably use kill to expedite the process.

If I were a fretboard removing type, I think I would start near the soundhole and work my way up, lifting it gradually. As I stated in the original post, though, I've only done this when rebuilding furniture so Sunburst may have better advice for the fretboard.

Again, being chicken, I only use steam as a last resort... although it would hasten things along (assuming you're dealing with a glue that heat/moisture are going to affect, but that was covered early in the thread!). Sometimes if I do want steam I'll take a damp washcloth and press the iron (or a big soldering iron) onto it. This is usually to remove dents in the wood rather than softening glue.

I've picked up my irons (as well as my shop toaster oven) at the local thrift stores for cheap. As long as it works, it doesn't have to be pretty!

[sunburst]

I just removed a fingerboard from an old A4 today. I checked, and the setting was actually "wool". The "kill" setting is just a reference to old Star Treck episodes. When they were serious about things, their phazers (sp?) were set on kill.

I just put the iron on the frets at the end of the fingerboard toward the body. When the board gets hot enough that I can't leave my fingers on it if I touch it, I try my putty knife under the edge. If it slips in, keep going. If not, heat some more.
This one came loose for about an inch or so, then I heated farther up and kept working with the putty knife. No need for wedges or shims. When I got to about the 4th or 5th fret, the board popped off clean. Just a few small spruce splinters where it was glued to the top.

I got my shop iron at a thrift store or yard sale or somewhere like that. I don't usually have to protect the top from the heat because the frets conduct the heat into the board much better than the air conducts it to the top.

[fatt-dad]

Thank you PaulK and Sunburst! I knew there was some reference to the "Kill" setting and now it has all come together - Star Trek.

I will renew the thread when I can post success.

fatt-dad

[fatt-dad]

Wife's iron (well I guess it's mine also) worked fine. I had to use a bandana between it and the frets. I worked two knives down the fretboard to "lift". I noticed that there were two points with staples or some other brad to further support the joint (I guess). Knifes found them and I just went a half inch to the other side and kept going.

Lost a little wood to the underside of the fretboard (some of the top went along for the ride), but it will not affect the apparence.

Now to figure out how to make the wedge.

Thanks for your support.

fatt-dad

[HoGo]

Back to original question... I think concentrated Nitric acid is appropriate solvent for mandolin neck. Just dip the neck into the acid and wait. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

BTW, I like using regular clothes iron (no steam) for heating fingerboards. I set it to max (linen).

[sunburst]

FD, Just out of curiosity, what neck joint did you find under that fingerboard?

[fatt-dad]

It looked like a dovetail. The size of the dovetail looked out-of-scale with the width of the heel though. I guess I should take a picture of this and get it up on the board. . . .

My next step is to prepare the surfaces of the neck and the underside of the fretboard for glueing. I guess I'll use a metal scraper to remove gunk, splinters, and other irregularities.

I wonder whether I should use some filler to replace splinters that lifted with the fretboard removal? If so, what would it be? Simple wood puddy, water puddy, or just let the glue level into those areas? This is not a matter of wanting the best tone (again it is a POS mandolin), it's a matter of trying to learn what is acceptable and what is not.

Thanks to all once again!

fatt-dad

[douglas2cats]

Is it possible to cleanly slice off the splinters from the FB underside (at least the bigger ones) with a sharp chisel, then glue them back into the divots on the top? At this point, if they're still attached to the FB, you've got an automatic reference as to which splinter goes in which divot. If the size of your splinters are big enough, it just seems like that might be a little neater than messing with filler.

[sunburst]

I wouldn't use filler. If they are just small chips, that's normal for separated glue joints. Just clean it up, (scraper is good) and glue.
Big chips, if any, should be saved and glued back in place as suggested by Douglas.

[fatt-dad]

Dateline October 26th.

My (non-mandolin) buddy and I are having a difference of opinion on how to "cut" the gradual wedge for the fretboard modification. He thinks to use a jig on his table saw and I think to use multiple passes on a joiner/planer. (Have I mentioned yet that I'm no luthier?)

I recall I man that I met years ago, who made a real nice end table with tapered legs. I asked him about his tools, etc. and he showed me a 10-in-one table-top machine that had a joiner/planer on it. He explained to me that if you take an even board and begin to plane several inches from the end and repete from the same point over and over again, you will make a taper. I figure that this may be the best way to approach my wedge construction - cut the board to size (maybe longer), do multiple passes and watch the wedge happen.

Am I on the right track, is it a coin toss between the two or should I just make a single cut on the table saw and scrape?

Thanks in advance.

fatt-dad

[sunburst]

The jointer works well...for table legs.
I assume you want your shim to taper to zero at or about the nut? You don't want to try that on a jointer.
Wood that is too short, or too thin is dangerous on the jointer.

I think it would be easier to glue a fairly thick, evenly thicknessed piece of wood to the neck and then cut the taper with your bridge height in mind. A sharp block plane would be my tool of choice, but if there is a peghead overlay that sticks up higher than the neck surface, that end would have to be finished with a bull nose plane or a chissel.
It would be easier to clamp a flat piece of wood to the neck than to clamp a thin tapered one.

