Super glue in your eye is like somebody sticking a hot needle into your eye. It happened to me once in my old Flatiron mandolin days while blowing glue out of fret slots after the binding was wrapped. I had to go to hospital ER for the doc to put some special drops and stuff to help it heal. It was the worst, as you can imagine. From then on, super glue spells safety glasses.
To All Eyeglasses Wearers - Caution: When working with CA glue, don't use your prescription eyeglasses for protection. Most (maybe all) of today's lenses are made of plastic. If you get CA glue on your lenses, you won't get it off, without destroying them. Even if your lenses are glass, they have various coatings on them, which will be destroyed. That can be Very costly. If you need to wear your glasses, put on safety glasses or goggles over them. I wear glasses myself and only just thought of this, while watching this video.
I WONDER IF THE NECK WASN'T FULLY SEATED AGAINST THE BODY AND AS IT WAS BROUGHT UP TO TUNE, IT PULLED HARD ENOUGH TO SEAT THE NECK AGAINST THE BODY. (Sorry about the caps lock being on......)
I know it's an older video, but I know Players including myself that prefer larger frets as if you have a light touch, they are so much better. It's not good for heavy players as it knocks out intonation a lot. My vintage 70s fender telecaster had skinny low fret wire, and with me having a light touch, it's hard to play, so it now has standard medium jumbo frets, and it now plays fantastically. Nice looking modern mandolin.
One simple pet peeve: the background color on the Superman symbol is supposed to be yellow to signify Superman. The blue background signifies Supergirl (not in true cannon but in the recent tv series). Have a nice day !
Out of curiosity, I checked my cheapy Rouge and found the end of the fret board is .022" lower on the bass side. Before measuring, I was, actually, able to see it. by looking from the end of the body. It was, especially, easy to see, by looking under the saddle and comparing the top of the bridge base with the end of the fret board.
Jerry, I noticed you put a "top of lens" mark, on your bore scope. I did the same thing, when I got mine. Without that you just get dizzy trying to use it. 😵💫😵💫 I imagine, it is about the same as trying to use a bubble level, on the space station.🤢🥴
There's a new Ernie Ball guitar that has the fretboard tilted like that intentionally to give the player a better view of the fretboard. They might've made it that way on purpose.
Great Video... I currently have a 1980 Arias AM180 from a customer with Exactly the very same neck issue at the body intersect, and has a .038" difference between the Treble & Bass side, with the treble being higher... same as this one that you worked on. The issue with this one is... the neck is Glued on, like the vast majority of them. The mandolin belongs to a young 17 year old, quite accomplished Acoustic & Electric guitar player (Country, Bluegrass, Country Gospel, etc), who inherited it from one of his uncles, who was killed over in Iraq, back in the early 2000's.... so it has a lot of sentimental value for him. I wound up with it, because it had a fairly sunken top on it, to the point that the bridge was adjusted all the way to the top, and still unplayable due to the strings touching the frets.... just like the one you had there in this video. I told him I would only charge him for whatever I would pay for a new set of strings, and if he learn to play it, that would be payment enough for my labor (practice!!). I actually watched you fix the sunken top issue in another video with a Washburn Mandolin, so that helped a Lot. I've only kind of gotten into this Luthier work in the last year, fixing a $2. (literally $2.) Rogue Mandolin and restoring an acoustic guitar for a friend of my wife and I. The Rogue had a broken Nut on it... I made a new one for it (you're right.. it took me nearly 3 hours to make it and get it right), which I made from Delrin bar stock that I had, put new Martin strings on it (11 - 40), she said she didn't want it too "bright"... more "folksy" sounding. I guess I did ok with it and the guitar, as she is very pleased with both of them. This Young fellows mandolin I have now.... not sure what to do with the neck (?), he;s says he don't really care, as long as he can play it enough to learn on it. I didn't have a "flap lifter"... and wound up buying one from Herdim, in Germany.... looks like genuine Chinese "quality" to me. The threaded shaft is much to tiny, and the threads, right where the nut should be, so I could raise the top.... are so "thin" and finely threaded, that the nut will not grab and tighten down. Did you make yours from scratch?.... or, did you start with a Violin "Sound post Gauge" and go from there? I would like to "remake" the lifter I have (Herdim in Germany is jerking me around about the one I have), but don't know what I can use for the "feet" on the upper & lower arms, or for the "stop" on the center of the tool where the shaft would slide up and down. Any Idea's ? I tried looking to see if you had made a video of when you made yours, but could not find anything on it... would you be willing to tell me how? I do have a little Flux-Core welder, a small Milling machine (Grizzly G0704 w/ stand/cabinet) and a Grizzly Bench Top metal lathe.... but their new, and I'm just starting to try and learn the "machining" trade..... who said you can't teach an old dog, new tricks! lol Thanks So Much for your time, and all that you do and put time into to be able to film, teach and post all your video's, I Really appreciate the work you do. PS: I also, am a regular listener to your evening "jam" sessions on YT. One day I hope to be able to play even half as well as you do.. I just started playing (practicing) on the mandolin a couple of months ago.... along with, electric Bass, Ukelele Bass, Lap Steel Guitar (have 3 of them, plus a 1956 double neck National 8 string I'm restoring), and... Harmonica (Slide Chromatic, Bass & Tremelo).... I'm a genuine "Jack of all trades".... and an Absolute Master... of None of them. lol God Bless you, and have a great week.
