Restringing mandolins

[Shaneh]

Is there some trick to restringing a mandolin? Hard to keep the loop end on whale trying to wind the string. It is almost like my Collings was design to be as hard as possible to restring. I must be missing some trick

[Denny B]

If you have a kyser type capo handy, you can use it to clip the strings to the fretboard and keep a little tension on them from the tailpiece, as you're stringing the tuners...

[Mandobart]

Just do one course of strings at a time. I take off the old pair, clean up the headstock, fingerboard and body where the old strings were and lube the nut and bridge slots.

On a tailpiece made for loop ends I place the loop on the hook, run string so it lays in the bridge and nut slots right, pull tight, then hold it down on the fretboard by the nut with my right thumb.

Assuming you DON'T have a slot head (a few mandos do) with my left hand I wrap the string (counter clockwise for the G' s and D's, clockwise for A's and E's) a few times around the post. Then move the right thumb up to hold the string on the post (with the thumbnail) while threading the wild end of the string through the hole on the post so it is on top of the wrap. Pull it tight through the post. Take up slack by winding the peg up till you're a whole step flat. Now trim off excess string. Repeat for all remaining strings, then slowly and equally bring them all up to pitch.

I do this for 9 mandolin-family instruments plus an archtop guitar on a fairly regular basis.

[Big Band Guitar]

Originally Posted by Mandobart

Just do one course of strings at a time. I take off the old pair, clean up the headstock, fingerboard and body where the old strings were and lube the nut and bridge slots.

On a tailpiece made for loop ends I place the loop on the hook, run string so it lays in the bridge and nut slots right, pull tight, then hold it down on the fretboard by the nut with my right thumb.

Assuming you DON'T have a slot head (a few mandos do) with my left hand I wrap the string (counter clockwise for the G' s and D's, clockwise for A's and E's) a few times around the post. Then move the right thumb up to hold the string on the post (with the thumbnail) while threading the wild end of the string through the hole on the post so it is on top of the wrap. Pull it tight through the post. Take up slack by winding the peg up till you're a whole step flat. Now trim off excess string. Repeat for all remaining strings, then slowly and equally bring them all up to pitch.

I do this for 9 mandolin-family instruments plus an archtop guitar on a fairly regular basis.

That's the way I do it on all my instruments except for the slot heads.

This method keeps the tuner wear down to a minimum.

I don't use a winder.

[frankmcr]

Trick?

Loop end to hook.
Poke other end through hole.
Keep loop end tight with one hand.
Wind with the other hand.

No problem.

[AgentKooper]

I found it tricky the first couple times too. I find it easiest to get the string end wrapped around the tuning peg first. Then attach the loop end to the tailpiece. Use one hand to hold the string against the fretboard at enough tension to keep the the end in place. Use the other hand to tighten the tuner. It just takes doing it few times before you'll work out your own little tricks to get it done.

I like the suggestion of a previous poster to use a capo to keep the string against the fretboard.

[Silly Moustache]

Thread the loop onto/into the tail piece, secure if with some tape - insualting tape or similar.
The start the winding onto the capstan of the tuning machine but KEEP an eye on that tailpiece!

It's a thing.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Shaneh

Is there some trick to restringing a mandolin? Hard to keep the loop end on whale trying to wind the string. It is almost like my Collings was design to be as hard as possible to restring. I must be missing some trick

I prefer to do half the fret board at a time. This allows easy clean-up of the fret board and all that headstock real estate that's so hard to access when strings are there.

This also makes it much easier to work with the string posts because you work from the closest to the nut upward. Mando string posts are easiest to work with when you don't have the other strings in your way. Working upwards with the headstock string posts gives you free access to each string.

It often helps to put a small kink in the loop to prevent it from popping off the tailpiece as you add each string.

The capo "trick" works well, but once you get comfortable with the tight quarters its not difficult to simply add one string at a time. I do the string posts using the Taylor "insert and bend back" method. (It's easy to find if you're unfamiliar...)

[leew3]

I change a pair of strings at a time and put a bit of painter's tape (the blue stuff) on the loop end of the string to hold it in place while I wind the other end onto the post. Likely overkill but I've had too many instances when I've pulled the loop through the tailpiece hole as it came loose when I wasn't watching!

[Wade Hampton]

When restring my mandolins, I use many of the techniques described in this thread already. I start with the innermost strings first: usually the D string closest to the A string.

I hook the first replacement D string to the tailpiece, and thread it through the string hole in the tailpiece. Then I hold it in place with a piece of Scotch brand Magic Tape (that’s what I happen to have in the house; any tape that doesn’t leave a residue is fine.) I then run the string up to the headstock.

As an extra precaution I clamp it onto the fretboard with a Shubb banjo/mandolin capo. So the loop end (always the unruliest part) is taped down and about halfway up the length of the string it’s clamped down.

With the wound strings I use the fishhook method to attach the strings: take the string about an inch past the tuner post, put a sharp bend in it, then clip it off to make a “fishhook” of it, then hook that into the tuner post and bring the string up to tension.

With the plain strings I tie them at the tuner post.

Anyway, proceeding from the inside strings I alternate putting on the strings: a D, then an A, then the second D and so forth, the idea being to keep the tension on the instrument as even and balanced as possible.

Hope that makes sense.


Wade Hampton Miller

[varmonter]

My ellis a5 has a bridge that holds the
strings in place. i usually change the
d strings first. this will
insure the bridge doesnt move.
then i remove the rest
and put all 6 on at once.
The door and the o rings
hold the strings while i wind.
easy peasy. He uses James tailpeices.
Really a great design. Especially when doing string changes.

[815C]

Use a capo like I show in this video. While I'm changing a string on a classical guitar in this video, the same approach works with mandolin.

[Madpiper13]

I’ve got a Collings MF with the same tailpiece- not a huge fan. Anyways, once I have the loop seated, I hold tension with one hand as I wind onto the tuning post with the other. Takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s old hat once you get the feel for it. And I find it’s a minor inconvenience, when I compare to the tone of that mando!

[frankmcr]

Originally Posted by Madpiper13

once I have the loop seated, I hold tension with one hand as I wind onto the tuning post with the other.

Yeah. I've always done it this way, on mandolin and guitar (substitute "ball end" for "loop"). It's simple and natural and straightforward.

[martinedwards]

I've never had a problem.....

no doubt, now that i know there's a potential for a problem, it's all going to go downhill!