To Tone Gard or not

[George R. Lane]

I have used a Tone Gard on all my mandos because it seemed to help with the tone and volume. I have had my new weber Yellowstone now for few days and I tried the Tone gard on it, but it didn't make much of a difference. The sound seems fuller with out the Gard and there isn't much difference in the volume. Has anyone else ever had this happen to them?

[JEStanek]

Have you had someone play the Yellowstone at you with the tone guard on and off to hear the difference? If there is none, don't worry about it.

Jamie

[George R. Lane]

Jamie,
That is a good idea, I have only heard it played by someone else without the guard. I'll give that a try.
Thanks

[mandroid]

Having the body of the mandolin not touching the torso , held away, is similar, but how comfortable is that?

The bottom overtones are reduced when back is touching my Tum-Tum.

[Greg H.]

I think Jamie's suggestion is a very good one. I've had some mandolins that I could bearly hear when I played, but everyone else would complain I was drowning them out. My toneguard had always made my mandolin seem fuller. Along with that it helps protect against buttons, belt buckles, sweat (think the effect of summer festivals), etc.

[SternART]

Along with that it helps protect against buttons, belt buckles, sweat (think the effect of summer festivals), etc.

Greg's got a point there! Gard that mandolin!

[mandroid]

Yup , have one on my '22 A4, for that reason .. varnish protection from sweaty player ..
[Polar fleece under raingear bicycling uphill in the winter, that efficient moisture transfer to the out side of the fleece is a problem]

[f#54]

Yes
I bought one and put on my Collings..no noticeable difference to me while playing it myself. Then I put it on my Eastman, Wow what a difference. I leave it on the Eastman now.

[jim_n_virginia]

It is rare but there are some mandolins where adding a ToneGard didn't do anything for it. My friend sgarrity had a mandolin once (I think a Kimble) that I let him try my Tonegard and it didn't really do anything that I could hear. I was kind of surprised! Because on my Gibson the sound is like night and day when you use it or take it off. So I think some mandolins don't really benefit from adding a ToneGard. Maybe you have one.

[Earl Gamage]

I have one on my Kentucky 380 and I like it. It helps the sound and balances the mandolin better for me. The reason I'm answering though is because if I take the tone guard off and play the mandolin with it sticking straight out from my belly I think it sounds even better. There is nothing but wood to vibrate that way. It's just not really good playing posture so I leave the toneguard on. If you don't let the mandolin touch your belly when you play the toneguard does nothing as far as I can see.

[Gerard Dick]

It does a great job of protecting the back of the instrument from belt buckle rash and other miscellaneous insults. On my KM350and my Yellowstone it makes them louder.

[George R. Lane]

Thanks for the replies.
I used one on my Gallatin and my Vintage A it made a huge difference on both.
I will have a friend play it with the tonegard and without, then i should be able to tell.
Do you think since it is so new, I just got it last Wednesday, that it might still be too tight?

[sgarrity]

It is rare but there are some mandolins where adding a ToneGard didn't do anything for it. My friend sgarrity had a mandolin once (I think a Kimble) that I let him try my Tonegard and it didn't really do anything that I could hear. I was kind of surprised! Because on my Gibson the sound is like night and day when you use it or take it off. So I think some mandolins don't really benefit from adding a ToneGard. Maybe you have one.

Jim, I think we tried it on the Red Diamond F5. But there were so many.........LOL
I'm enough of a traditionalist that I don't care for Tone Gards. But I've heard Jim's Fern with and without, and it definitely makes a difference on that mandolin. To each his own I reckon. YMMV, etc.....

[jim_n_virginia]

I'm enough of a traditionalist that ...

WHA!?!?!?! YOU a traditionalist!

you don't even like SCROLLS!

[MandoNicity]

For my 2 cents worth I am with sgarrity, no tone-guards for me. I don't like the idea of clamping a piece of metal to my instrument, but that's just me.

JR

[Verne Andru]

I hope this isn't an out of line question, but are there any other tone-guard-like products out there that don't cost an arm and a leg? Looks to me like the tone-guard could be made in quantity for under $1, so paying $75 for one strikes me as a tad ridiculous.