Nice work, snap, crackle and pop. You just never know, it may have never had medium strings on it before. My son put medium strings on his 12 string guitar and before long the neck was twisted. He gave up on it, figured it was game over. I took the strings off and it sat in my upstairs room for months. I cleaned it up, put light strings on it, and it was perfect. He lucked out big time, I am not use to things healing up on their own. Still today it is great and that was a few years back. Some instruments you can do that with no problem, others no. I say you should see what the manufacturer recommends and go with that. There is a lot of tension on those strings and sometimes you can't throw another stack of hay on grandma's back. Even if it works, it can change the set up.
That technique with the neck is standard stuff for bolt-on necks like Fenders. Just like what you did, you snug up the neck, bring the strings up to half tension, then loosen the neck bolts about a quarter turn and let the string tension drive the neck into the pocket. Then just tighten everything. Very nice job, Jerry. Thanks for letting us get the experience, too. Liked, long time subscribed, and now commented.
I know you're more of a Bluegrass kind of guy but being more of a Rock kind of guy myself I was thinking while you were working on this mandolin about a song the song Going to California by Led Zeppelin. It's a truly beautiful acoustic/mandolin song & I was wondering you have you ever heard it? I doubt that you having being that you're more into Bluegrass but if you haven't I would recommend to you & if you do decide to give it a listen I'd love hear your feedback, good or bad that's alright.
Pricing is always tough on this stuff. Spitballing here: Neck, Frets, Bridge, Strings... ~$250-$280 US??? You did exactly what I was thinking on the neck joint. (I hate shims/shimming)
Hi Jerry; I saw the side tilt of the fingerboard even before you mentioned it. Does that mandolin have a clear scratch plate or is that a difference in color where an old one was before the refinish? That's really scary when things go crack and pop. In any case it looks as though you ended up with a great set-up. A flat top on a mandolin is like a flat top on a violin to me. It's just scary. Thanks for another great video.
21:55 Jerry, Jerry, Jerry why oh why didn't you IMMEDIATELY go to the sink & thoroughly flush your eye out with water? Don't ever do that again! If you ever get anything in your eye flush it out immediately with water. We care about you & don't want you loosing your vision because you can't do your precision work without your vision. :) ;)
Nice solo at 25:54.
A fraction of a hair, the Rosa measurements system. 🙂
Super glue in your eye is like somebody sticking a hot needle into your eye. It happened to me once in my old Flatiron mandolin days while blowing glue out of fret slots after the binding was wrapped. I had to go to hospital ER for the doc to put some special drops and stuff to help it heal. It was the worst, as you can imagine. From then on, super glue spells safety glasses.
GET WELL, EMERI!
To All Eyeglasses Wearers - Caution: When working with CA glue, don't use your prescription
eyeglasses for protection. Most (maybe all) of today's lenses are made of plastic. If you get CA
glue on your lenses, you won't get it off, without destroying them. Even if your lenses are glass,
they have various coatings on them, which will be destroyed. That can be Very costly.
If you need to wear your glasses, put on safety glasses or goggles over them.
I wear glasses myself and only just thought of this, while watching this video.
