Re: Electric Mandolin Adjustments - HELP!!!
The term is "intonate," as in "intonation."
If the Mann is anything like the MandoBird, there should be set screws for each mini=bridge. Sit down with a tuner, very small screwdriver, and a cup of coffee or other beverage of your choice, as this may take a little time. Tune a string to be on pitch and then check the pitch while fretting at the octave (twelfth fret) in each direction from the fret. This fret is supposed to be at the exact midpoint of the string's length. If the tone for the bridge side is sharp compared to the tone for the nut side you have to tighten the screw to bring the mini-bridge back, increasing the string length on that side. This may seem counterintuitive, as this raises the pitch of the string, but once you tune the string again you will see that you are progressing in the desired direction. Keep going, bit by bit, till you get there.
I have found that while this does improve intonation, it still can be a bit off, even with my Ryder EM-44. I have taken to setting the intonation at the seventh fret, since that is right in the middle of where I do most of my playing. This means fretting each string there and adjusting until both the open and fretted strings are on pitch. Thus I tend to skip the first step; I mentioned that to get you in the ball park.
There are other ways to set and check intonation - comparing the pitch at the seventh fret with that of the next higher open string; comparing the harmonic with the fretted tone at the twelfth fret; comparing the harmonic at the seventh fret with the harmonic at the twelfth fret of the next higher string, and other methods. On a well-intonated instrument all of these should at least be close. I'm sure others will weigh in with their preferences, but the method I described works well for me. And from doing it enough, I've gotten better and quicker at it. For acoustic mandolins, the process involves moving the bridge until you are happy with it, and you may have to put a bit of a slant in it.
I had a lot of good times with my MandoBird, especially since it was a big step up from what I could do with an amplified acoustic. But I did have problems getting the intonation right. One of the strings needed a longer screw to reach the proper string length, so I knew there was nothing I could do until I got a longer screw. Frustrating, playing an instrument that forces you into a compromised situation. When I got the Ryder this problem was solved, and I haven't played the MandoBird since. People do complain about this, so I know it's a common issue. I expect the Mann will be able to be intonated properly.
Good luck!
But that's just my opinion. I could be wrong. - Dennis Miller
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