Bridge problem

  1. Louise NM
    Louise NM
    Hi, folks.

    I need some advice on my bridge.

    A couple of days ago, I noticed my mandolin is out of tune with itself. When tuned accurately to open strings, the fifth on a lower string is sharper than the open string it should match. Implies that the bridge has moved a bit, I would think.

    The bridge is one of the two-piece jobs, with thumbscrews to adjust height. It's adjusted with the bass side a bit higher than the treble side. Looking at it from above, the two pieces are not 100% parallel—the treble side is angled very slightly towards the fingerboard. Looking at the bridge from the side, it also looks like it tilts slightly towards the fingerboard on the bass end.

    This instrument, which I have owned for a few days less than a year, was built in February, 1988. Handmade, F-style, if any of this makes a difference.

    To the best of my knowledge, there's not a mandolin tech in the area. A guitar tech paired some loose binding and set it up when I first bought it. He did a beautiful job, but freely admits he's no expert on the eight-stringers. The guys at another shop have been lovely, and very helpful, but again, they're guitar nerds.

    I haven't dropped or bumped the instrument, haven't dropped the case.

    Advice?
  2. MikeZito
    MikeZito
    This should be a fairly simple fix:

    You will simply need to slightly move the bridge either backwards or forwards, until you get your intonation correct. If the note is sharp when first playing the same string open, and then fretted on the 12th fret, you will need to move the affected side of the bridge slightly backwards (towards the bridge) . . . if the note is flat, you will need to move the bridge forward (towards the neck).

    Hope this helps.
  3. Louise NM
    Louise NM
    Does the shape of the bridge sound like a problem?
  4. Kevin Stueve
    Kevin Stueve
    So on me eastman after changing strings several times I notice the bridge was no longer perpendicular to the top. It developed a slight lean towards the fingerboard. This affected intonation. While many on this site talk about "burping" their bridge back parallel with the strings under full tension I chose to introduce some slack and stand it back up. If I'm reading your post correctly you have both this lean and an angle from bass to treble. The angle from base to treble shouldn't be a concern as long as intonation is correct. Also don't be afraid to play with the position of that bridge
  5. MikeZito
    MikeZito
    Unless one side is WAY up and the other side is WAY down, having the bass and treble sides of the bridge at different heights should not be a problem at all. As Kevin said, just tweak the bridge a little bit, and make sure that when you are done the bottom of the bridge is flat against the top of the mandolin, and you should be fine.
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