I WONDER IF THE NECK WASN'T FULLY SEATED AGAINST THE BODY AND AS IT WAS BROUGHT UP TO TUNE, IT PULLED HARD ENOUGH TO SEAT THE NECK AGAINST THE BODY. (Sorry about the caps lock being on......)
Damn ingenious! Better than new! Closer to perfection! 💯👍
Love to cach up on these.
I know it's an older video, but I know Players including myself that prefer larger frets as if you have a light touch, they are so much better. It's not good for heavy players as it knocks out intonation a lot. My vintage 70s fender telecaster had skinny low fret wire, and with me having a light touch, it's hard to play, so it now has standard medium jumbo frets, and it now plays fantastically. Nice looking modern mandolin.
I saw the fret board was tilted,as soon as you picked up the mandolin,before you mentioned it.
One simple pet peeve: the background color on the Superman symbol is supposed to be yellow to signify Superman. The blue background signifies Supergirl (not in true cannon but in the recent tv series). Have a nice day !
Out of curiosity, I checked my cheapy Rouge and found the end of the fret board is .022" lower on the bass side.
Before measuring, I was, actually, able to see it. by looking from the end of the body.
It was, especially, easy to see, by looking under the saddle and comparing the top of the bridge base with the end of the fret board.
That was scary for a minute! Glad it all worked out well.
That’s beautiful maple and nice finish work to show it off!
Maybe the 'snap-crackle-pop' came from the bolt-on area, before you tightened it up.
Dear Peter Rahill; That’s exactly what I was thinking…
Tricky fix, I'd say. Nice trouble shooting logic sequence.
Wouldn't witness sticks show the planar differences?
Jerry, I noticed you put a "top of lens" mark, on your bore scope.
I did the same thing, when I got mine. Without that you just get dizzy trying to use it. 😵💫😵💫
I imagine, it is about the same as trying to use a bubble level, on the space station.🤢🥴
There's a new Ernie Ball guitar that has the fretboard tilted like that intentionally to give the player a better view of the fretboard. They might've made it that way on purpose.
Doubtful and Jerry mentioned many mandolins have the issue.
My Rouge is the same way. Off by .022".
As seen here, some are worse than others.
Brilliant 👏
Great Video... I currently have a 1980 Arias AM180 from a customer with Exactly the very same neck issue at the body intersect, and has a .038" difference between the Treble & Bass side, with the treble being higher... same as this one that you worked on. The issue with this one is... the neck is Glued on, like the vast majority of them. The mandolin belongs to a young 17 year old, quite accomplished Acoustic & Electric guitar player (Country, Bluegrass, Country Gospel, etc), who inherited it from one of his uncles, who was killed over in Iraq, back in the early 2000's.... so it has a lot of sentimental value for him.
I wound up with it, because it had a fairly sunken top on it, to the point that the bridge was adjusted all the way to the top, and still unplayable due to the strings touching the frets.... just like the one you had there in this video. I told him I would only charge him for whatever I would pay for a new set of strings, and if he learn to play it, that would be payment enough for my labor (practice!!).
I actually watched you fix the sunken top issue in another video with a Washburn Mandolin, so that helped a Lot. I've only kind of gotten into this Luthier work in the last year, fixing a $2. (literally $2.) Rogue Mandolin and restoring an acoustic guitar for a friend of my wife and I.
The Rogue had a broken Nut on it... I made a new one for it (you're right.. it took me nearly 3 hours to make it and get it right), which I made from Delrin bar stock that I had, put new Martin strings on it (11 - 40), she said she didn't want it too "bright"... more "folksy" sounding.
I guess I did ok with it and the guitar, as she is very pleased with both of them. This Young fellows mandolin I have now.... not sure what to do with the neck (?), he;s says he don't really care, as long as he can play it enough to learn on it.
I didn't have a "flap lifter"... and wound up buying one from Herdim, in Germany.... looks like genuine Chinese "quality" to me. The threaded shaft is much to tiny, and the threads, right where the nut should be, so I could raise the top.... are so "thin" and finely threaded, that the nut will not grab and tighten down.
Did you make yours from scratch?.... or, did you start with a Violin "Sound post Gauge" and go from there? I would like to "remake" the lifter I have (Herdim in Germany is jerking me around about the one I have), but don't know what I can use for the "feet" on the upper & lower arms, or for the "stop" on the center of the tool where the shaft would slide up and down. Any Idea's ?
