Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: BobL
Date: 17 Jun 17 - 03:27 AM

Am I being unduly suspicious in noting that every post praising the brand comes from a guest rather than a regular member?

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,tt
Date: 16 Jun 17 - 03:34 PM

I have one. It's a been aging a number of years. Actually plays beautiful and sounds great. My go to these days. Worth every penny to me. Mine sounds awesome. My only negative is it dents pretty easy, Very light. Wood is a bit soft. But well built. Great player.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,Adam
Date: 31 Oct 13 - 11:10 PM

I just came across some kind of Mumbo jumbo crossbreed in a pawn shop, it's the dcss body with the jcss pheasant neck. No markings of any kind on the head stock. Electric acoustic, and I didn't believe a guitar could sound this good. It's sound is bright with a complimentary low end. No need to ever buy another acoustic. The strings on it must be a year old, still sounds amazing.

That's my opinion of a Mumbo jumbo, let's hope it stands the test of time.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,banjoglo
Date: 23 Dec 12 - 11:10 PM

I have a cutaway Mumbo Jumbo that is superb. Going to get the classical next. The wood are great, and action is set for you. Win Win

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,Mike Mandaville
Date: 14 Feb 12 - 07:25 AM

mum·bo jum·bo

1. Unintelligible or incomprehensible language; gibberish.
2. Language or ritualistic activity intended to confuse.
3. A complicated or obscure ritual.
4. An object believed to have supernatural powers; a fetish.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,TTekulve
Date: 13 Feb 12 - 01:17 PM

Have had one for a few years. Sounded okay when I bought it. Sounds great after a few years of aging. Plays very well, build fairly well. No complaints. Well worth the money for sure.   My only complaint is the bad painted on logo. But...hey.. can't have everything for 350 bucks. Took months to arrive. About seven I believe. Nice case as well.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: Bugsy
Date: 30 Dec 11 - 12:24 AM

I've just visited their website and the prices look too good to be true!
Mumbo Jumbo Website


If they are as good as the posters above say, and if I lived in the US, I'd whip one up quick smart. They're even offering free freight!

Cheers

Bugsy

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,DDejon
Date: 28 Dec 11 - 08:46 PM

I bought my Mumbo Jumbo dreadnaught acoustic a few years ago and I have to tell you that I could have stopped buying guitars right there. This guitar not only sounds amazing but it screams "Play me!" It has the biggest acoustic sound, all solid rosewood tone too. I think for two or three times the money you could not buy a better guitar, in fact this could be your perfect guitar. You get that perfect rosewood tone, modern pinless bridge (changing strings is very easy), outstanding woods, electronics, scalloped bracing and a very high level of workmanship. I love my guitar; but I think that it loves me more then I love it and that is a strange but great feeling. I spoke to Simon on the phone, and he signed the tag on the Gator guitar case with my name so I left it there. There is no date on the inside of the guitar but on the inside it is numbered and signed by Simon Shaw and I think that is really cool too. I have number 36. On a scale of 1 to 10 I give this guitar a 10 for the sound of the guitar alone. I have 7 solid wood acoustics and they all sound good; however I would rate this one a best buy and I would buy it again. Best sounding guitar in the world? That is a matter of opinion but if you say that this is the best sounding guitar in the world I will not disagree with you as this guitar sounds amazing on the first day and mine is aging quite well.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: PHJim
Date: 14 Dec 10 - 01:05 PM

After reading above how to arrive at the perfect nut height, I got thinking,"Why don't more builders use a zero fret?" This would do away with having to fiddle with nut height and it would seem that an open string resting on a fret would balance better with the fretted notes. Anyone know why so few builders use the zero fret?

Subject: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,Tom T
Date: 13 Dec 10 - 02:23 PM

Love mine. Ha dit a coupl eyears now. Sound is great. As good as any high end. Very impressive tone.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,wizardofcamelot
Date: 06 Dec 10 - 07:49 PM

I have a Mumbo Jumbo model JSS serial number 19 signed by Simon Shaw, Camden, SC
I have played guitar for fifty-two years and this guitars' tone, volume and overall playability rivals any flat top acoustic guitar I have ever had the pleasure of playing.
I've had offers to buy it based on sound quality alone.
Nobody cares where the name came from or where it is made.

Just thought I would add my two cents worth.

