What you will need to restring your mandolin: Carefully place a piece of painter’s tape or masking tape in front of the entire bridge to mark where the bridge needs to go when you restring your mandolin. Accessibility. The technical part of the answer is that the E through A guitar strings can cover the same gauge ranges of mandolin strings. I find that the best time to do this is when you change your strings as they already have to come off the instrument. With the strings off, use a clean dry cloth to remove all the dust, dander and debris that will easily wipe off the mandolin. Pro tip: When you tune your strings, make sure you start from a pitch below the intended tuning and then tune up to your intended pitch. Not for sale. You must use it in a well-ventilated area away from open flame. Start by playing a D on your G string, at the seventh fret. Naphtha does an excellent job of breaking down the oils that the human body secretes, allowing the sebum and the dirt and other debris that accumulates in it to be easily wiped off of your mandolin. Can You Tune a Mandolin with a Guitar Tuner? These instructions will vary depending on your particular model of guitar tuner, but there are some general principles to keep in mind. The cost of replacing a piano if it is damaged can be substantial. Cleaning and restringing your mandolin is a simple procedure and the more you do it, the quicker and easier it gets. Add Comment Cancel . Maintaining a clean mandolin will make the steps of cleaning it much quicker and easier when the time comes to get in there and give it a good cleaning. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. If your mandolin goes out of tune quickly, check to see if it has a truss rod running through the neck. Plus they don’t sound as lovely as a fresh pair of strings, so don’t forget to treat your mandolin well. Find the tuners that correspond to each string. Pull the string tight so that it wraps around the tuning peg. Tighten the string till it sounds a low tone when plucked. This site is owned and operated by Freedom Content, LLC. : If you choose to use Naphtha, know that it is a petrochemical and is extremely flammable. This makes tuning discrete and straightforward, and it’s hard to beat its reliability for the price. Then remove each mandolin string’s loop from the tailpiece. Start by tuning each string individually using a tuner to get as close to the correct pitch as possible. Elixer Strings – Mandolin Strings with Nanoweb Coating. Carefully remove the top end of string from the tuner in the mandolin head. Commence rocking on with your Gretsch New Yorker! If you’re looking for a basic, no-frills tuner, the FT-004 won’t do you wrong. Fundamentally, I do not recommend it. This guide gives step-by-step instructions for replacing strings in the most appropriate manner, ensuring that you can do some seriously righteous jamming on your New Yorker! Select a new string, and then insert the bottom end of it through the bridge at the tail. In a worst-case scenario, you might not have anything on which to base your tuning. View. For that reason I highly recommend flush cut wire cutters. Tune the G strings together, then follow the instructions to tune by ear above. To get the proper amount of winds, pull the mandolin string through the tuning post until it is slightly taut and bend the string 90 degrees upward at the third tuning peg. This means it’s simple to switch between tuning and playing in a concert environment with the stomp of a pedal. Start from the lowest pitch and move to the highest pitch. Fixed tuners are generally intended for guitars only, and they can only register certain pitches. Wrap the string one time over the excess string then wind the remainder below the excess string so as to pinch it between the winds, being careful not to cross the string over itself. Older, rusty strings go out of tune much more quickly. Add a comment . Using your fingers or a string winder, loosen the strings until you can easily remove them from the tuning spools. I use naphtha (pronounced naf-tha or nap-tha) to clean every mandolin that comes into my shop. It can be purchased at most paint, hardware, or construction stores or. Pulling the string taut, bring its top end across the nut and into the tuning peg. Tuning a mandolin can be tricky business. Even expensive tuners will not break the bank, and the gulf in quality between the poorest tuners and the best is immense. You will always use the seventh fret, since the relationship between each pair of strings is identical on the mandolin. While you may not be in tune with other instruments in a band, if you’re playing by yourself this can be an adequate solution in a pinch. A large part of that is... Do I Need Separate Insurance For My Piano? When you use the right kind of mandolin strings, tuning can be a far less-frequent chore. As you do so, pull the strings up a couple inches at the 12th fret and wiggle them a bit to ensure they are properly seated in the nut and saddle and to help them stretch. Terms — From there, you can repeat this process for each higher string. I use naphtha (pronounced naf-tha or nap-tha) to clean every mandolin that comes into my shop. Coated strings and flatwound strings in particular are known for decreasing the variability in mandolin tuning. If you’re not an experienced musician, you’ll typically find it far easier to tune your mandolin with the help of a tuner. by Consordini Staff Last Updated December 27, 2019. The only difference is that the mandolin has eight strings, but the violin has only four. In the ten string mandolin, each course still consists of two strings and tuning is still performed in unison to create a pleasant sound when the instrument is played. Unlike Fender, D’Addario is a company that specializes in accessories, and in particular accessories for acoustic instruments. The first time you stab yourself on the remaining snippet of a high E string you will instantly gain an appreciation for flush cut wire cutters. Repeat steps 8-13 with the first E string. Each of those things plays into what the best type of strings for the individual are. Naphtha is an inexpensive solvent that is effectively similar to oils, causing them to break down and allowing for easy removal. Rub the polish in with a very soft, lint-free cloth, let it dry for a few seconds and then wipe it off to bring out a nicely reflective, freshly polished finish. The smell and feel of a clean fretboard and polished mandolin, and the bright, crisp, clean tone of a brand new set of mandolin strings is just something that causes mandolin players to well up with excitement. The standard mandolin tuning is the same as violin tuning: G-D-A-E, from low to high. Each player has different instruments, needs, styles, and skill levels. The TM50BK offers the added bonus of providing metronome capabilities, making it one of the best mandolin tuners you can’t clip on. By following a cleaning routine of wiping down your mandolin and strings before and after playing, it will retard the build up of oils, dander, and assorted other bodily excretions. Technically, the answer is yes. For the sake of making it simple, basically you need to replace the strings when their tone has noticeably degraded. If your mandolin is older and has heavy cracking in the finish it’s a good idea to put the tape on your pant leg and take it off a few times to help reduce the stickiness and keep it from removing the finish when you pull it off. Open the package of new strings and lay them out in order of size. Once you have your tuning relatively set, you can go back and make fine adjustments to make sure each pair of strings sounds great. Most mandolin players will find it simpler to stick with a clip-on tuner, but if you think you’ll also be using a metronome frequently the Korg TM50BK could be a tempting choice. Typically, you’ll find the tuners for the G and D strings on the upper side of the head (closest to you) and the tuners for the A and E strings on the lower side of the head. While all three clip-on tuners described in this review offer a high level of reliability, D’Addario’s NS Micro Tuner offers an inconspicuous design, easy adjustability, and simple-to-read screen that make it the best mandolin tuner for your money.