On my MT, I am finding that the sweet spot for the tone I like best is on the fretboard by the 15th fret. Works ok for double stops and chop but when picking individual notes my pick is hitting the fretboard.I find picking below the fretboard gives a thinner tone.

So are some questions:

- where is your sweet spot?

- should I raise the action to where the pick no longer hits the freboard?

- is there more going on here? Is there away to mover the tone back below the fretboard?

Thanks

First question, what strings do have on it ?
I use Med's on mine to keep that nice chunky tone, and picked it out as I though it had the best tone of that type of the ones I played that day.
I pick all over the place. I do strum and chop some up at the end of the fretboard like you. But I end up picking a leads etc a bit farther back to get a bit more bite out of the sound.
Also I found it makes a huge difference what pick I use. I have gone to strictly a Med gauge Tortis for my Mando.

my mt-2v was sweeter sounding than my mt, so i sold the mt. the mt wasn't harsh sounding, but the mt-2v can be incredibly soft or bark like a dog, depending on the attack. the varnish helps. i use d'addario j-74s. the pick i use is this black dunlop that is 2.08mm thick. i have used a heavy tortis pick, but i hear more pick/string click when i use it. i agree with ricks: try some other picks first.

the top on the MT is engelmann. it is a softer wood and can sound harsh with a heavier sharp pointed pick. try the side of a pointed pick (the rounded edge) or a mondo pick with the rounded edges.

not all mandolins sound good with any given pick. you need to experiment a bit with picks, strings, the way you cup your hand when you pick, etc. to get the right tone.

I would not raise your action just to get rid of pick click. You are on the right track asking if there is tone from the edge of the fretboard to the bridge... it's there, but you may have to mess around in those areas to get it. More so than guitar, I found the ideal tone zone is small on a mandolin (right at fretboard edge for me, and it does not take much wandering to lose it. I.e. you may have to hunt for it; which can also include the type of pick and correct technique.

Changing picks to thicker and more rounded tip can make a huge difference. Also, pick material, bevel/no bevel, your attack style, angle, all play a part.

Some top BG mandolin folks will play chop or tremolo over the higher frets, but it seems most make their money just at the edge of the fret board on an A, or, over the fret board extension on an F (which is why you see the frets removed, and the extension scooped on so many Fs). Part of that is perhaps because they "touch" the heel of their hand just behind the bridge for reference, and that is about as far as we can reach foward with the pick.

If you prefer staying over the fret board, and don’t like the click, you may be digging in with the pick more than needed. I spent a fair amount of time trying to brush the top of the strings rather than pluck them; at least that is how I thought about in order to accomplish a more horizontal attack.

Watch as many good mandolin players as you can, try what they are doing. And have fun with the journey.

Hey everyone thanks for the advice. I raised the action a bit and that seemed to move the sweet spot to just below the fingerboard.