Vice grip fingers

[Rob Meldrum]

Get my free e-book on how to set up a mandolin. Email me at rob.meldrum@gmail.com and put Mandolin Setup in the subject line.

[Charlie Bernstein]

I'm not a pro, either, but when I was having all kinds of wrist and arm problems, several people here suggested I get the nut retooled by a good luthier.

I did, and it solved all my fretting and barring (and pain/tingling/numbness) woes.

[GalexC]

Well Allen...bushes and all. You are correct. You should take over jeopardy. Further CLOSE inspection as suggested, I need to adjust the string height at the TINY nut and even out the strings at the bridge. The 40’s are riding high. I’ll do a slow learning curve on this and use my nut files with feeler gauge set to the string height. Still going to order a lighter set. I’m always willing to listen and learn. Except when I was young bc I knew everything. Thx again for your supportive comments.

[GalexC]

Ray...how about sticking with my 10-14-24 and replacing the 40 with 36?

[Ray(T)]

I wouldn’t discourage anyone from trying something but I doubt you’d notice any difference. Others might dispute this but my feeling is that the gauge of strings you should use is mainly down to playing technique. If you’re heavy with your picking hand, you’d be better off with heavier strings. (The individual instrument does come into it insofar as heavier strings should, up to a point, be louder. That “point” is where the strings become so heavy that there’s so much tension that it inhibits the mandolin top from moving. You can only find this by experimentation but I’ve yet to find a mandolin which doesn’t sound fine with J74s. Todays task is to fit a new set to my 1914 A.)

[GalexC]

Ray...your 1914 mandolin must be a beauty. I’ve just measured fret height using a small square then added 10 thou to the feeler gauge and clamped it beside the nut and filed the G and D slots. I then did the same on the first and second set with 8 thou instead of 10. I put a 6” rule across the strings at the bridge and lowered the G set which were high. Now all level. Problem that I see is that while sighting Down the neck the bridge is higher on the treble side. So tomorrow I’ll file the slots lower til they are all level and the plane matches the fretboard, then reduce the wood from the one side of the bridge. It is bottomed out on both sides so I think I should work out. Maybe some might go lower at the nut but I’ll go with 10 and 8 thou. Comments welcome

[Ray(T)]

The ‘14 is just one of the stable - not my favourite. I’m no luthier so I’ll leave adjustments requiring tools for others to comment on.