I tried looking to see if you had made a video of when you made yours, but could not find anything on it... would you be willing to tell me how?
I do have a little Flux-Core welder, a small Milling machine (Grizzly G0704 w/ stand/cabinet) and a Grizzly Bench Top metal lathe.... but their new, and I'm just starting to try and learn the "machining" trade..... who said you can't teach an old dog, new tricks! lol
Thanks So Much for your time, and all that you do and put time into to be able to film, teach and post all your video's, I Really appreciate the work you do.
PS: I also, am a regular listener to your evening "jam" sessions on YT. One day I hope to be able to play even half as well as you do.. I just started playing (practicing) on the mandolin a couple of months ago.... along with, electric Bass, Ukelele Bass, Lap Steel Guitar (have 3 of them, plus a 1956 double neck National 8 string I'm restoring), and... Harmonica (Slide Chromatic, Bass & Tremelo).... I'm a genuine "Jack of all trades".... and an Absolute Master... of None of them. lol
God Bless you, and have a great week.
great repair, sounds real good
I like the big frets. You don't have to dress the grooves out every six months like you have to do with the tiny ones.
Nice work, snap, crackle and pop. You just never know, it may have never had medium strings on it before. My son put medium strings on his 12 string guitar and before long the neck was twisted. He gave up on it, figured it was game over. I took the strings off and it sat in my upstairs room for months. I cleaned it up, put light strings on it, and it was perfect. He lucked out big time, I am not use to things healing up on their own. Still today it is great and that was a few years back. Some instruments you can do that with no problem, others no. I say you should see what the manufacturer recommends and go with that. There is a lot of tension on those strings and sometimes you can't throw another stack of hay on grandma's back. Even if it works, it can change the set up.
That technique with the neck is standard stuff for bolt-on necks like Fenders. Just like what you did, you snug up the neck, bring the strings up to half tension, then loosen the neck bolts about a quarter turn and let the string tension drive the neck into the pocket. Then just tighten everything. Very nice job, Jerry. Thanks for letting us get the experience, too. Liked, long time subscribed, and now commented.
A lighted bore scope might help
30th LIKE, 181th fan view...
Am I the only one that noticed that the difference between 427 and 395 is only 32 thous?
I know you're more of a Bluegrass kind of guy but being more of a Rock kind of guy myself I was thinking while you were working on this mandolin about a song the song Going to California by Led Zeppelin. It's a truly beautiful acoustic/mandolin song & I was wondering you have you ever heard it? I doubt that you having being that you're more into Bluegrass but if you haven't I would recommend to you & if you do decide to give it a listen I'd love hear your feedback, good or bad that's alright.
How is your eye???
Plane the back of the neck instead of using a shim. This way there will be no gap.
That’s exactly what I was thinking too.
Pricing is always tough on this stuff. Spitballing here: Neck, Frets, Bridge, Strings... ~$250-$280 US??? You did exactly what I was thinking on the neck joint. (I hate shims/shimming)
Hi Jerry;
I saw the side tilt of the fingerboard even before you mentioned it. Does that mandolin have a clear scratch plate or is that a difference in color where an old one was before the refinish? That's really scary when things go crack and pop. In any case it looks as though you ended up with a great set-up. A flat top on a mandolin is like a flat top on a violin to me. It's just scary. Thanks for another great video.
It's a clear pick guard.
Im guessing maybe the neck popped up a small amount...pex
The wood looks beautiful... too bad it was used on such a flawed design for a mandolin!
Their guitars are pretty much crap too.
Expensive used.
21:55 Jerry, Jerry, Jerry why oh why didn't you IMMEDIATELY go to the sink & thoroughly flush your eye out with water? Don't ever do that again! If you ever get anything in your eye flush it out immediately with water. We care about you & don't want you loosing your vision because you can't do your precision work without your vision. :) ;)
Never understood the Inches people LOL, Why would one talk in thousands when you can talk in single digits on the metric system 😂😂😂
Because Ronald Reagan decided that the US should fall behind the rest of the developed nations in math and measurements. It's truly sad.
Just a poor brace/design Jerry? BTW I had hearing checked lately. Ha ha Stay well. 😉
Not to be a nit picker, but 427-395 = 32, not 50
I bet you CRINGE every time you see Willy Nelsons guitar.