mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Jan 29, 2016 19:42:40 GMT
Today I picked up my Fylde Touchstone mandolin from Lancastrian instrument repair wizard Paul Guppy, who has been working his magic on it. For a while now, I've been finding it difficult to play cleanly above first position. I've been getting quite frustrated with it and came close to selling it a couple of times. I got to play Keith's ( ocarolan ) Fylde at the Halifax meetup and found it felt much easier and just more enjoyable to play than mine. A couple of weeks ago I finally got round to taking it over to Paul to see what he could do about it. If it was just a matter of filing down the saddle I would have done it myself, but there was no spare saddle height to work with. Also, the action really only needed lowering on the treble side. Anyway, Paul planed down and slightly reshaped the bridge, then lowered the saddle height towards the treble side. The mandolin feels like a different instrument. The action is comfortable right up the neck, and I can play cleanly where notes were choking before. It's much more enjoyable to play, and I think it even sounds better (possibly because I'm not having to put as much pressure on the strings). Paul has given it an excellent set-up, and only charged me £15 for the privilege. I think the morals of this story are: (1) if you're in the Lancaster area and you need an instrument fixing, go to Paul Guppy; and (2) even a good instrument is only as good as its set-up, so get it done right!
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andrewjw
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Post by andrewjw on Jan 29, 2016 20:15:50 GMT
Yes... bridge shaving has to be a tricky thing unless you really know what you are doing... The guys at Brook have done the same for a couple of my instruments while I looked on That takes confidence on both sides! There is also the phenomenon known as " bench rest ".. .... you leave "it" encased for a week or two and then magically "it " seems transformed ...sometimes absence makes the heart grow fonder..
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ocarolan
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Post by ocarolan on Jan 30, 2016 0:52:34 GMT
Good to hear you've got it sorted now Simon, and so cheaply too! Nice. Keith
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Post by vikingblues on Jan 30, 2016 7:41:20 GMT
It's great to have an instrument set up to suit you. Even better if you can manage it for that price! Mark
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missclarktree
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Post by missclarktree on Jan 30, 2016 10:12:09 GMT
Glad to hear your new set-up has been a success. Thanks for the info about Paul Guppy - I'm often in the Lancaster area so I'll make a note of his name for future reference.
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mandovark
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Post by mandovark on Jan 30, 2016 13:28:24 GMT
Glad to hear your new set-up has been a success. Thanks for the info about Paul Guppy - I'm often in the Lancaster area so I'll make a note of his name for future reference. I've been to him a few times over the years and he's always done a good job at a fair price. I believe he builds harps, but he'll do repairs on pretty much anything - I heard about him through a friend whose saxophones and flute he'd repaired.
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missclarktree
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Post by missclarktree on Jan 30, 2016 14:07:37 GMT
Glad to hear your new set-up has been a success. Thanks for the info about Paul Guppy - I'm often in the Lancaster area so I'll make a note of his name for future reference. I've been to him a few times over the years and he's always done a good job at a fair price. I believe he builds harps, but he'll do repairs on pretty much anything - I heard about him through a friend whose saxophones and flute he'd repaired. That's doubly good to know, as my respectable gentleman friend wildworld plays saxophone and lives in the area.
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Martin
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Post by Martin on Jan 30, 2016 16:10:25 GMT
Good stuff, Simon. Thanks for the report and the set-up recommendation too!
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