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Thread: New player with new instrument headache!

  1. #1

    Default New player with new instrument headache!

    Hi all, complete noob to the mando family.

    I wasn't sure whether this post was specific enough for CBOM or repair so plumped for in between. Apologies if it's in the wrong place.

    Anyway, yesterday I received a nearly new (must have been a lockdown purchase which was soon regretted), Eastman MDO305 from a dealer a couple of hundred miles away. It's a beautiful instrument but with a couple of issues. The website said it would have a setup before shipping but I don't think it has. I was therefore hoping to access the hive mind on possible causes/solutions.

    Firstly, both tuners for the pair of A strings are pretty hard to turn and seem to be erratic in how much they adjust pitch. It's almost exactly what happens if the nut slots are too small and the strings are catching which is exactly what I thought the problem was as it's affecting both As. However, the strings have plenty of room. Is cheaper Eastman hardware poor or could it be something else?

    Secondly, and most importantly, are the pair of Gs. Played open, they're nice and resonant with great sustain. Anything 3rd fret and above, the tone is awful. There's almost a thump of vibration through the body and neck on attack which then continues for the pretty short duration of the note. The strings sound completely dead (they're brand new). On certain frets, the closer overtones are almost as loud as the fundamental. There's no fret buzz, if anything the action is a touch high. Any ideas on a fix as there isn't a local luthier and I don't really want the hassle of returning it as I'm housebound at the moment.

    Thanks

  2. #2
    Registered User William Smith's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Call em, and send it back! Also remember with mandolins you get what you pay for-I know many can't afford super high dollar instruments but there are some fine ones out there for deals!

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  4. #3

    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Just a wild guess that wrong strings could be on, courtesy the last owner. Sometimes people will attempt unusual tunings. A harmonic sounding stronger than a fundamental could be a clue. Of course structural issues, visible and hidden always possible. Cursory dealer setup might miss things.

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  6. #4
    Worlds ok-ist mando playr Zach Wilson's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    I agree with Richard500 and would try a string change before making too many judgements. Also, I would add some graphite to the string slots (bridge and nut) to ensure that nothing is catching there.

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    Registered User Jill McAuley's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    The 305's have a good reputation around here, but their weak spot commonly reported would be the tuners - a lot of folks end up swapping them out for higher quality ones.
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    Registered User Eric Platt's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Another vote for switching strings first. That is definitely not how one of those should act and sound. I own one and it was fine from the factory with just a touch of setup on my part. Yes, the tuners can be erratic.

    If new strings don't solve the G string issues, then it's something else.

    Just got mine out and noticed that I have a string mute between the bridge and the tailpiece. Because of the longer length of string there are some definitely overtones that happen without some dampening. Thread a piece of leather, or even a regular shoelace through the strings. That might help with the G string overtones, also.
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  12. #7
    Registered User Simon DS's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Post a YT vid of you playing a G scale on the instrument?

  13. #8
    Worlds ok-ist mando playr Zach Wilson's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Quote Originally Posted by Simon DS View Post
    Post a YT vid of you playing a G scale on the instrument?
    That's a really good idea. We can only help so much without hearing full knowledge of what is going on.

  14. #9
    Registered User lowtone2's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Is the bridge leaning, or not well fitted?

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  16. #10
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    My 305 had a whole set of stiff tuners before I swapped them out - it seems like some 305s are like that from new. However even if stiff, they should be relatively smooth. Have a look at the tuning gears to see if the stiff ones look unusually chewed up. Re. the strange G string behaviour - one possibility is somebody has wound up the truss rod until the neck has a backward bow (will they go that far guys?). You can check that by putting a straight edge along the fret tops between the 1st and 12th frets. If the edge rocks on a point between those two frets, the neck is bowed backwards and needs attention. The truss rod is adjustable, but if you're not sure which way to turn the nut, I suggest you let a tech do that - if you turn it the wrong way you might be trying to tighten a rod that's already too tight, and it could strip the thread or even break. In fact, your friendly local guitar/banjo/mando tech might give you some quick info with just a quick look.

  17. #11

    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    The tuners on my MD615 are meh at best. What you describe is what I experience with them.
    I do NOT have your issue with the g strings.

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  19. #12
    Registered User Charlie Bernstein's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    And by the way — welcome!

    Folks here will get you through any mando problem you can run into. Enjoy your new toy. They're a blast!
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  20. #13

    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Cheers everyone. New strings first then. After this afternoon I need a set anyway. Loosened the two A strings to lube the nut, and as I'm retuning, one of the tuners stopped changing the pitch at roughly G#. It then seemed to decide to quickly catch up to the extra turn of the peg... And snap. Quickly followed by the other A.

  21. #14

    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Quote Originally Posted by Simon DS View Post
    Post a YT vid of you playing a G scale on the instrument?
    I wouldn't even know where to begin with doing a YT video. I'm a complete luddite and the only piece of tech I own is a phone.