The wizard

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,Guest, Gary Y
Date: 02 Oct 10 - 11:39 AM

Hi, I purchased a concert classical June 09. The guitar seems to be very well made and sounds and plays very good for what I paid for it. It is made in China, but so are most Yamahas and they are called the best guitars for the money in the world. The guitar has solid spruce top and solid sapele (African Mahagony) spelling?? back/sides, truss rod in neck, bone nut, saddle, Schaller tuners with ebony buttons
($20 extra), good electronics, flawless finish, slightly thinner body and narrower fretboard that standard classical guitars. The company
has a reasonable return policy I believe so you can't go wrong.
I am very pleased with my purchase.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,adagil
Date: 11 Jan 10 - 11:20 AM

Hi, I just bought a Mumbo Jumbo JSS from a guy on Ebay and even if I'm not the best guitar player, I've had a few and this one is really neat. It looks great and sounds very good. I was seeking for a jumbo style guit for those times when you play in front of a crowd and need more resonance and this axe is giving me just that. Mine is very well built and even the luthier where I always have my guitars reviewed was impressed by the quality. Yes, it is made in Chian but most guitar brands have their models made in China anyways. I have a Crafter which I love but sound is better on my Mumbo Jumbo. This guit being made of solid wood all around makes it even better for unplugged gigs. The electronics is so-so but I will have it replaced for something better and that's it. I can say only only one thing about this guitar, it is worth every penny ! Love it !

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,Steve R.
Date: 29 Mar 09 - 01:21 AM

I ordered the double cutaway from Mumbo Jumbo in May of 08 and waited patiently until it arrived in Feb of this year. My mother got me my first guitar in 1963 and I have had a few since then which were also given to me. When I came across the Mumbo Jumbo website I showed it to my wife and thought it was time to buy my own guitar.
    I had many conversations with Simon Shaw before I actually received my guitar and felt very comfortable with my decision. I understand the concept that if something sounds too good to be true it usually is, but when the guitar arrived I was amazed at how beautiful it is. The finish is perfect, there are no rough spots at all. Simon set it up with light gauge strings and medium-low action and it plays like a dream. After I stretched out all the strings it stays in tune and the electronics are very responsive and true. It is definitely worth many times the price. It is made in China and the workmanship is flawless.
    Kudos to Simon for a wonderful product.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 20 Feb 09 - 04:39 AM

You are absolutely right that excessive nut height causes all sorts of evil influences - the slightest difference in cut height on the two B strings on a 12-string can result in a guitar that howls like a wolf when you play a root D chord or a G/D, just for example.

On my Mugen THE 78/12 Brian Rodgers (who I mentioned above) spent many happy hours getting it so the string heights were equal for each string in each course (ie the two bottom Es were the same height off the fret) and individually intoning each of the 12 strings at the saddle - and now I have one of the very few 12 strings that plays almost completely in tune almost all the way up the neck.

So any bad noises must be my fault!

Stick around and join in - we rant a lot about "what is folk" and politics, but the guitar threads are usually less hostile...

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,Simon Shaw
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 09:04 PM

Richard Bridge .That is a very good idea for deciding string height at the nut.Yes ,some people will make a rattle when others do not .but when you get into the department of guitars that are setup to close tolerances .you tend to see people try harder to play more lightly at times.I have tried to play the strings closer to the saddle sometimes with my strumming /picking hand .Sometimes after you have lowered the nut ,that can improve the sound because the strings have less bend in them as you push down at the fret.so sometimes you learn to push the strings down closer to the fret and push down with less effort .Even with guitars with a low action you can still strum strongly.But articulations require a bit more thought .unless you are one the really great players.It is a tempo thing you can have agressive passages followed by a more steady phrase concentrating more on the value of each note played in a passage .But the value of each note should not really be under evaluated.Because i say this does not mean i think i am a good player .Simon Shaw

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 04:22 AM

I'd have to re-think all that in metric, but it sounds about right, comparing it to Brian Rodger's standard setup. Brian normally sets relief to 0.25 mm (a fraction less than you, but only the tiniest fraction) and bass side 2.2 mm to treble side 1.7 at the octave, but he sets mine up a little higher (2.5 to 1.9) since I am a bit heavy handed. Both of those are quite a bit more than you. Don't you find heavy players tend to get fret rattle? Or do you (as Graham the guitar tech underneath the famous Andy's in Denmark Street in London England would - he has done it to me) just tell them to learn to play properly? One tip I learned from Graham is that there is only one correct first fret action height (after doing neck relief and saddle) and that is to capo at the first fret, measure (accurately) the action at the second fret, take the capo off and set the action at the first fret to what you just measured at the second fret.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,Simon Shaw
Date: 19 Feb 09 - 03:46 AM

