Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi all,

I recently acquired an old mandolin that I am going to try to restore. It doesn't have any value other than sentimental, so I figured its a good opportunity to get my feet wet on the mando side of things.

Its an GH&S model 6S, and it looks a bit like a hybrid between a mandolin and a banjo.

First thing I noticed is that it appears to be badly in need of a neck reset - at least that is what I would think if I were evaluating a guitar. But I am not sure if mandos are meant to have somewhat high action??

Anyway, can anyone advise a good place to start with neck geometry, specifically the neck to body joint angle, and a good rough action at the nut and halfway point? Or would I be OK proceeding with what I know about that from acoustic guitars?

Thanks!

_________________
"Everyone wants to BE something, but nobody wants to BECOME something" - William Cumpiano

can we see some pics ? that would help a bit .

Ohhh By the way ...... welcome to the dark side ! We have the Force , annnnnnddd cookies !

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

sure, here ya go! I had to reduce the quality in order to get the pics small enough to upload. The fretboard comes right off as if it had not been glued on, but rather pinned - is that normal?

thanks!

_________________
"Everyone wants to BE something, but nobody wants to BECOME something" - William Cumpiano

On a Banjolin , which is what you have, im not sure , it seems a little high . However banjolins, like banjos were not tuned as high as a mandolin so there is ALOT more vibration on the strings . So a higher action is required to avoid buzz . Is the back removable ? is it open ? on a banjo there is adjustment so that the neck can be adjusted . The banjolin may have been built that way as well . In this case I would remove the top carefully and see if there is any adjustment in the neck . As for the Pinned fretboard , Never seen that before . It could be the way this maker did things . I suggest you go to the mandolin forum and ask some questions www.mandolincafe.com someone here may know more than I do , however im sure someone there should be able to help u

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

The back is not removable, the construction seems to be a solid, shallow cylindrical bowl with a metal rim around the top for attaching the skin. There is a mortise for the neck tenon. Doesn't appear to be any adjustment for the neck that I can see. I'll check round at the mando cafe as well.

This is going to be a cool project

_________________
"Everyone wants to BE something, but nobody wants to BECOME something" - William Cumpiano

Thats probably the best idea . This one goes beyond ones I am familiar with and I wouldnt want to stear you wrong ! Have fun my friend !

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/

Eeeek! That back (resonator) does come off... The screws are accessible from the top.
Once you have the resonator off you will see how to adjust the neck height from the inside of the back. ..... please make sure you remove the strings before you dissassemble...
Take your time ... use the proper sized screwdriver.

_________________
Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

Good to know! That's part of the plan, completely disassemble and see what i got here. time is the one thing I have plenty of. Things probably 75 years old, so no rush

I plan to probalby replace anything I can since I am not worried about vintage value, might even work in a few tasteful inlays.

project post anyone??

_________________
"Everyone wants to BE something, but nobody wants to BECOME something" - William Cumpiano

Just a thought.... when you take the tension off the neck and the backbow is straightened.... clamp on the fretboard... and voila! No more high action.

Just saying... if you re-glue the fretboard and string her back up, it is probably fine; at least that is where I would start.

_________________
Chris Oliver
Infinity Luthiers
...in the shop.

live every minute...

Thanks for chiming in chris ! I have seen several , but never worked on one like this one and didnt want to suggest wrong thing ! I have experience with banjos and know they are similar , but wasnt sure just how closely the two wer built as far as body goes .

_________________
The Shallower the depth of the stream , The Louder the Babble !
The Taking Of Offense Is the Life Course Of The Stupid One !
Wanna Leave a Better Planet for our Kids? How about Working on BETTER KIDS for our Planet !
Forgiveness is the ability to accept an apology that you will probably NEVER GET
The truth will set you free , But FIRST, it will probably Piss you Off !
Creativity is allowing yourself to make Mistakes, Art is knowing which ones to Keep !
The Saddest thing anyone can do , is push a Loyal Person to the point that they Dont Care Anymore
Never met a STRONG person who had an EASY past !
http://wiksnwudwerks.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/groups/GatewayA ... rAssembly/