Flattop body dimensions.

[bruce.b]

I’ve been having a great time with my Beavertail flattop mandolin. I think it sounds great. I’m using a light pick, an Ultex 60, with a light touch. It’s not loud played this way, but has a beautiful, sweet tone. After concentrating on tenor guitar and fiddle for over a year, and not playing mandolin, I’m finally starting to feel comfortable with it.

Anyway, the Beavertail is really small, and it seems like flattops in particular are all over the place body size wise. It’s a 9 5/8” width and two inches thick. An Earnest Passione flattop is 10 5/8” wide and 2.5” thick. That is a significant difference and I’m curious about other flattops and how it effects tone.

Anyone care to post the dimensions of their flattop? How about other pancakes..... flatiron, Poe, Redline? The only other flattop I have so far is the Fylde Touchstone at 11 1/8” wide and 2 3/8” thick.

Thanks,
bruce

[Seter]

My Soviet-era Lunacharsky flattop is 2 5/8" deep, 10 5/8" wide. Scale is 13 3/4" with overall length being 23 3/4".

[Dacnis]

My Big Muddy M-11 is 9.25" wide and just a hair over 2" deep. I really like the small size of the Big Muddy, as well as the ding-resistant natural finish. Mandolins with the hard, shiny finishes are beautiful, but I'd be afraid to play one.

I also have a Big Muddy mini-mo, which is only 1.5" deep, otherwise the same dimensions as other Big Muddies. It has a very nice sound, although I find it hard to get good tone on the lowest bass notes on it. That's no doubt due to my lack of skill, since the action is not set low and I'm a new player.

[Jim Garber]

A real oddball, the Seagull S8, but one with a fair amount of volume for its size.

Dimensions & Specs
Body Depth 1.85 inches
Body Length 12.24 inches
Lower Bout 8.22 inches
Nut Width 1.19 inches
Scale 13.88 inches
Upper Bout 5 inches

[Cliff Seruntine]

A real oddball, the Seagull S8, but one with a fair amount of volume for its size.

Dimensions & Specs
Body Depth 1.85 inches
Body Length 12.24 inches
Lower Bout 8.22 inches
Nut Width 1.19 inches
Scale 13.88 inches
Upper Bout 5 inches

I know everyone has their own tonal goals. I sold my Seagull S8 shortly after getting it, though. It was well built and great volume, though the setup was poor--action and frets way too high. But that's not why I sold it. It had a tinny sound. I put Silk & Steel strings on it and it still was, to me, over bright and tinny. I wonder if mine was a dud. It is one of the few mandolins I've ever heard that I really did not like the voice of. A shame--I liked the look.

[Jim Garber]

The Seagull is trebly for sure. I played one in a local big box store and surprisingly it was set up perfectly. OTOH I do understand not wanting one as your main instrument. Not mellow at all but I think it would do well in a large jam.

BTW I would guess that silk and steel might tone it down volumewise, but I think flatwounds would be better to cut the trebly tone.

[derbex]

The Hathway I used in the other thread is :
Width at widest point : 9. 5"
Depth : 2.25"
Body : 11.5"
Scale 13.75"
Nut width 1 5/16"

I guess the other thing is body shape, some seem almost circular, others more teardrop/onion the Hathway is the latter.

I think he does a large bodied one as well.

[OneChordTrick]

The Hathway I used in the other thread is :
Width at widest point : 9. 5"
Depth : 2.25"
Body : 11.5"
Scale 13.75"
Nut width 1 5/16"

I guess the other thing is body shape, some seem almost circular, others more teardrop/onion the Hathway is the latter.

I think he does a large bodied one as well.

You've just saved me a job