Hey guys just joined the forum and wondered if any of you had information regarding the intonation / bridge placement on your Collings? I have a new MT-2 model, shipped from California to Scotland. I noticed the intonation was not quite correct and had to pull the bass end back and push the treble forward. It looks a wee bit funny but the intonation is now spot on. It has left marks on the top in front of the bridge. Has anyone else had to make ajustments and how do I rub out the marks?

Alister. You'll prbably have to have the finish buffed. The common way to adjust the intonation on stringed instruments is the slow and painstaking way of taking off the string tension, moving the bridge and then re-tuning to pitch.

Hey Doc,
I did that, took all the tension off the middle six strings then took the G down to D and the E down to C, it still marked the top when I moved the bridge!
Does your bridge sit at an angle?

Thanks again Alister

No the bridge sits perpendicular to the top. Unless you lift and move the bridge it will mark the top.

Oops...Thinking about it again...are we taking about the marks where the bridge previously sat, not marks made by moving the bridge? The bridge is supposed to sit perpendicular to the top but has such a narrow base sometimes they get pulled out of plumb when tuning to pitch or if you change to heavier strings which are too big for the saddle slots. In any case marks usually mean buffing out or laquer or varnish touch up unfortunately.

I find that Novus #2 polish works well on Collings lacquer scuff marks. Its basically the polish used on automobile clearcoats. Go lightly, follow directions, and good luck.

Hey Arcane, who makes that polish? I think its called 'T Cut' here in the UK. I'm sure it will be made by the same manufacturer.
The mark on the top is where the saddle was sitting. I had to move it a saddles width back on the bass side to get it to intonate properly.
It's a beautiful instrument, I was scared at first to take it to sessions! I have previously used round/oval hole Celtic style mandolins, made by Jimmy Moon in Glasgow, still do in fact, the Collings is a whole new ball game for me! It's beautiful, I have to keep reminding myself it's a tool! The finish is amazing, all my other mando's have a lot of wear. I was hoping to keep it perfect for as long as possible!

Thanks for all assistance.

Big Al in Scotland

I'm looking at a bottle of Novus No. 2 Fine Scratch Remover, made by Novus Polish Company of Savage, MN. here

The stuff is a tan liquid with a little shine like fine silica in it, and I have no doubt that too much of it would be very bad. It looks a lot like Meguiars Automotive Polish, which I've used on my cars.

quote:

[snip] ... The mark on the top is where the saddle was sitting. I had to move it a saddles width back on the bass side to get it to intonate properly.[snip]

To add another data point, I had this *exact* experience on a non-Collings mando (bridge back a full width on the bass side to correct intonation), with exactly the same result (finish marks at the original position). I'm not as worried about the finish on mine, but my brother has the Novus kit, so I may try to rub the marks back just for grins.