Tone-Gard and Big Muddy Jumbo Mandolins

[Dan in NH]

Big Muddy offers Jumbo Mandolins, which are mandola bodies with mandolin necks on them.

Tone-Gard offers two styles of mandola Dola-Gard. From their web site "DolaGard-V for Gibson H1 or H2 mandola, and DolaGard-S for H4 or H5 mandola."

I e-mailed Mike at Big Muddy and asked him what size Tone-Gard fit on his jumbo mandolin bodies. He said he didn't know. The only thing he could offer was that his jumbo mandolins have a body that is 10 1/8" wide 12 1/2" long.

Does anyone here own a Big Muddy Jumbo Mandolin? And if so, do you have a Tone-Gard on it? And if you do, what size do you use?

[Dan in NH]

FWIW I shot off an e-mail to Tone-Gard, but it's Sunday the day after Christmas so I don't expect a reply too soon.

[Zach Wilson]

I've never considered or seen a tone guard on a flat top Mandolin. Interesting. Do you have a Jumbo Big Muddy? What are you hoping to accomplish with a tone guard that it isn't doing?

Are you buying a Jumbo Big Muddy? Are you thinking it isn't going to accomplish something without a tone guard?

[J.C. Bryant]

I have a MUCH LOVED Big Muddy Jumbo! I used the regular mandoln ToneGard on it and it fit fine.

[Dan in NH]

I’m looking hard at a Big Muddy Jumbo Wide M-2 (spruce & maple). I figure since I have a Tone-Gard on my KM-250 then I’d put one on that.

[Mandobart]

I've never considered or seen a tone guard on a flat top Mandolin. Interesting. Do you have a Jumbo Big Muddy? What are you hoping to accomplish with a tone guard that it isn't doing?

Are you buying a Jumbo Big Muddy? Are you thinking it isn't going to accomplish something without a tone guard?

I've got Tone-gards on my F4 and F5 mandolins, my A4 mandola, F4 octave mandolin, my resonator mandolin and my Martin HD-28. As a fat old guy the tone-gard on each of these instruments helps prevent my gut from absorbing tone, volume and projection, especially when I play standing up.

Flat top, arch top makes no difference. The purpose of a tone-gard is to keep the back of the instrument off the player's body.

[Zach Wilson]

I’m looking hard at a Big Muddy Jumbo Wide M-2 (spruce & maple). I figure since I have a Tone-Gard on my KM-250 then I’d put one on that.

Neat! I was only perplexed as I have honestly never thought to have, or seen a, flat top with a ToneGard. Sorry if I came off as dismissive or questioning.

Good luck on your search!

[Ray(T)]

I’m sure Tony Pires will be able to help with sizing. But how does a Toegard help on a resonator mandolin, Mandobart?

[Dan in NH]

Did you have to get larger sizes for your mandola and your octave mandolin? The Big Muddy jumbo mandolin is supposed to have a body the size of a mandola.

[Dan in NH]

Tony from Tone-Gard replied to my e-mail.

"Big Muddy body flattop shapes are not based on the same shape carved mandolin shapes are. It’s not just width, it’s the overall shape. 10 3/16” is the width of a Gibson A mandolin. 11 3/16” is a Gibson H1 & H2 mandolas.

Because flattops are pear shaped the two shoulder arms of a Tone-Gard are too big for them. Because of the pear shape there’s nothing there to grab where on a typical mandolin there’s a gentle radius to the shape."

[Dan in NH]

Based on Mike's reply with the dimensions of his jumbo mandolins (width of 10 1/8"), and Tony's reply regarding the width his standard mandolin Tone-Gards are made to fit (10 3/16”) it seems to me that a standard mandolin Tone-Gard could be made to fit a Big Muddy Jumbo mandolin.

And that seems to match the report from J. C. Bryant.

[Ray(T)]

Is Tony saying that a Tonegard won’t fit or is he suggesting that you’ll need a custom gard? I suppose it depends on what question you asked.

[Dan in NH]

According to his web site he doesn't do custom guards anymore.

[Ray(T)]

Didn’t know that but I knew he’d stopped shipping gards to the UK shortly after I bought a couple from him. (Due to the stupid UK customs rules.)

[mandroid]

New ones are. as I understand, one pierce, CNC Laser cut from a flat sheet. not as before, a lot of welded pieces of round steel wire.
now they're powder coated, in mass ..

When I got my round wire ones lo those many years ago, they were just air dried paint . (spray can?)
But I have a local powder coating guy.

[Mandobart]

Did you have to get larger sizes for your mandola and your octave mandolin? The Big Muddy jumbo mandolin is supposed to have a body the size of a mandola.

Yes. I got these back when Tony still did custom gards. I traced the outline of each instrument on heavy paper, then wrote the dimensions on the paper, including the arch of the back. The arch measurement is obtained by laying the instrument on a flat surface so that each side is an equal distance from that surface. Measure that distance.

Both custom gards fit great, even in the case. I have tone-gards on two flat backed instruments - I use a mandola gard on my 1930's Regal resonator mandolin and the standard one Tony sells for Martin dreadnaught guitars on my HD-28.

I wish I could get a custom gard for my 10 string F4 25" mandocello, but he's no longer making custom orders. Tony was always great to work with on the 2 custom gards I have.

[urobouros]

I have a VintageGard on my flat top Beard. Tony didn't think a Gard would fit due to the hips. I tried one of the ones I already had & it fits fine. It's a little off center compared to my others but snug as a bug