  22. #15

    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Quote Originally Posted by Charlie Bernstein View Post
    And by the way — welcome!

    Folks here will get you through any mando problem you can run into. Enjoy your new toy. They're a blast!
    Cheers. I'm intending to go off-grid/travelling in the spring and want to learn something new, acoustic, portable and lightweight. My basses, amp head, cabs and pedal board would be a touch bulky to take with me!!

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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Quote Originally Posted by Drü Ellz View Post
    Cheers. I'm intending to go off-grid/travelling in the spring and want to learn something new, acoustic, portable and lightweight. My basses, amp head, cabs and pedal board would be a touch bulky to take with me!!
    Back in the late 70’s, as a teen, I went on a month long NOLS (National Outdoor Leadership School) course out in middle of the Uinta-Wasatch wilderness. We weren’t allowed to bring anything non-essential with us: just our food, clothes, rain flys (tents are for wussies, right?), sleeping bag, cooking gear, canteen, maps, compass, and ice axe, “ ‘cause son, you’re gonna need to self arrest.” Any other gear, like first aid kits and other emergency gear, was carried by our 2 instructors, Rick and Steve, which was fine with us because our packs weighed 60-65lbs and most of us hardly weighed more at our age. The instructor packs were huge and I asked how much they weighed “100lbs, give or take.” Ouch.

    Well we load our packs onto the bus and are getting ready to go and I see Rick has this odd shaped black thing he’s carrying, so my teen self asks “Uhh, what’s that??”, to which Rick replies in his North Carolina accent “Mandolin”.

    We piled into the bus and started the long drive from Lander, Wy. to Utah, stopping in the desert along the way for the night. After dinner we put down our pads and rolled our sleeping bags out in the open, looking straight up at a million stars on a cloudless night. At some point the sound of the mandolin came quietly drifting out of the darkness…… I’m not gonna lie, it was magical.

    In the morning I thought, I hope Rick plays again on the way home. We drove the rest of the way to the trail head, unloaded our gear, and got ready to head off for our month with in the wilderness with no human contact other than our group and the horse packers who were scheduled to meet us for re supply a couple of times. As we struggled into our heavy packs Rick strode by with his pack and on the top of his already ridiculously large and tall pack, the mando was strapped! This crazy southern boy was actually going to haul this mandolin, in its old school heavy plywood case, around on top of his already 100lb pack, for countless miles, while climbing mountain passes and traversing hellacious ankle breaking boulder fields, for the next month. The dude was hard as nails, and perhaps a little crazy, and we loved him for it.

    That was the most challenging and formative month of my life, and as a reward I got to hear some fine mandolin picking in some of the most beautiful and pristine places the country has to offer. And that my friends is where my love of the mandolin was born.

    Dru Ellz, you have chosen a fine traveling companion, happy trails wherever you may go.

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  26. #17
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    I have the same MDO305 octave mandolin which I bought secondhand last August. After a few weeks I ordered replacement tuners because I’d read other reports of tuning trouble like I was having (mine was the D strings). After replacing the tuners I took it to a good mandolin luthier for a setup. It’s been most pleasant to play it ever since. I have the original tuners on hand and I think that I’ll inspect them carefully to see if they might be repairable.

    As a rookie I will leave troubleshooting your other question to others who have experience.
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    You may consider swapping the strings to the EJ 72 mandola strings. I have a 20.5 inch scale Weber OM, and that change (learned about here on the Cafe) made a huge difference. No more floppy G strings and the tone is much better. I know Phat Dad (a long time member here) has an Eastman OM and he did the same with good results. The other set up info is also, of course, appropriate. With truss rods, when looking down the neck, turn to the right to tighten, left to loosen, but go in 1/4 turn increments and slowly. Best of luck!

  28. #19

    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    The cheap Eastman tuners are junk. Poorly made. Grovers are a cost effective replacement, but the screw holes need a slight realignment. The intonation could be off. Take it to a competent repair shop. If new strings and a set up do the trick, then change the tuners.

  29. #20
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    If you change the tuners, there are inexpensive Chinese made sets available (maybe $40, various names) which are much better, and just drop in. You may have to drill one small shallow hole on each side where the replacement tuner plate is longer than the original, but that's it.

  30. #21
    Registered User Charlie Bernstein's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Quote Originally Posted by Drü Ellz View Post
    I wouldn't even know where to begin with doing a YT video. I'm a complete luddite and the only piece of tech I own is a phone.
    Ditto dat! I know you need some kind of camera, and I suspect you need a Youtube account. Coming up with the two and then getting them together would be beyond me, too.
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  31. #22
    Registered User Charlie Bernstein's Avatar
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    Default Re: New player with new instrument headache!

    Re nice-priced tuners: You might like browsing StewMac.
    Gibson A-Junior snakehead (Keep on pluckin'!)

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