[SternART]

I just had some metal waterjet cut, and it isn't cheap. The latest Gards are cut from one piece of metal, and I believe pressed into shape. Someone here on the Cafe made a Frankenstein model out of coat hangers and a bungee chord. You can probably find the thread and photos. I'm happy buying the real product, made by a fellow mandolin player.......Tony Pires....who trust me, probably isn't getting rich from these things.

[Rick Cadger]

I swear by my Gard. The way I hold my KM-505 it makes a big difference. Keeps the back free to resonate, makes the most of the bass response and adds depth to the mids. Certainly a more balanced and louder mando with the Gard on. Without the Gard the 505 is a nice mandolin that sounds more expensive that the £375 or so I paid for it, but with the ToneGard the 505 is easily the loudest mandolin I've had, and has a very nice tone and very satisfying chop.

There's no denying that EarlG is right. If you hold the mandolin well clear of your tummy and play without a Gard then the sound is even fuller. Unfortunately I can't play comfortably like that as I am a fat git, so it's the Gard for me.

As for the price, the Gard is a well made piece of kit and it does the job it was designed for. It also protects the back of the mandolin. It's like a Cumberland Acoustics bridge or a Blue Chip pick... It ain't cheap, but it's sure as heck worth the price.

[farmerjones]

im not anti-tone gaurd but i feel the same way about the design.
If it were more similar to a violin shoulder rest, only bigger, i'd be more likely to jump on the bandwagon. I could make a proto. but im lazy. There must be a broad pattent b/c there's not a bunch of companies making "similar but different" like they do violin shoulder rests. Every place that touches a violin, the rest has at least surgical tubing.

Question(s): Can you leave the tone gaurd on when in the case?
Does it attach with screws like a pick guard? Or is it held by friction?

[Dave Schimming]

Question(s): Can you leave the tone gaurd on when in the case? Depends, I have to take mine off otherwise the bridge pushes forward, others have posted their mando fits fine with the Tonegard on.

Does it attach with screws like a pick guard? Or is it held by friction? No screws, held by friction, fit can be adjusted by (carefully to avoid the black finish flaking off) bending the posts holding to the mando.

[adlerburg]

NOT... I guess.
I just got one, and it is really nice aesthetically, beautifully made, and definitely it is louder than if the mando is up against your body... but it just didn't feel comfortable for me. Also, I found without it, I have control of how much, if any, dampening I do with the back against my body. It also is not as intimate to me. Nice product, just not for me... I guess I'll put it up on the classifieds for sale.. PM me if you want it.. it's literally brand new. Custom Keltic Knot design.

-Mickey

[re simmers]

How about taking a coat hanger & rap it in some kind of tape. Then shape the coat hanger so the bottom clips into your belt buckle and the top ties into your shirt button. It would look good when you're not playing, but you would probably have to take it off to dance with the wife, but it's less than $75.

If someone steals this idea I'll split the profits.

Bob

[Mandoviol]

im not anti-tone gaurd but i feel the same way about the design.
If it were more similar to a violin shoulder rest, only bigger, i'd be more likely to jump on the bandwagon. I could make a proto. but im lazy. There must be a broad pattent b/c there's not a bunch of companies making "similar but different" like they do violin shoulder rests. Every place that touches a violin, the rest has at least surgical tubing.

Question(s): Can you leave the tone gaurd on when in the case?
Does it attach with screws like a pick guard? Or is it held by friction?

Answers to your questions:

Yes, you can. I got a Tone Gard for Christmas and it hardly adds to the thickness of the instrument (it maybe sits off by a few millimeters at its most convex point). Granted, that's in my own run-of-the-mill chipboard case, so depending on your case model, you may have issues.

Question 2:
It's held by friction on the instrument (it sort of clamps on; the clamping arms are made of spring-steel). The clamp arms have a rubber coating, and leather pads placed along the Tone Gard hold it away from the instrument along the back. Pretty smooth installation.

[Malcolm G.]

I LIKE 'em!