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Thread: Dull and Lifeless

  1. #1

    Default Dull and Lifeless

    Advice please- I have a Weber Big Sky that sounds dull and lifeless to me. I have been using EJ-74 Mediums on it for over 5 years, which I change regularly. Do I need to try another type of string? Take it to a luthier for a tune up? Both? Love the mando, cringe at the dull sound coming out of it these days,

  2. #2
    Teacher, repair person
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    If the sound of the instrument has changed noticeably, have it checked over to make sure it has not developed any loose braces or seams.

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    coprolite mandroid's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    New Strings bring things back to life ..
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    Pittsburgh Bill
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    Your signature does not say what part of the country you live in. Could your mandolin be exposed to usually high humidity as of late?
    Big Muddy EM8 solid body (Mike Dulak's final EM8 build)
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    strings and picks can make quite a bit of difference and I'd pay little attention to recommendations and reviews on those things, what one person loves and swears by you may not like at all. Intonation and string height are easy adjustments you can do on your own. Sounds like you need to experiment some with strings and picks first, maybe try some 80/20 strings that are a bit brighter than PB's and picks that produce a brighter response as some pick brands can be dull and lifeless sounding to some and some have a much brighter sound. If you're using a thinner pick go up in pick thickness and that could or will produce a different sound and greater volume...every instrument and person is different
    Last edited by CBFrench; Apr-29-2021 at 2:22pm. Reason: spelling

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    Registered User Mark Seale's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    I'd check bridge placement and contact to the top.

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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    I agree with rcc56. Before you waste a set of strings, or try many different things that could let something that might be happening get worse, I would have it looked at. I recently refit the bridge foot on my Unicorn, it's nearly 50 years old and had several owners. I haven't had it that long, but the sound would change on the low end from time to time. The bass foot on the bridge was not fitting right. It sounds much better now and stays consistent. Things change and settle over time, so it may be time to get it checked out.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    Huh -- thought this thread was titled after a duet in which I used to play.

    You can guess whether I was "Dull" or "Lifeless..."
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  13. #9
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    I thought it was a dating profile!
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  15. #10

    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    Sorry a little unclear - do you mean that it was satisfactory previously at some point? Or has it always been unsatisfactory? But, ya take it to a luthier and have them play it, have someone else play it -

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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    Some people actually live way out in the country and the nearest luthier or anyone capable of working on a instrument is hours away. At this point it's best to see what you can do on your own, who knows you might just be able to find the solution yourself, now wasn't that easy

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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    Quote Originally Posted by CBFrench View Post
    Some people actually live way out in the country and the nearest luthier or anyone capable of working on a instrument is hours away. At this point it's best to see what you can do on your own, who knows you might just be able to find the solution yourself, now wasn't that easy
    Yes CB you are right and the first thing I would check in that case is intonation. The bridge may have moved slightly, or the action changed because of weather changes.
    THE WORLD IS A BETTER PLACE JUST FOR YOUR SMILE!

  18. #13

    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    Thanks to everyone who offered advice. The mando used to sound great; I live on the left coast so humidity is not an issue. I think it's time for a trip to the luthier...

  19. #14
    Dan Sampson mando_dan's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    All work and no play makes Weber a dull boy.
    1999 Buckeye #18 (Bucky)
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  20. #15
    Registered User Jeff Budz's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    What a difference a talented luthier can make with your instrument. More on the way it plays/feels, but sound as well. Also, I'm really digging the GHS A270 strings these day compared to other brands.

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    Registered User J.C. Bryant's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    If you know that the bridge and all are relatively the same and it has taken no licks, etc. I would bet on the humidity problem.

  22. #17
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    All one can do is speculate on what are the causes of your problem, if you live close to a good luthier that's a good thing, real good. In my case that would be a 5 hour drive one way. I bought an instrument from a good builder and I would think I should have no problems that are not fixable on my own as for bridge, intonation and strings adjustments to my likings. I know nothing about your Weber Big Sky age or condition, I was speculating on self-doable things.

  23. #18
    Registered User Aaron Bohnen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    If you don't have a trusted local luthier a trip home to its maker might do your Big Sky a world of good. Bruce Weber usually answers the phone if you give him a call at Montana Lutherie so that could be a quick way to get some insight. NFI on my part. But I am a happy customer of Bruce's expertise, great service and depth of knowledge.

    best of luck!
    Gavin Baird F4 & F5, Weber Octar, Gibson K-1, Guild D50, Martin D35, Yairi DY-84, etc...

  24. #19
    Registered User gspiess's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    This is admittedly a long shot, but has anything changed with the room(s) you play in? Floor covering, moving furniture around, new drapes?
    Being right is overrated. Doing right is what matters.

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  25. #20
    plectrist Ryk Loske's Avatar
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    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    I'd send it back to Bruce Weber at Montana Lutherie: https://www.montanalutherie.com.
    mandolin ~ guitar ~ banjo

    "I'm convinced that playing well is not so much a technique as it is a decision. It's a commitment to do the work, strive for concentration, get strategic about advancing by steps, and push patiently forward toward the goal." Dan Crary

  26. #21

    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    I'd put my money on seasonal changes in temp and humidity. It seems to me that the left coast is moving from cooler/wetter winter weather to warmer/drier summer weather which will cause the top to settle a bit. Turn the adjustment wheels to raise the bridge somewhat. It shouldn't take much, a 1/4 turn or two should get you back to the "sharp and lively" sound you're used to producing. IMHO

    Len B.
    Clearwater, FL

  27. #22

    Default Re: Dull and Lifeless

    All of the above.

    If all else fails, add a little reverb, in real-time so you can enjoy the enhanced sound while you're playing (not added afterward). That's how I was able to tolerate that $50 Rogue mandolin I had for a few years. A little reverb makes it sound like you're playing in that cool concrete stairwell at the music festival where everyone congregates for late-night jam sessions because the natural reverb makes everyone's instruments sound better.

    An anecdote about high humidity:
    A friend once loaned me his Soviet flat-top mandolin, which I brought back with me to an extremely high-humidity region. The poor mandolin quickly got tubbier and tubbier sounding in the humid air, just like a hide banjo head does when it absorbs too much moisture from the air and starts sounding dull and doesn't ring very much, just 'thunk' sounds instead of nice ringing notes. My friend had intended that I keep the mandolin for 6 months or so, but I became so worried about all the dampness it was absorbing from the air, and what might happen upon its return to the more dry climate that it was accustomed to (I was afraid it would dry out too quickly and crack when I took it back, if I kept it very much longer and let it absorb even more dampness, it's the *changes* that are destructive to wood), and I didn't have any options such as central heating or a de-humidifier (yeah people in that area use DE-humidifiers, to remove excess moisture) so I returned his mandolin to him early. He was a little miffed because he interpreted it as some sort of insult as if he thought I didn't like his mandolin well enough to continue playing it, but it wasn't that. I knew he was attached to the darn thing and I just didn't want it getting damaged.


    --- Edited due to my inability to read accurately and quoting the wrong things. Gah.

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