Ancient New-Bee Questions

[bjewell]

For the first time ever, I actually LIKE to play the mandolin. I have made some big gains in my understanding of what I need to do. And coming here -- and the generous help available from you folks -- has me excited about actually getting something out of this thing.

My Kentucky KM1000V mandolin probably has its original strings. It was made in 2012, bought it used here and the thought of changing the strings gives me the cold sweats. I've posted this before. Some people like older strings on electric guitars, prefer the tone. Do mandolin players want fresh strings or are older strings preferred? Is it true that high action is the way to go? I've got this one as low as I can get it.

Do you play with "mandolin" picks? I have some 40-year-old little Fender teardrop mandolin picks I used to play my Tele with. Or do you go for a regular (thick of course) size picks?

Last... playing in G or D, do you use open strings a lot or do you seek the note seven frets up the neck -- the same as if you were perhaps playing in D#? In other words, do you avoid open strings and learn to play certain fingerings regardless of key?

Thanks all!

[Jesse Kinman]

New strings are definitely the way to go. Old strings can make any good mandolin sound dead, and not feel as good while you’re playing it. My favorite string is Elixir Nanoweb, and I can get about 3 months of playing out of them if I play it a normal amount for me(which is probably about 2-3 hours of hard playing a week). If I play with an uncoated string like D’adarrio J74 I can get 1-2 weeks before it starts sounding dead.

Regarding high action, you want it just high enough so that it doesn’t buzz on the frets, which will vary depending on how hard you pick the strings. The higher the action the harder it will be to fret. Some people will say that a high action will give it more volume, but I kind of laugh inside when I hear that. But in reality, a high action will allow you to play harder without it buzzing, so instead of it “giving” more volume, it “allows” you to play it harder in order to get more volume. Hope that makes sense.

I use the same pick for guitar and mandolin(I despise the old “mandolin” picks that they mentioned in my mandolin books, they look like jazz guitar picks, super hard to hold onto) , I use a Bluechip CT 55, it is a rather large rounded triangle shaped thick pick. It cost a pretty penny, but you can get an “almost as good” pick in a Dunlop Primetone for 1/18 the price. Picks are subjective tho, not everyone will like the same picks, but I would recommend getting something at least 1mm thick as a bare minimum. I play with a variety of picks tho from time to time, varying from 1.1mm to 1.5mm, so your best bet would be to just try different ones and play with what you feel gives you the best tone and volume.

When I started out, as I got deeper into playing I started playing more up the neck as it gave me more freedom to play in different keys without changing what notes I fretted. But as I got “older” in my mandolin playing years, I (without thinking) started playing more open notes, and I started liking the keys of A and D more, cause the mandolin lends itself to those keys well, it resonates so nicely with a lot of open notes in those keys. But basically it depends on what sound I’m wanting to get, and what notes I want to play with the melody line where I fret it. I find that I play equally up and down the neck, just depends on the situation.

Hope that helps.

[Zach Wilson]

Q 1: I prefer the sound if "broke in" strings.... (the sound/tone you get after a couple of days). Brand new strings sound shrill to me. I like um a bit mellowed.

Q 2: I like my action a bit lower. So when I hit an open string hard there is a slight, faint buzz. It's more comfortable to me.

Q 3: I use big triangle shaped picks. I like them somewhere around 1mm to 1.5mm in thickness and I like them beveled slightly.

Q 4: I like all the notes. I like music and being creative.

I hope this helps.

[Ray(T)]

Most people don't like brand new strings but I find that they mellow to something acceptable in a day or so - not 5 years! If the mandolin has been played - particularly by someone else - those strings could be harbouring all manner of disease and pestilence. There are many things in life which we don't like doing but just have to be done so I think it's time to bite the bullet and change them. You might be quite pleased with the results.

I bought a couple of mandolins at auction a month or so ago and they both had their original strings. A re-string, a polish and a tweak to the set-up has transformed (and added value) to both of them. Changing strings is a pain but it's something we just have to get used to. The more times you do it, the easier it gets.

I've only ever met one professional mandolin player who liked old dead strings - and I'm not going to say who that was! Needless to say, he seemed to spend more time tuning, on stage, than he did playing.

[Bertram Henze]

For the first time ever, I actually LIKE to play the mandolin. I have made some big gains in my understanding of what I need to do. And coming here -- and the generous help available from you folks -- has me excited about actually getting something out of this thing.

Curiosity wonders how you arrived at playing the mandolin in the first place, if not out of a deep desire?

