Great lesson. Everything you said is absolutely 100%! So many people don't understand intonation starting out or even some very good players. Very, very helpful for anyone having intonation issues. Wished you would have covered adjusting bridge height as well.
Hey Billy, thx for the comment. I plan to make a "do it youself" setup video as part of the Mandolin on a Budget playlist that will cover bridge height. Stay tuned......
I’ve always been horrified of tinkering too much with my bridge because it seems like I’ve always gotten them out of true notation the more I mess with it! This is a good video to help that issue
Great tips that I am familiar with from owning an archtop guitar for a long time. But my mandolin is a flattop with a fixed bridge and non adjustable truss rod. I think the frets need dressing, and I know I need fresh strings to fix my intonation problems.
If you fully tune your mando it might be hard to then move the bridge. I am going to start by tuning two octaves lower. Get it close as I can then move up an octave and check / adjust. Then tune up another octave. Repeat. I will come back and let you know how I got on!
Just started playing mandolin a short time ago, and just last night replaced my first set of strings on it. It's a cheap starter instrument, a Mitchell. I've played guitar for years so while I'm not an expert I understand the basics of intonation. The issue I have is when I tune a course the harmonic is damn near perfect but when I play the 12th fret note it is slightly sharp. Guess I need to move it back a little. Thanks so much for this video, and all your others. Very helpful.
Actually after watching your video I got the intonation so damn near perfect it's kinda scary considering it's a cheap mandolin. Thanks again for all your help and great lessons.
My e string when im playing harmonic is sharp and when i play the 11th,12th, and 13th fret on e string its all same note extremely frustrating everything else is the same
Thx for the comment John! All of the different intros feature different tunes that I recorded at home just documenting some of my ideas. Stay tuned for a video featuring Donner Pass next week. You'll recognize it from the channel and it's also the latest release from the Benson project.
Thanks a ton...Today after watching this video, I loosened a bit all strings of my Harley Benton mandolin and tried to set the bridge in order as explained by you. Amazingly, the intonation has turned out very well. Unfortunately, one of my A strings is going out of tune very often...so I shall be replacing all the strings. But I am not willing to let go the bridge positioning achieved just now. So I shall be replacing the strings, all one by one. I mean loosen the upper G, remove it, put a new one...then upper D followed by lower A lower E and finally all the remaining in the same sequence. Thanks again. From Pune city, India
Thx for the comment and congrats on improving the intonation on your mandolin. Nothing is worse than an out of tune instrument, it's so distracting......
Broadening my playing towards mandolin from playing a guitar. So far it seems to me, that this smaller instrument is waaay more sensitive to the strength of string pressing that what I was used to before. Is it indeed something to keep a close eye on in training, very even pressing, or it's not an expected effect and I should rather look into strings type or neck stiffness?
Rather your playing gtr or mandolin you should never press harder with your left hand than the amount of preasure it takes to produce a clean note. Be sure your finger placement is directly behind the fret. You'll need even less preasure on the string and improve tonal quality with healthy finger placement on the neck. Good luck!
Thank you David! My wife thinks it's to long of an intro but my intention with that is for everyone to settle down, relax and get in a mindset to focus on the video content....
Thank you so much, dirty cheating Goldtone mandolin guitar player here 🤣 it's just arrived today. Had to move bridge, like you said had to put it crooked. Much love from UK 🙏
I've always wondered about bridge height. Rumors are the Bill Monroe had very high action. I've always gone as low as I can get without buzzing. Do you think increasing bridge height can improve tone or volume?
Hey Oliver, thx for engaging. If you feel the need for better tone or more volume you probably don't need higher action, you need a stronger mandolin. Raising the action doesn't effect tone or volume much if at all.....
This is great advice well explained, Wayne. If I were to add anything, it would be not to invest the (potentially large amount of) time and effort while strung with old wire. The result would be temporary, at best (assuming you get a result). A fresh set would require a revisit in most cases IME. : )
@@waynesworldofmandolin3616 Absolutely. Also, stringing and tuning up with just one of each string makes for a much easier adjustment to set the intonation before adding the rest of the set. Moving the bridge incrementally is easier under the lower down-force and tension of half a set!
Great lesson. Everything you said is absolutely 100%! So many people don't understand intonation starting out or even some very good players. Very, very helpful for anyone having intonation issues. Wished you would have covered adjusting bridge height as well.
Hey Billy, thx for the comment. I plan to make a "do it youself" setup video as part of the Mandolin on a Budget playlist that will cover bridge height. Stay tuned......
Thanks for reviewing bridge work for the intonation. Great instruction.
Thx Charles! Anyone that plays mando has most likely had to deal with poor intonation and some point. Thought this vid could be a help....
I’ve always been horrified of tinkering too much with my bridge because it seems like I’ve always gotten them out of true notation the more I mess with it! This is a good video to help that issue
Yep. Once you find the sweet spot it's just maintenance after that but this approach can get you there....
Very helpful. Thank you.
Great tips that I am familiar with from owning an archtop guitar for a long time. But my mandolin is a flattop with a fixed bridge and non adjustable truss rod. I think the frets need dressing, and I know I need fresh strings to fix my intonation problems.
