String Height at the Nut

[psalmist35]

Good day everyone. I new to the forum and have only posted a few questions. I have been working on my first project and I am near completion. It's not a new build from scratch but a fixer-upper project. I should be posting some pics soon!

I'd like some recommendations or preferences some may have for string height, above the fret, at the nut. I am in process of attempting to make a bone nut and would appreciate some info. I think I would prefer a low action. I'm not a real stringed instrument player. I'm a hacker I've never done anything like this before, although I have a copy of Dan Erlewine's video on nut making. He does mention string height at the nut, but I am not sure if the suggested heights would apply to Mandolin since his video is more directed toward acoustic & electric guitars.

Thanks in advance,
Richard

[bmac]

Your best resourse might be frank Ford at frets.com where stringed instrument adjustments are discussed quite thoroughly including nut adjustment, bridge adjustment and intonation, fret leveling, etc. are discussed quite thoroughly.
If you adjust your nut for low action and want to eventually want to raise it you can simply elevate your nut using a paper shim under it and that will raise the nut the thickness of the paper.

Here's Frank Ford's article on nut adjustment:

http://frets.com/FretsPages/Musician...nutaction.html

[sunburst]

He does mention string height at the nut, but I am not sure if the suggested heights would apply to Mandolin since his video is more directed toward acoustic & electric guitars.

Basically, frets are frets and nuts are nuts. String height at the nut is set the same whether it's a guitar, mandolin, banjo... any fretted instrument. Proper string height at the nut is the same height as the frets, (or as some prefer, very slightly higher). The tutorial at Frets.com that Bart mentioned is a good source of info on this topic (as well as many others).

[psalmist35]

Thank you for the reply's. I will go back through the Frets.com site and refresh my memory.

Next question: Does having a raduised fretboard necessarily call for a radiused bridge? I have seen images of what I suspect to be Mandolins with raduised fretboards but appear to have flat bridges. Would someone please shed some light on this for me?

[sunburst]

Some people do it that way, claiming a better feel for the right hand, having the flat bridge top and associated string positions. It means relatively higher action on the outside strings and relatively lower action on the inside strings, but apparently that is acceptable to those who prefer a flat bridge top. (I don't know of any guitar players who do that, only mandolin players.)

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Thank you for the reply's. I will go back through the Frets.com site and refresh my memory.

Next question: Does having a raduised fretboard necessarily call for a radiused bridge? I have seen images of what I suspect to be Mandolins with raduised fretboards but appear to have flat bridges. Would someone please shed some light on this for me?

I'd even go further. I have an (ever so slightly) radiused bridge on a flat fingerboard mandolin, since the bridge tops tend to bend down in the middle anyway. Feels odd to have higher action on the outer strings. But as so often, different strokes for different folks.

[fatt-dad]

I really look forward to the photos.

f-d

[mandolinplucker]

I check the nut height by fretting the string at the third fret and with feeler gages, measure between the 1st fret and the string. It should be the same at the 4th fret. Be careful!!!!!!!!!! You are dealing with thousands of an inch. When you take off material, do it in very minute steps and do your measurements with the string is tuned to pitch. It is easy it take too much off and have to start over with a new blank. You can take it off but you can't put it back.

[psalmist35]

@ Tony: Thanks for the tip! My biggest problem right now is patience. I've been working on this project since July. I am so close to completion I'm foaming at the mouth

I really look forward to the photos.

f-d

f-d: Here is a teaser for you. Let me first say some will most likely look at my subject project and say I've waited my time and money. However, this has been a blast and for the amount of experience I've gained doing this fixer-upper, I must say I'd do it all over again if given the chance.

I've read some comments by some forum members regarding their opinions about Kay mandolins. Some may be true, but I think the end results of my project look awesome for not having dony anything like this before. What it sounds like is another story as the last things I have to complete are the nut, fine tune the bridge and make the pickguard (I chose Rosewood).

A brief history if you will, this Mandolin has been in my family for a long time. I remember dragging it around the house as a young child and banging it into everything. That explains why the poor thing looks so beat to death.

Anyway, below are some before and after (no finish) photos. The shellac is complete and looks pretty darn good for my first time. I will show those once I'm done with the three items listed above. Anyway here are the photos. BTW, special thanks to sunburst. I believe it is his youtube video of the mandolin sunburst he did for the restoration challenge project. I must have watched that video at least 50 times. Thanks to him for what, in my opinion, helped me get a pretty decent sunburst on my mandolin.


Now let's see if I can figure out how to post pictures (1st time on this forum)

[fatt-dad]

Looks great!

f-d

[Willie Poole]

Any time that is spent learning to do different things with a mandolin such as repairs and building isn`t wasted, a person has to start his learning process somewhere and I think you are on the right track...

Good luck with this and every other project you undertake....

Willie

[bmac]

Delighted to see what you have done with your instrument... I have been looking for one of those as a fixerupper or restoration project... I know they are not the best sounding or best built instruments but I am personally infatuated with the design (shape) and would love one for my meager lower end collection. To me its appeal is in its shape and if it doesn't sound so hot,,, thats OK with me.

[psalmist35]

Delighted to see what you have done with your instrument... I have been looking for one of those as a fixerupper or restoration project... I know they are not the best sounding or best built instruments but I am personally infatuated with the design (shape) and would love one for my meager lower end collection. To me its appeal is in its shape and if it doesn't sound so hot,,, thats OK with me.

Bart thanks for your reply. I have put a lot of effort into fixing this mando up. The checkered purfling had shrunk and cracked over the years and there were long sections (2 to 3 inches in length) in three different spots that I had to fix. I chose to remove all the original binding, front & back, and repaired the checkered purfling. Also, the wood joints at the two peaks were coming apart. Repaired those too. The really scary part, for me, was the neck reset I did. Not to mention replacing and radius-ing the fretboard. I did inlay abalone fret dots and abalone inlay of the "KAY" logo. The original logo all but completely dissapeared. It will be getting new tuners, tailpiece, bridge and pickguard. I'm anxious to get done so I can get my "mancave/recording studio" back.

[belbein]

Very nice. Great job. I agree with you--I love the shape.