I like the brilliant sound of new strings - but then, I play ITM; other than BG players who like the dull throb of rust from before the Roosevelt administration

I play with pointy Ultem/Ultex picks that hadn't "mandolin" written on them anywhere. Finding your pick is a lifelong experience in itself.

I like the ring and drone of open strings whnever I can get them. The sound is just better.

[Paul Busman]

Don't let the thought of changing strings give you the cold sweats. It is NOT hard and you don't need a capo, sticky putty, tape or any other gizmos to change them quickly and easily. PM me for details. It's not my own idea, but it works really well on mandolin, banjo or guitar (except those with slotted headstock). I'll have to write it up or make a video so I can send it to people easily.

[bjewell]

Thanks all. I've posted this stuff before. I'm 72, got my first guitar at nine, played in honky tonks, biker bars, hippie clubs and crab feeds for a good bit of my life. I've owned hundreds of guitars. Played pedal steel since 1973.

But two things I keep trying over the years are mandolin and frailing banjo. And to date, I have flunked out on both. Banjo is still a mystery but I'm just now understanding mandolin and I've purchased (and sold) one off and on since 1964. I'm a lefty with a particularly slow right hand which I can hide on the steel and a stringbender but not on the mandolin.

I'll suck it up and change the strings today. Or maybe tomorrow... ;- )

Oh yeah... what is "ITM?"

[OneChordTrick]

Oh yeah... what is "ITM?"

Irish Traditional Music I think?

[UsuallyPickin]

Well ... you have a fine instrument to make your mandolin journey with. Strings can be changed one pair at a time without the bridge moving. The correct location of the bridge is imperative because when it moves the mandolin will no longer intonate properly. Setting the bridge in the correct place involves matching the tone of the open string and the same string noted at the twelfth fret. Capo's are cool because they give you a third hand in the process and that helps but is not necessary. I change my strings two pairs at a time and that allows me to clean the fingerboard well with a damp cloth. And on and on .... There is a free book circulating on the Café member Rob Meldrum wrote a good Mandolin Set Up book and you can download it for free here. Just PM him. It will help your understanding of your mandolin. Enjoy the ride.. R/

[HonketyHank]

Welcome, bjewel. The trepidations will be eliminated soon and are, even now, more than overbalanced by the pleasures of playing actual notes and stuff on that mandolin. Re all your questions "if it sounds good, it IS good". Jump in, the water's fine.

[Br1ck]

I had a health issue that made it impossible to fret anything for two years. I bought a pedal steel so I could continue playing music. For that whole time, I struggled to play that thing. Totally sucked. Fortunately my hand got better and I went back to fretted instruments, and I had developed my right hand to where I can play dobro some.

Anyone who can play pedal steel has my respect. What a beast.

[Mark Wilson]

Fresh strings as soon as the old ones seem hard to tune
Mandolin style picks
Open strings are perfectly fine for the first year or two

[Caleb]

Beautiful mandolin, man! (Great picture too.)

[Randi Gormley]

Yup, new strings asap. New strings may jangle a bit at first but they settle down after a day or two. Old strings are notoriously hard to tune or keep in tune not to mention you really ought to discard the buildup of dust, dirt, sweat, skin and whatnot that gives it that "dull" sound. Now WHICH strings you choose may give you some entertainment. You can get strings that sound a little less bright right out of the package -- I think the nickel bronze ones were like that (there's a café string on them when they first came out, you can check it out via search) and Thomastik strings are less jangly and a little mellower when you first put them on. And you can play around with the weight as well, and that can affect sound. And coated or non-coated makes a difference. So when you say "new strings" that can mean all sorts of different things.

As for picks, that depends on what music you play. I play both classical and Irish Traditional Music -- melody, not chord genres -- so I like a relatively thin (although stiff) pick with a pointy end. I find that the big thick picks that bluegrassers like makes my mandolin sound like I'm playing it under water. I play with a little bitty jazz pick usually, although for some of my mandolins, I'll use a standard guitar pick (again thin but stiff). depends on the instrument. Bluechip makes a jazz pick, by the way -- tiny and pointed. It doesn't sound as good on my Gibson as my John Pearse picks but it makes my Eastman sing. Try a bunch of different ones. Each one will make your mandolin sound different. Really.

As for open vs closed strings, again it depends on what music you play. Since I mostly play ITM, I want the open strings to ring out. Classical, the tradition is to never use an open string if you can help it. If you learn both, it just gives you more tools in your belt.

My 2 cents. worth exactly what you paid for it!