Thx for the comment Rudolph and good luck with your setup!
If you fully tune your mando it might be hard to then move the bridge. I am going to start by tuning two octaves lower. Get it close as I can then move up an octave and check / adjust. Then tune up another octave. Repeat. I will come back and let you know how I got on!
Good luck and let us know how that works out.
Just started playing mandolin a short time ago, and just last night replaced my first set of strings on it. It's a cheap starter instrument, a Mitchell. I've played guitar for years so while I'm not an expert I understand the basics of intonation. The issue I have is when I tune a course the harmonic is damn near perfect but when I play the 12th fret note it is slightly sharp. Guess I need to move it back a little. Thanks so much for this video, and all your others. Very helpful.
Thx Austin. Good luck with the bridge placement and with your mandolin journey. More vids like this coming soon.....
Actually after watching your video I got the intonation so damn near perfect it's kinda scary considering it's a cheap mandolin. Thanks again for all your help and great lessons.
Great topic! If you can change your strings, you can make this necessary adjustment.
Bridges do tilt forward during string replacement unless they are leaning back a little when originally fit to the mandolin.....
You explained this so well! My mandolin is finally playable again!
So glad this helped Bret! I hope to make a "Do it Yourself" setup video sometime soon...
worthy
😊
Great
Thank you!
My e string when im playing harmonic is sharp and when i play the 11th,12th, and 13th fret on e string its all same note extremely frustrating everything else is the same
What song is this intro ??? And who ?? It’s amazing!
Thx for the comment John! All of the different intros feature different tunes that I recorded at home just documenting some of my ideas. Stay tuned for a video featuring Donner Pass next week. You'll recognize it from the channel and it's also the latest release from the Benson project.
thank you :)
You're welcome! Hopefully you aren't having tuning or intonation issues but if you are this can sure help!
Thanks a ton...Today after watching this video, I loosened a bit all strings of my Harley Benton mandolin and tried to set the bridge in order as explained by you. Amazingly, the intonation has turned out very well. Unfortunately, one of my A strings is going out of tune very often...so I shall be replacing all the strings. But I am not willing to let go the bridge positioning achieved just now. So I shall be replacing the strings, all one by one. I mean loosen the upper G, remove it, put a new one...then upper D followed by lower A lower E and finally all the remaining in the same sequence. Thanks again. From Pune city, India
Thx for the comment and congrats on improving the intonation on your mandolin. Nothing is worse than an out of tune instrument, it's so distracting......
Well said !!!
Broadening my playing towards mandolin from playing a guitar.
So far it seems to me, that this smaller instrument is waaay more sensitive to the strength of string pressing that what I was used to before. Is it indeed something to keep a close eye on in training, very even pressing, or it's not an expected effect and I should rather look into strings type or neck stiffness?
Rather your playing gtr or mandolin you should never press harder with your left hand than the amount of preasure it takes to produce a clean note. Be sure your finger placement is directly behind the fret. You'll need even less preasure on the string and improve tonal quality with healthy finger placement on the neck. Good luck!
The intro to this video is so good. is it your own composition. (The video is great and explains a lot for me as well)
ok, that is embarassing. seems that you have this intro on other videos (should have checked). Still brilliant
Thank you David! My wife thinks it's to long of an intro but my intention with that is for everyone to settle down, relax and get in a mindset to focus on the video content....
I'll bet you have some great tips. You might want to keep the music intro a little shorter.
Thank you so much, dirty cheating Goldtone mandolin guitar player here 🤣 it's just arrived today. Had to move bridge, like you said had to put it crooked. Much love from UK 🙏
The crooked bridge sure can happen in some scenarios. I recently played a 1924 Loar and the bridge sat at an angle. The intonation was great!
I've always wondered about bridge height. Rumors are the Bill Monroe had very high action. I've always gone as low as I can get without buzzing. Do you think increasing bridge height can improve tone or volume?
Hey Oliver, thx for engaging. If you feel the need for better tone or more volume you probably don't need higher action, you need a stronger mandolin. Raising the action doesn't effect tone or volume much if at all.....
Yes the tone is a lot better the old bluegrassers do it
Oh yes it does
Who’s playing in the beginning and at the end of the video?
All of the theme tunes are my originals....
What will the height of the bridge be
That will depend on the neck angle and your preference when it comes to set up. If you like low action the bridge will be lower.
Thanks Wayne
This is great advice well explained, Wayne. If I were to add anything, it would be not to invest the (potentially large amount of) time and effort while strung with old wire. The result would be temporary, at best (assuming you get a result). A fresh set would require a revisit in most cases IME. : )
Great point! Fresh wires not only are more responsive but also play in tune better.....
@@waynesworldofmandolin3616 Absolutely. Also, stringing and tuning up with just one of each string makes for a much easier adjustment to set the intonation before adding the rest of the set. Moving the bridge incrementally is easier under the lower down-force and tension of half a set!
I have a new mando, and l have spent 6 months every night tweaking that bridge .......
That's a lot of tweaking! Is it playing in tune now?
@@waynesworldofmandolin3616 yeah bud.
I do it on slowly bud.