Mandolin Question?

[matiac]

I have a mandolin made mostly of maple except the fretboard, and I hang it on the wall when I'm not playing it. After a few days, I'll take it down and I notice it's out of tune (high) considerably. What would be causing this? I use Martin Strings on it, it's not a terribly expensive thing (Johnson MA100), but none of my other stuff goes out of tune like the mandolin does. It was so high today I thought the strings might break trying to tune it back down...

[Blaster]

Are you in an area where there's large shifts in humidity? It's possible you're getting some movement in the the neck or neck-joint, does the truss rod have any tension on it? Make sure the neck is not warped excessively and that it will benefit from a truss rod adjustment. Just a minor amount of adjustment may stabilize the neck enough to solve you de-tuning problem. Also check and make sure the tuners themselves are not slipping; I'm alway suspect of the hardware they put on most of the Asian made instruments. There are plenty of tutorials to check neck relief and truss rod adjustment on-line. If you're uncomfortable doing it yourself, take it to a luthier.

[davidblair]

Humidity could possibly swell the wood and raise the action, but this is usually due to a seasonal change. Forced air heaters kill instruments. Tuned up while warm? Cold temperature causes instruments to go sharp. Leave it in the case with a humidifier!

More likely that you're leaving it out of tune after playing, like I often do.

 

Or maybe Bill's ghost plays it high and lonesome when you're not around?

[grampa]

I have one of those Jihnson Mandos and have not experienced that. I'm impressed with it and the fact that it has a carved solid top and it only cost $80.

[grampa]

Oh, by the way, that die cast is cool. I've got bunches of them. I'm in therapy for it but it doesn't seem to help.