'Invented' a brace to do the job of a tonegard

[Ron McMillan]

I have long toyed with making something that would do the job of a Tonegard (the wire lattice device that goes across the back of a mandolin to separate the back of the instrument from the player's stomach, thereby letting the back vibrate freely, making the mandolin louder).

The popularity of the Tonegard among top players is evidence enough that it performs a useful function, but I live too far away from the source to try one out - and, in any case, don't find its design very appealing. So I decided to try and make something that would do the same job.

I never make anything. I have had no woodworking experience since I was in high school more than forty years ago. I am not clever with my hands. All of which is meant to excuse and/or explain the simplicity and roughness of my simple creation.

I sourced adjustable brackets long enough for the job; I worked out that violin chinrest brackets would not be long enough - so I bought viola chinrest brackets, which are a bit longer.

Then I got my piece of wood. After considering this very carefully, I picked a piece that was lying by the side of the road. I have no idea what it is, though I am fairly sure it came from an old packing crate. Not exactly high-quality timber, then, but the price was about right for an experiment that could well come to nothing.

I don't have a workshop. I don't even have a workbench or a vise, so I made do with a sturdy outdoor picnic table and a couple of C-clamps. With wood rasps and a selection of files, I eventually hand-carved the shape of the bracket, a process that took many hours. I cut up a cork table mat to raise the 'feet' of the brace high enough to allow it to clear the shape of the mandolin back (a job made more crucial because I cut the wooden feet too short ), and I drilled holes for the viola chinrest brackets that were tight enough for me to screw the threaded ends straight into the wood. No glue required. I attached soft leather to the metal feet of the brackets where they rest on the mandolin top.

Many, many coats of walnut lacquer with almost as many sanding sessions in between coats finished it off.

It'll never win a beauty contest (though it is effectively invisible, save for the brass feet of the viola brackets), and it is extremely functional, and works well. The mandolin is certainly a lot louder than when it did not have the brace attached - for, I suspect, exactly the same reasons the Tonegard is so effective.

I worried that it would be uncomfortable, but after a few minutes I was no longer aware of it being there - and the increased volume and clearer ring of the instrument (a no-name 1970s Japanese F5 copy) made it all worthwhile. I haven't weighed it, but it is so light that I now don't notice it at all.

Oh, and the instrument still easily fits into my TKL case without the brace being removed.

Total cost of parts about twelve bucks.

[MikeEdgerton]

There have been other devices that people have put together that will keep the back of the body off your belly. The concept is the same, it holds the back out away from your body so it can vibrate. Generally those that build armrests for mandolins use Viola chinrest brackets as well. If it works for you that's great.

[John Kelly]

Congratulations, Ron. You have shown remarkable patience and resilience here, working with virtually nothing in the way of tools, etc, and have come up with a functional device which serves the purpose and which gives you a more enjoyable experience of playing your instrument. What more could a fellow ask for?

[T.D.Nydn]

My thinking to really solve this problem,is to play way the bill Monroe plays.not his music style but the actual way he plays.he puts a strap on a F model and slings it around his right shoulder.if you look at a photo of him playing,the mandolin is perpendicular to his body.the bottom does not touch him at all,totally free.with the strap on the right shoulder,the mandolin tends to swing out to the right,naturally keeping the bottom of the mandolin off the body.

[MikeEdgerton]

Most of the old guys did that when they were taking a break. Sometimes called "Machine gun style". It's easier with the Tonegard

[MikeEdgerton]

I just found a thread for a product known as a Stuart Hugger that sounds like this. The site for the person making them is offline. Here is an old thread that describes them.

[MysTiK PiKn]

I have long toyed with making something that would do the job of a Tonegard (the wire lattice device that goes across the back of a mandolin to separate the back of the instrument from the player's stomach, thereby letting the back vibrate freely, making the mandolin louder).

The popularity of the Tonegard among top players is evidence enough that it performs a useful function, but I live too far away from the source to try one out - and, in any case, don't find its design very appealing. So I decided to try and make something that would do the same job.

