Buying first mandolin - Arm Rest & Tone Guard?

[phydaux]

Yes, I've had both on my Kentucky KM-250 since it arrived this last Friday and I've enjoyed playing it. I've spent the last few days playing some Irish fiddle tunes, much to the annoyance of my Boston-Irish wife.

[Br1ck]

Mandolessons.com just did a great video on Tone-Gard. Including correct spelling.

[Gordon Currie]

Originally Posted by Br1ck

Mandolessons.com just did a great video on Tone-Gard. Including correct spelling.

I'm not able to find this on the site. Do you have an URL?

[Br1ck]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3tAC5Rlinwk

Here you go

[SalFromChatham]

I know you bought a good starter. My starter is the one I still have. I use it in bars too; it has a K&K installed (I have an Eastman 304 I think).

I just changed strings for the first time a month back. One String at a time!

[bmikiten]

Originally Posted by phydaux

I'm looking at getting my first mandolin. I'm looking hard at the Elderly Instruments Mandolin Outfit as seen here:

https://www.mandolessons.com/resourc...ng-a-mandolin/

That's a Kentucky KM-150 Mandolin A-Model mandolin set up by the techs at Elderly Instruments, Kentucky gig bag, extra strings, and other accessories. Now I'll probably also spring for the Planet Waves leather Mandolin Strap.

An Arm Rest isn't too expensive and doesn't detract from the looks of the instrument, so I'll probably spring for one of those. But I've also seen an accessory called a Tone Guard.

Do any of you use a tone guard on your mandolin? Is there any reason to NOT get a Tone Guard?

Also, am I right when I say that if I take all the strings off a mandolin then the bridge will fall off and I will be astronomically BONED?

Thanks!

I'd keep the money and not buy the armrest or tone guard. Save up for your next mando. Lower priced instruments aren't (IMHO) resonant enough to benefit from these accessories.

Brian

[leew3]

Originally Posted by bmikiten

I'd keep the money and not buy the armrest or tone guard. Save up for your next mando. Lower priced instruments aren't (IMHO) resonant enough to benefit from these accessories.

Brian

I still vote for both for when you inevitably upgrade, you've already got 'em!

[rockabilly69]

I was writing a song last night on my Gibson F5G and the sharp edge on the top was bugging me so soon as I took a break I ordered an arm rest!

[Mandobart]

Originally Posted by bmikiten

I'd keep the money and not buy the armrest or tone guard. Save up for your next mando. Lower priced instruments aren't (IMHO) resonant enough to benefit from these accessories.

Brian

Geez Brian, it's not like these additions become a permanent part of the instrument! Last time I bought one a Tone-Gard was $75. A good quality arm rest (Doug Edwards McClung for example) was about $50. You can easily transfer them to any other mandolin if/when you upgrade.

I highly recommend both as a mandolin-family instrument player of some 13 years now. I have a Tone-Gard on my F4, F5, A4 mandola, old Regal resonator mandolin, F4 octave mandolin and my Martin HD-28. None of these are typical budget or low cost instruments.

I've got Steve Bell armrests on most of my mandos. I have one McClung and a couple I've made myself. I've found the small elongated kidney shape by Cumberland Acoustics to be not nearly as comfortable.

My starter mandolin, a Chinese Ibanez, was decent enough to learn on but in the lower end starter category. It (and I) did benefit from a Tone-Gard and cheap Cumberland armrest. When I sold the Ibanez I kept the Tone-Gard for another mandolin.

[keith.rogers]

I'm a big fan of the armrest, but it might be a personal/player style thing. Obviously, a lot of mandolin playing has gone on with many players not using them. But, it's one of those things I think a lot of folks wonder how they got along without, once they've had one on for a while. I recently got a 2nd mandolin and ordered an armrest for it within minutes of it arriving (and me deciding I'd keep it).

The Tone-Gard is a little harder to quantify, at least for me.. I got one for the first mando, and it's still on it, but I play seated almost all of the time and the mando is not tight against my body, so the advantage of tone (and balance on F models, to some degree) are a lot subtler. Plus, moving that piece from one to the other is simple enough I have decided that I can live with just one very easily.

[phydaux]

Originally Posted by bmikiten

I'd keep the money and not buy the armrest or tone guard. Save up for your next mando

The advice I received was skip your second mandolin and go straight to your third.

I got a KM-250 (with the arm rest and Tone Guard). I’m already sad I got an f-hole and not an oval. But I’ve got a long way to go before I can justify a higher quality instrument.

[Br1ck]

Originally Posted by phydaux

The advice I received was skip your second mandolin and go straight to your third.

I got a KM-250 (with the arm rest and Tone Guard). I’m already sad I got an f-hole and not an oval. But I’ve got a long way to go before I can justify a higher quality instrument.

If you mean by that to not climb the import ladder, you got good advise. The Kentucky 900 and above (master series) is worthy, but I'd still hold out. I'd suggest buying a Silverangel. They are at the warm and deep side of the scale. My A style, f hole, x braced, redwood topped Silverangel sounds very close to an oval. You can get new ones for about $1400, the Econo A. They will all skew warm.