Somebody else might have another idea that will work well...?

[PaulD]

I'm with John (Sunburst) on preferring a block plane to the jointer for this operation, and I like his idea of gluing a block of consistent thickness to either the neck or the back of the fretboard and then tapering it. The other thought I had was to double stick tape it to a backing board for the planing process, but John is right that clamping the tapered shim in place might be tricky.

The plane stands a better chance of not removing too much wood or too much finger-tip. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif If you were bent on using the jointer I would taper a thicker board than what you need and then trim the shim off on a table saw... using PUSH STICKS for both operations, of course.

In case that's not clear; you would start with a board that was 3/4" thick. If you needed a shim that tapered from, say, 1/4" to 0", you would taper your board so that it was still 3/4" on one end and 1/2" on the other. Then trim 3/8" off the untapered side of the board so that with an 1/8" kerf, you remove 1/2" from your shim. (The shim will end up on the "waste" side of the saw blade) A zero-clearance saw insert would be good, as would running the board narrow end first into the saw. You could still glue the shim onto the fretboard or fingerboard and scrape/plane the saw marks off.

I sure prefer the control of the handplane, though, especially for a one-off job like this. I haven't found the "stun" setting on my machines yet... they seem to be set to either "off" or "kill"! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

[fatt-dad]

I can imagin what a bull nose chisel is but is a block plane the tool that my grandfather used? You know the plane with the lever that holds the blade, which just barely sticks out the underside of the business side of the plane?

I completly understand the idea of going with the 3/4 to 1/4 taper and then cutting off the 1/4 inch uniformly. The idea of using a plane (i.e., with multiple passes) makes sense, but how much feel do you need (i.e., experience) to get it right the first time (i.e., actually flat and not full of mogels)?

This may actually happen over the next weekend, but my only schedule is to get it back into service for going to the beach next summer.

fatt-dad

[sunburst]

Ahh, a plane does take some practice, but more than that it has to be sharp and well set up. (And set on stun.:D)
That's a bunch of skill to pick up in a short time for just one project. Maybe the table saw idea will work better for ya.

[Chris Baird]

For tapers I just glue a shim to one side and put it through the thickness sander until it is right.

[PaulD]

Yeah... good suggestion... there's more than one way to skin a cat! I don't have a thickness sander, but I've done that with my planer for rough work.

John is right that tuning up and using a plane is a skill in and of itself, and I guess we just assumed everybody had the tool and had developed that skill... oops! Hopefully the jointer or thickness sander ideas will work.

If you're going to work on your instruments it might not hurt to pick up a block plane and a book or magazine on sharpening/tuning... you'll find all sorts of uses for it. Besides, acquiring tools gives you a whole new slippery-slope to slide down in addition to instrument acquisitions! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif But if you don't want to do that, I'll take your grandfather's plane off your hands so you won'd be tempted. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/wink.gif

[douglas2cats]

If you're limited by tool availability, you COULD do this with a router. It wouldn't be my first choice, but would work in a pinch. You'd have to build a U-shaped cradle to hold the FB. Then put wedges underneath the FB so that the right amount of FB projects over the top of the cradle sides. Set the router on top of the channel and start at the end that doesn't have any FB projecting. Take very shallow passes. I wouldn't route to the final depth your after. Leave enough to put a final set of equal thichness shims under BOTH ends of the FB and switch to a flat board with sandpaper attached to smooth things out.

Oops (added this later):
Forgot one thing. You need to double stick tape some runners to the bottom of your router base to make this work. The runners need to be spaced to ride along the top of the U-channel walls. They just need to be high enough to clear the projecting wood you're trying to take off. Set your final router pass depth so that the bit is even with the bottom of the runners.
It's been about 22 yrs since I used this method to convert a square legged (already glued up) table to a tapered leg table and I forgot some of the details. I didn't have a bandsaw at the time & my hand tool skills were pretty minimal so that's what I ended up using. Still had to do the last couple inches of the inside corners by hand and LOTs of sandpaper but it worked.
Like I said, this wouldn't be my FIRST choice, but it's one more option available to you.

[fatt-dad]

Dateline - January 14, 2005:

Well, it's hard to believe it's been 2 1/2 months since I got my last feedback from this group! I gave my mandoiln and a piece of maple to a colleague with a wood shop and he seemed excited to make my wedge. Well, he never got around to it and I finally just got it all back. That said, the good Doctor Dave Cohen (you know he makes really great mandolins) crafted my fretboard wedge several nights ago.

So, I'm back in business.

Here is where I can use some additional feedback: I started this job thinking I would remove the neck. So, I used a blade and exposed the neck joint by carving away some thick lacquer (sp). Now that I'm going to use the fretboard wedge, I want to know how to (easily) do a cosmetic repair on my carving. Here's my crazy idea - can I use clear fingernail polish?

So far, I just have pieces to reassemble. I also wonder whether I should do the cosmetic work on the neck joint in advance of the re-glueing of the fretboard. That would make the gluing the last step in the process.