I never make anything. I have had no woodworking experience since I was in high school more than forty years ago. I am not clever with my hands. All of which is meant to excuse and/or explain the simplicity and roughness of my simple creation.

I sourced adjustable brackets long enough for the job; I worked out that violin chinrest brackets would not be long enough - so I bought viola chinrest brackets, which are a bit longer.

Then I got my piece of wood. After considering this very carefully, I picked a piece that was lying by the side of the road. I have no idea what it is, though I am fairly sure it came from an old packing crate. Not exactly high-quality timber, then, but the price was about right for an experiment that could well come to nothing.

I don't have a workshop. I don't even have a workbench or a vise, so I made do with a sturdy outdoor picnic table and a couple of C-clamps. With wood rasps and a selection of files, I eventually hand-carved the shape of the bracket, a process that took many hours. I cut up a cork table mat to raise the 'feet' of the brace high enough to allow it to clear the shape of the mandolin back (a job made more crucial because I cut the wooden feet too short ), and I drilled holes for the viola chinrest brackets that were tight enough for me to screw the threaded ends straight into the wood. No glue required. I attached soft leather to the metal feet of the brackets where they rest on the mandolin top.

Many, many coats of walnut lacquer with almost as many sanding sessions in between coats finished it off.

It'll never win a beauty contest (though it is effectively invisible, save for the brass feet of the viola brackets), and it is extremely functional, and works well. The mandolin is certainly a lot louder than when it did not have the brace attached - for, I suspect, exactly the same reasons the Tonegard is so effective.

I worried that it would be uncomfortable, but after a few minutes I was no longer aware of it being there - and the increased volume and clearer ring of the instrument (a no-name 1970s Japanese F5 copy) made it all worthwhile. I haven't weighed it, but it is so light that I now don't notice it at all.

Oh, and the instrument still easily fits into my TKL case without the brace being removed.

Total cost of parts about twelve bucks.

It was truly a pleasure to read this amazing picture of infinite humility.
And for me, everytime I have asked (in tonegard threads) if it will fit the case - I got zero replies.
Thank you so much for sharing this process and your experience with it.
Just a joy to read.

Myst.

[MikeEdgerton]

...everytime I have asked (in tonegard threads) if it will fit the case - I got zero replies.
...

Have you been asking about Tonegards? The answer is yes in most cases.

You got at least one answer in this one. I couldn't find any other threads where you asked. I guess I might have missed one in the search. My F5G fits in my Calton case with the Tonegard on. My Weber Festival A fit in the standard Canadian case with it on, and my Strad-O-Lin fits in it's cheapo Musicians Friend A style case with it on.

[George R. Lane]

I have a Travelite case and have no problems with my Tonegard on my Yellowstone. And it also fits in my original Weber hard case.

[Rush Burkhardt]

Thanks, Ron! I've had similar thoughts about constructing my own. Maybe your example will get me moving!

[MysTiK PiKn]

Have you been asking about Tonegards? The answer is yes in most cases.

You got at least one answer in this one. I couldn't find any other threads where you asked. I guess I might have missed one in the search. My F5G fits in my Calton case with the Tonegard on. My Weber Festival A fit in the standard Canadian case with it on, and my Strad-O-Lin fits in it's cheapo Musicians Friend A style case with it on.

Thanks Mike, that was a good response from Emmett - very descriptive.

I have not seen one, and likely won't in the area where I live.

But I do like the idea of the one shown here in this thread. Very creative.

And I have much to learn; and a lot of curiosity about many possibilities. It seems it's unlimited.

Thanks again. I do save a lot of info from various threads of interest; and there are many. Some of what I save is ongoing research, for future reference. And I keep records of those, somewhat organized, with links, etc. from all over. It's just my process. And it's not perfect; but it helps me. In fact I am often amazed at how it helps me. Continuously learning.

Myst.

[MikeEdgerton]

Take a look at this search. They are actually a pretty elegant solution.

