I had a Mid-Missouri Mandolin mandola made with some extra bracing so I can tune it up to mandolin pitch (GDAE). My son had same one made a few years ago. SO far its been holding up great. It is so much louder then a mandolin, way way louder and throatier. This is our third Mid-Missouri instrument, we love them!
That may be what Mike calls a Jumbo Mandolin. He had one on the bench last time I was there. It was very loud, like Banjo competition loud.
Another variation is the Jumbo Mandola. The concept was similar but it was an Octave body with a Mandola neck. It is also a Banjo killer. There was no case for it and it was crushed during shipping. The repaired instrument ended up being sold on eBay. It appears on some recordings. I will try to track those down.
Edited by - Maurice Mcmurry on 05/01/2025 16:51:58
