GDAE> On the bass side should the gauge differ maybe a little, like one or two thousand. I have this mandolin that it would give it a more bass sound,and the other would give sustained buzz..all thanks that reply..
Boy, I am confused by that question.
I think you should take it to a luthier and let him have a look at it, because I'm unable to make sense of your explanation.
The standard gauges should give a satisfactory sound if the instrument is set up correctly. There should be opportunities for a little tolerance, there are light gauge as well as standard sets. A heavier bass string might unbalance the tensions, and possibly do some damage. Incidentally, an old round-back instrument should only be strung with light gauge strings.
Maybe you should look for a mandola with CGDA.
I'd stick with what the maker recommends. Otherwise, get the instrument set up by a professional to take care of buzz. Heavy gauge strings can do a number on an instrument not built for it.
Not much info to go on, but I doubt if a minute change in string gauge would improve the bass much either. The plectrum gauge can have quite a big effect on the sound as well - a thin gauge plectrum gives a weaker sound. You probably know that already, but it is tricky to find a good plec that's just right. I'm assuming the bridge is fixed here - if so, you'll probably need someone to look at the bridge or nut to get rid of the buzz.
“differing the gauge by one or two thousandths of an inch won't damage your instrument”
Mmmm, I’d recommend a bit more caution than that. While it’s probably true for most mandos, I’ve seen guitars badly damaged by “over-gauging” the strings. The difference in tension can be significant.
As I understand the OP, the question is whether two different gauges within the acceptable range would give a sort of best-of-both-worlds tone to the bass. As long as the heavier string isn't outside of what the instrument is intended to handle, it would do no harm. Trying it out is the easiest way to see what happens. But I wouldn't expect any stellar improvement. You could potentially have a pretty wide gauge gap, say a .040 and a .034, both of which most mandolins could easily accommodate. But it just strikes me as an odd thing to do. I'd worry that the pick would feel odd because of the difference in resistance across the two strings in the course. But, as I said, no harm in trying
I take your point about guitars, Bob, but mandolins should be able to take a variation of a couple of thous. The difference between string sets like a J67 to a J74 is greater than that
This query would probably be better posted on mandolincafe.com
I wonder if two different gauge strings in a pair would make a "sour" sound from being out of phase, but as I'm technically illiterate, I'll leave my ramblings there.
Different string gauges in a course would probably cause intonation problems - they would not fret in tune with each other because of the difference in tension.
mandolin string gauge
mandolin string gauge
GDAE> On the bass side should the gauge differ maybe a little, like one or two thousand. I have this mandolin that it would give it a more bass sound,and the other would give sustained buzz..all thanks that reply..
# Posted on November 21st 2008 by thewmas
Re: mandolin string gauge
Boy, I am confused by that question.
I think you should take it to a luthier and let him have a look at it, because I'm unable to make sense of your explanation.
The standard gauges should give a satisfactory sound if the instrument is set up correctly. There should be opportunities for a little tolerance, there are light gauge as well as standard sets. A heavier bass string might unbalance the tensions, and possibly do some damage. Incidentally, an old round-back instrument should only be strung with light gauge strings.
# Posted on November 21st 2008 by Guernsey Pete
Re: mandolin string gauge
Do you mean using two different gauges in a pair?
# Posted on November 21st 2008 by Bren
Re: mandolin string gauge
Maybe you should look for a mandola with CGDA.
I'd stick with what the maker recommends. Otherwise, get the instrument set up by a professional to take care of buzz. Heavy gauge strings can do a number on an instrument not built for it.
# Posted on November 21st 2008 by abuteague
Re: mandolin string gauge
differing the gauge by one or two thousandths of an inch won't damage your instrument
# Posted on November 21st 2008 by Bren
Re: mandolin string gauge
Not much info to go on, but I doubt if a minute change in string gauge would improve the bass much either. The plectrum gauge can have quite a big effect on the sound as well - a thin gauge plectrum gives a weaker sound. You probably know that already, but it is tricky to find a good plec that's just right. I'm assuming the bridge is fixed here - if so, you'll probably need someone to look at the bridge or nut to get rid of the buzz.
# Posted on November 21st 2008 by d0tter
Re: mandolin string gauge
“differing the gauge by one or two thousandths of an inch won't damage your instrument”
Mmmm, I’d recommend a bit more caution than that. While it’s probably true for most mandos, I’ve seen guitars badly damaged by “over-gauging” the strings. The difference in tension can be significant.
# Posted on November 21st 2008 by Bob himself
Re: mandolin string gauge
As I understand the OP, the question is whether two different gauges within the acceptable range would give a sort of best-of-both-worlds tone to the bass. As long as the heavier string isn't outside of what the instrument is intended to handle, it would do no harm. Trying it out is the easiest way to see what happens. But I wouldn't expect any stellar improvement. You could potentially have a pretty wide gauge gap, say a .040 and a .034, both of which most mandolins could easily accommodate. But it just strikes me as an odd thing to do. I'd worry that the pick would feel odd because of the difference in resistance across the two strings in the course. But, as I said, no harm in trying
# Posted on November 23rd 2008 by devellis
Re: mandolin string gauge
I take your point about guitars, Bob, but mandolins should be able to take a variation of a couple of thous. The difference between string sets like a J67 to a J74 is greater than that
You should look at a string gauge tension calculator like this one:
http://www.mcdonaldstrings.com/stringxxiii.html
This query would probably be better posted on mandolincafe.com
I wonder if two different gauge strings in a pair would make a "sour" sound from being out of phase, but as I'm technically illiterate, I'll leave my ramblings there.
# Posted on November 23rd 2008 by Bren
Re: mandolin string gauge
Different guages in a course would require different tensions
which would be unbalanced.
Dave H
# Posted on November 24th 2008 by Dave Hanson
Re: mandolin string gauge
Yeah, I tend to be very cautious with isntruments. My wife told me yesterday that I am "*soooo* not a risk taker."
# Posted on November 24th 2008 by Bob himself
Re: mandolin string gauge
Oh, I understand the question now.
Different string gauges in a course would probably cause intonation problems - they would not fret in tune with each other because of the difference in tension.
# Posted on November 25th 2008 by DaveL35