Comments?

fatt-dad

[Jim Rowland]

Ho,Corpulent Sire. I use clear five minute epoxy for a quick build like the one you need. It can be worked and sanded pretty easily until flush;colored lacquer finishes the job. Works for me.
Jim

[PaulD]

I think you should try to determine what was on it originally... not all finishes will adhere properly to other finishes. You can put most anything over shellac, but you had said it was a cheap "beach" mando so I would guess it's lacquer. I would think nail polish would work if that's the case, or I wonder if you can buy clear lacquer for model making (I've only bought Testor's enamel paints).

pd

[fatt-dad]

Dateline February 26th. . . .

Reglued, restrung and it plays. Looks like sin and sounds fairly bad (after all I started with a pretty bad mandolin, but mission accomplished!

Thanks for the encouragement.

fatt-dad

[PaulD]

Congratulations! I'm sure it was an interesting exercise! http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

pd

[fatt-dad]

O.K. here's the show-off photo. Note the "fretboard ramp" and the shim beneath the fixed bridge. Also note how I started the job thinking I would remove the neck, so I gouged the finish from the neck joint (I still need to do some cosmetics to "finish" the job - then again. . .).

I've been working on the action by sanding the underside of the bridge shim. About have it right.

Again, thanks to all who helped with encouragement. I truly know the value of hiring a pro - ha.

fatt-dad

[fatt-dad]

Oops this photo does not show the neck joint.

[Desert Rose]

Everybody seems to have glossed over Joes very good advice.

Cheaper mandolins often DONT have a dovetail or tenon joint to inject steam in etc.

These mandolins may or may not have any joint at all and are DOWELED to the body

You best know this before you start the job!

Scott

[fatt-dad]

As it turns out this mandolin did have a dovetail joint. It is real sloppy and for my purposes, I'm glad I didn't mess with it. I feel real fortunate that it plays again and will not likely try a project like this again (unless I happen upon a workshop and more patience.

f-d

[fatt-dad]

Dear Esteemed Luthiers:

I am pleased to report that my mandolin made its 2005 journey to the beach! It played great (I just strung it with the Bush Monels for "anti-corrosion"). Yeah, the tuning machines are rusty, but it's so much fun to have my mandolin at the beach (along with my cigars - ha).

I have to admit that when I had the fingerboard off, it was hard to imagine that I would ever return to the beach with this mandolin again, but by the encouragement right here, it works.

Here is a photo for proof (and if you look real hard you can see the fingerboard wedge).

Thanks all again!

fatt-dad

[Dale Ludewig]

Where did you get Monels? I thought they'd been discontinued. Or so I was told. Thanks in advance.

[sunburst]

You really should take the strap off for that. You don't want tan lines...

[glauber]

Where did you get Monels? I thought they'd been discontinued. Or so I was told. Thanks in advance.
The Sam Bush (http://www.mandolincafe.com/news/publish/mandolins_00155.shtml) strings are monel.

[fatt-dad]

Yes on the Bush set and they are widely available.

That is the only strap that I didn't braid myself. My folks bought it for me (having no idea of how it would be put to it's final use) in Coata Rico (sp).

No joke about the tan lines. See where the "pickguard" used to be? Now that's a farmer's tan, eh?

f-d

[mandowoulfe]

Wow, this is the exact project I'm considering with my super budget Rogue mandolin. Do you have any helpful hints to share? Are you glad you did it? Any info you can give would be much appreciated. I've been lurking here for about 4 months now, and can't believe how many wonderful and helpful people there are. My Dad and I will be starting to build our first mandolin from a kit this fall. I can't wait!!

[Dale Ludewig]

Thanks for the link on the strings. I must have gotten wrong info. I'll have to try a couple sets and see. I hear that they're wonderful for a certain sound.

[fatt-dad]

Do you have any helpful hints to share? Are you glad you did it?
Mandowoulfe,

I am very glad I did it - if just for the experience of dealing with the anxiety. I feel that the tone of the mandolin was somewhat compromised and whatever "overtones" it now has are really bad. I laced a piece of rawhide through the tailpiece side of the strings to help reduce some of the unusable noise. I have no woodworking tools to speak of, so I went to Dave Cohen (cafe frequent and great local builder) and he actually made the wedge that I used. It has a slight taper that while subtile produced the needed relief across the bridge.

Now here's the good part. Who cares on the sound. That dang mandolin sounds great on the beach! It sounds better on the beach then indoors and I consider it my companion into the future (unless I try to learn fixing on it again - ha).

Give it a try.

fatt-dad

[mandowoulfe]

So did the wedge affect the tone of the mandolin? Or would you attribute the change to a lack of tools/experience? (Boy, that sounds bad. I don't mean any disrespect with that statement.)

Would a neck reset be better tone wise? Thanks in advance.

[fatt-dad]

If your asking fatt-dad, you got the wrong guy. I have no idea why the tone is like it is, but (I really mean this) it does sound great against the backdrop of the crasking waves. Maybe I could rent it out for all you beach bums. . . . You'll see - ha.

f-d

[mandowoulfe]

Thanks, fatt-dad. I appreciate your response. I bet there is nothing better than picking on the beach.