[Marty Jacobson]

Looks like a good solution, Ron. Probably lighter than a Tone-Gard, too. I have some ideas for building integral solutions, which will essentially be false backs, to solve the same problem without affecting case fit or or appearance. But your approach works just fine for an existing instrument. Rock on.

[Ron McMillan]

Looks like a good solution, Ron. Probably lighter than a Tone-Gard, too.

You made me curious, so I removed it from the mandolin (takes about 30 seconds; putting it back on might take about one minute) and popped it on the kitchen scales. I knew it was light, but was surprised to see it is only about 40 grams, or about 1.5 ounces

[Ivan Kelsall]

That's a nice job you've done there Ron. I had a very similar idea a long while back,but my problem was trying to find a non-clamping method of attachment. Those Violin style clamps scare the dickens out of me. The clamps on an arm rest that i bought several years ago, pressed against the side of the mandolin after i'd put it back in it's case,& flaked a piece of the finish off -so,no more !. I decided the simply holding the mandolin at 45deg.to my body should do the trick,
Ivan

[Bertram Henze]

People who "never make anything" may put in more time, dedication and concept than those who make a thousand things every day. Good-looking, doing its job - unbeatable.

[Ron McMillan]

I made one error in the original posting. The case that the F5 easily fits into while the brace is attached is not a TKL, but a Travelite. I do have a TKL, but it is for my A4 mandolin.

[darrylicshon]

This guy made one out of a coat hanger

http://www.harmonycentral.com/articl...ele-tone-frame

[Bertram Henze]

This guy made one out of a coat hanger

http://www.harmonycentral.com/articl...ele-tone-frame

Other than Ron's solution, this one succeeded in surpassing the original's ugliness while falling short of its robustness.

[Skip Kelley]

Nice job Ron! It looks good!

[Ron McMillan]

Nice job Ron! It looks good!

Compliments from great builders like Skip and Marty and John Kelly are praise indeed. I think I'll quit while I'm ahead

[mandobassman]

My thinking to really solve this problem,is to play way the bill Monroe plays.not his music style but the actual way he plays.he puts a strap on a F model and slings it around his right shoulder.if you look at a photo of him playing,the mandolin is perpendicular to his body.the bottom does not touch him at all,totally free.with the strap on the right shoulder,the mandolin tends to swing out to the right,naturally keeping the bottom of the mandolin off the body.

Some people can play that way, some people can't. I find it nearly impossible to get a decent tone from the mandolin when I hold it away from my body. Not to mention that my playing gets very sloppy playing that way.

[mandobassman]

And for me, everytime I have asked (in tonegard threads) if it will fit the case - I got zero replies.

My J Bovier A5 Special fits in the shaped case with just a bit of snugness. I had a Breedlove OF that had a ToneGard on it and it did not fit in the Travelite case I was using then. That same mandolin fit just fine in the shaped case I am using now.

[MysTiK PiKn]

Well, it seems that TG+caseFit is often ok; and sometimes not.

It amazes me often that many things can be "attached" to mandos. Many of these might affect case fit, and also the overall weight, and balance of the mando.

Attachments = tonegard, pickguard, arm rest, strapLock, pickups, mics, wiring, mounting systems for several of these items, pickHolders, straps, various Bridges, TailPieces of varying shapes, weights, and heights, tuningStuff, wireless, hands free cellphone holder?

What did I forget? A sign?
"No, it's not a ukelele?" "Keep out, under construction?". "Beware of falling objects?" "Somewhere under all this stuff, lurks a mandothingey"? "Yes, it's still a mandothingey?"

And I think about strap-balance re headstock-nosedive - and offset the tendency w (choose from list above). This reminds me of my childhood bicycle, decorated with streamers and mudflaps and lights. "No, it's not a harley".

(more)
Somewhere I saw a pix of a toneguard that was an extension of a tailpiece - all of it in relatively heavy metal. The TG part was just a shaped flat piece of metal (over the backplate) that rested on tummy and attached at the tailpiece end only. I thought it was strange; but now i think it might balance rather well, or could be made to order - size, weight, specs.?

Human creativity >> unlimited.