Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm building my 1st mandolin (F-5 model) , trying to stay with the plans from the Siminoff book. I have the rim assembly put together and I'm trying to use StroboSoft 2.1 for tuning the assembly and back. For some of you who have used this program I would like to know if I'm supposed to start with "C3" (130.82hz) in "Note Select" , the go to "Tap tune" (enabled) with the switch toggled to "Input" instead of "Target". When do you use "Target" ? As of now, the assembly seems to be at 525hz so I set the note select to "C5". Both tone bars tap nearly the same at "C5". The back tap is 407hz with the note widow showing "C5". I have already shaved off a lot of the tone bars. Do I need to remove them and take some material off the top plate and replace them? I really need to know how to find the fundamental note to start with. I know the author says to try for the bass bar at G# and the treble at A#. I'm not going to get there but would like to get some tonal difference between the bars if it means replacing one or both. It seems to me that the "tap tuning" section of help from the program would be instrument specific but it's not and the guy trying to help me from Peterson admits that tap tuning is not their specialty and just directs me to the You Tube videos which I've seen but not gained much from.

I’m no expert at using StroboSoft ll but it sounds like there may be something else in the room resonating at 525? Siminoff mentions this happening to him during a tap tuning exercise at Gibson.

I have the Noise Filter ON and it seems to be measuring each time I power on the software. The only thing that would be humming sometimes is the frig and I ain't going with no hot beer...

I forgot to add that with the note select to C3, the assembly tap is 144hz and with note select to D4,the back tap is at 281hz. This keeps things inside the 440hz range.