How often do you change strings on your mandolin?

@kevinolear6717

8 ай бұрын

Nice info Magnus. I don't change often but I use monel strings, love the warmth & sound of them on my mandolin. Have some new ones on the way as I will also be replacing my bridge.

Glad I found this video. Made changing my strings for the first time a breeze. Thanks!

Great advice for people! As a professional luthier I'm glad to see you not using the poorly named "luthier's knot." A simple kink in the strings does more than enough to lock the string in place and knots always make changing strings harder than it needs to be. Love your videos by the way!

I just changed my strings last night and now this video pops up.

Thanks for the lesson. I've owned my mandolin for a few years now, and I'm going to attempt to change my own strings. p.s. They're called mechanical pencils, my friend.

Very informative video on string changing, Magnus. BTW, the word for that kind of pencil you were not sure of is "mechanical pencil"--at least that's what it is here in the U.S. We call the material that the pencil writes with "lead" but it is not the chemical element lead (Pb, the chemical symbol for it) but, rather, graphite. This is true also of the wooden pencils (that's what we call the original pencils which you have to sharpen to get a point to write with). Graphite is a form of carbon, where the atoms form lattices in sheets which glide over each other, making it an excellent, non-oily lubricant.

Personally, I'd use masking tape or painter's tape to mark out the bridge location. It's low tack adhesive, and doesn't mean you have to cut up a post it!

Hello Magnus! Just finished following your instructions carefully. I think it's the most clear video I've experienced about changing strings. The simple way you showed how to bend the string in the opposite direction to the post turn was shown clearly. Some videos show the hand over that important part of the instructions, leaving me uncertain. I ran into a problem with the loop at the A string end (bottom) actually ending up on the EDGE of the hook in the tailpiece for one of the A strings. I couldn't change that without removing that end and redoing it. I happened before to me too. I think giving a pinch to the loop before passing it over the hook seems like a good idea but are there any drawbacks to that? I will jam this week twice so I'll be watching to see if it stays tuned better than my previously more sloppy string changing technique. Thank you for the good video.

@MandolinSecrets

8 ай бұрын

Thanks Gwenn! Yes, giving a pinch to the loop may be the right way to fix this issue.

How much slack for the high e string??? I pull back a fret, I get c, 2.5 frets, D

I just use a stack of socks to support the headstock of my instruments when changing strings or adjusting the truss rod.

@MandolinSecrets

8 ай бұрын

Great hack @jamessievert9813!

Anybody notice that this guy sounds like Father Guido Sarducci?