Jumbo Mandolins?

[Dan in NH]

Big Muddy offers Jumbo Mandolins - Mandola-size bodies with a (wide) mandolin neck on them.

Do any other manufacturers offer jumbo mandolins? And has anyone tried one, particularly oval hole like Big Muddy makes?

I kinda have my eye on a Big Muddy spruce & maple M-2 Jumbo Wide oval hole mandolin. But with so many departures form the "standard" arch top, f-hole mandolin i currently own I'd really like to play one, or at least talk to someone who has.

[tmsweeney]

Northfield makes the "Big Mon" which doesn't necessarily have the wide neck but has a larger F body, I've encountered a few of them and they do sound nice - a little on the pricey side, compared to Big Muddy.
A lot of makers advertise 19 inch scale to be an octave, I was never crazy about that, its seems to be neither a mandola or an octave.

[Sue Rieter]

phydaux, I've got a Mid Mo (Big Muddy) M-15 mandola. Not quite the same thing as what you're talking about, but you're welcome to check it out and play it. I was playing it alot before the F2 came along.

[Richard500]

The Mexican mandolins, many from Paracho, seem to fit the bill: deep bodies and necks looking purposed for chordwork. Of course, there is a range of cost and quality and one might have to research builders a little.
I picked up one online and, liking the ‘woody’ sound, downcoverted it to mandola tuning, that is, adding one thicker string and removing the E, leaving the three strings that remain appropriate to the scale length. I like it, mostly because I don’t have to adapt to the typical mandola scale to casually pick it up.
Many mandolin-like instruments from the world folk reservoir are also fundamentally different, and that’s something for research as well.

[GChris]

Forster makes one. Plenty of videos in YouTube. I would love to play one in person as they seem to sound really good.

[mandroid]

Other builders might .. if you pay them ..

[Greg Connor]

Interesting idea. I just checked Big Muddy website. It wouldn’t cost very much to have one made. I recently bought a Brockman mandolin, (Bruce Brockman Arizona) and I suspect it’s a 1/4 inch deeper than a regular mandolin. ( I have a couple pictures on my profile ) It delivers a very pleasing full tone. I’ll bet Big Muddy would do the same.

[Jim Garber]

Brazilian bandolims were based on Portuguese flattop instruments with fairly wide bodies. They will not fit into standard North American A model cases.

[OldSausage]

What I really want is a mini mandocello.

[tmsweeney]

OldSausage a "mini-mandocello" is sometimes referred to as a "mandola" although I've never heard it called that until just now by me.

[sgarrity]

Here's my Nyberg. This model is not currently on his site. I worked with Lawrence to design it. 2.75" deep. I call it my mini octave.

[Rose #1]

fantastic looking octave Shaun.....the back is stellar!

[sgarrity]

For clarity, it's a mandolin. 14" scale with a large body.

Can't get the video to embed so here's the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_J1SyDwWu3U