Earthwood Mandola Repair

Hi everyone,
I recently picked up what seems to be a very rare Earthwood (Ernie Ball) Mandola that would benefit from some repairs (I previously posted about this on one of the other threads). The bridge is beginning to pull away from the body and the body is beginning to get the classic hump around the bridge. Also, oddly, this instrument appears to have a bolt-on neck. So I'm wondering what the best approach would be to setting this instrument up so that it will play better and be stable. I suppose options include some combination of re-seating the bridge, adding a shim under the neck, and/or reducing some height on the saddle (which is pretty tall).
Thanks,
Matt

Earthwood mandola? I'm afraid you'll have to post photos. Even a GIS turns up nothing. Glued bridge?

Sure it ain't an Eastwood?

Discussed in Looking for Info Here.

It’s the real deal. The OP knows what he’s talking about. Definitely not an Eastwood!
https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...thwood+mandola

I'm sure he does, but without some photos it's hard to give meaningful advice.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Greg Mirken

I'm sure he does, but without some photos it's hard to give meaningful advice.

---

Look at the other (linked) thread!

Just a guess, but from the size of the hand in the photo, the object could be mandolin sized, and also not very deep. That bridge must be bolted to something pretty solid!

Sorry, I am not very adept at online forums. It is indeed an Earthwood (Ernie Ball) Mandola. It totally surprised me too. I thought it was a weird off-brand instrument and had walked past it in my local antique mall for years; however, just the other day I decided to take a closer look and noticed that it said Ernie Ball inside the sound hole. Here are the pics I posted in one of the other threads:
Attachment 192170Attachment 192171Attachment 192172Attachment 192173Attachment 192174

Hi Matt,
I think you have the right idea. This mandola has more in common with a flattop guitar than most mandolin/mandolas you normally see. Basically, check inside for loose braces, reglue bridge flat, reduce saddle, if needed, and yes, since it is a bolt-on neck you can shim it to your liking just like an electric guitar. I would see where that gets you and go from there.

In addition to the advice given above by Jeff Mando, I would check the condition of the bridge plate

Thanks!

Get thee to a luthier. This is an instrument worth professional attention.
Bill