Tone Gards - Who uses one on a 'varnished' Mandolin ?.

[Ivan Kelsall]

I see that the maker of the 'Tone Gards' doesn't recommend them for use with an instrument having a varnished finish. I've never seen a similar comment by makers of either armrests or bridges (or clip on tuners !), that may impart as much or even more pressure on the finish as a Tone Gard. From what our Scottish 'Cafe colleague,Gerry Hastie,(he got his TG yesterday),told me this morning,the pressure on the instrument is very slight.
Do any of you actually use a Tone Gard on a varnished instrument,if so,what effect has it had - if any- on the finish ?,
Ivan

[citycountryguy]

I use one on my Ellis A. Talked to Tom about it, he said after the varnish cured there should be no problem. I'm several months in, and no problem...

[stringduster]

Been using them on my 2008 Heiden and 2010 Smart. I usually wait a year for a good cure. After that,never had a problem

[Malcolm G.]

I build mahogany kayaks which need a minimum of 5 coats of marine varnish to prevent the sun from destroying the epoxied fiberglass cloth which holds things together.
Each coat will dry overnight allowing for wet sanding and the application of another coat.
Then it takes the better part of a summer in the sun before I'd even pretend that it's all cured.

I'm having a varnished mandolin crafted for me, and while I'm a huge ToneGard fan, I'll wait at least 6 months before I put one on.

Or, maybe a year like my friend from Montana.:grin:

[Tony Sz]

I use one on my 2000 Gibson MM.....no problem

[Treblemaker]

I have one on my Varnish Laurence Smart.

For the record - I have a beer gut.
I thought this would bring out more tone.
IMHO this mandolin sounds better without the tonegard.

No Finish issues.