My name is Simon Shaw the Mumbojumbo guitar technician .I will only discuss my work. The neck of the accoustic guitar is set to have a relief of about twelve thousands of an inch .That is 0.012 ins . i spend about Three to six hours setting it up .The string action or height of strings is created firstly by setting the neck to the above tolerance .Secondly you file down at the bottom of the saddle with sandpaper to create a string height of 5/64 ins on the fat E string measured over the twelvth fret with capo on first fret.4/64 ins over the thin E string and all the other strings lined up so that the string height falls gradually down from fat to thin.Then you measure the height of the strings at the first fret. then you must file the nut at an angle with special files to create the height of string at the nut measured over the first fret.Fat E string 2/64 ins gradually decreasing height to 1/64 ins over first fret at thin e string. But you must first level frets and the recrown .the guitar will play well and sound good . It takes one mistake and you can end up carving a new saddles or Nut from bone blanks .so mistake free and steady is the criticall part .simon shaw

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,David
Date: 17 Feb 09 - 11:37 AM

Here's the scoop.

I bought a Rosewood Dreadnought from the company. It is gorgeous. The guitar sounds amazing, resonant good sustain, deep full bass, tight articulate mids and highs; think a cross between a Taylor (tight) and a rosewood Martin (resonant). Playability is extremely good (like a Taylor).

The guitars are handmade in a factory in China, the luthiers who do the work are required to have 15 years of experience making guitars to work on the Mumbo Jumbo line(according to Simon Shaw who sells the guitars in the USA). When they arrive in the USA, Simon puts on new strings in the buyer's requested gauge and sets up the guitar to the buyer's specifications. The company appears to be small and is based in a Hobby Shop in South Carolina.

They must have gotten better at applying the finish, mine has no rough spots at all. There is a barely noticeable drip/run spot at the top of the headstock otherwise very nice finish.

The headstock design is a little large and because of the design the G string rubs the B string's post, however since it is above the nut, it does not seem to effect tuning or playability.

The tuners are generic sealed Gotoh copies, but they are smooth and seem to hold tune. The nut is bone the saddle is bone. The bridge is rosewood and a string through to the other side of the bridge style kind of like on an Ovation or some Taylors, so there are no bridge pins to deal with when changing strings.

The mahogany neck was adjusted to a medium low action for me and is smooth with no sharp fret ends or buzzing.

The solid spruce top is amazing. Tight grain, lots of crossgrain silk, good even color, no grain run-out. One of the best figured tops I've seen. The top bracing is scalloped like a prewar Martin (I took a mirror and looked), this seems to add to the resonance and incredible bass response.

The solid rosewood back and sides are nicely figured and give the guitar a nice articulate tone.

Mine is the only one I've seen from this company, and I've only had it about a week, but from all appearances, it is top notch. It looks, feels and sounds like a guitar that costs at least three times as much.

I was told they are selling them cheap to build a high quality reputation.

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: GUEST,tom t
Date: 15 Oct 08 - 02:55 PM

I talked to a guy who owns one and has played for a year or so. Loved it. Says he still can't believe the price. His finish is a bit rough, but overall said it looks great/sounds great. He did say the electronics were so-so. Nothing much. He was replacing them. I went ahead and order one based on that conversation. Should be here in Nov. I will let you know. Feel free to email be in mid Nov.I will give you honest feedback. I sold a couple old imports to buy this one. So I had nothing to loose. Funny thing is the address in a hobby shop. Also sell model trains etc, so I assume they are just importing from China. So it could go either way. I have had some upright basses made in china that were fairly nice for the price. I have also had some complete garbage. So.. we shall see. There customer service is very responsive. They set it up to your specs (I am told) so they must have a qualified luthier on hand. The website says these prices won't last.. but they have already lasted quite a while.


If it sounds to good to be true, it likely is.

[e-mail]

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: catspaw49
Date: 06 Oct 08 - 12:12 AM

"Mumbo Jumbo" in these parts implies a lot of gibberrish and hence it is often synonymous with "horseshit."

I'd have to see one of these before I shell out any money at all..............

Spaw

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: MarkS
Date: 05 Oct 08 - 10:49 PM

Thats what worries me. The hard shell case and the pickups alone would normally cost $ 350. And for this you get a wonderful instrument too?
They are said to be from China but set up here.
Could be the deal of a lifetime. Could be a very expensive canoe paddle.
Reason for the post!!!
Mark

Subject: RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: Mooh
Date: 05 Oct 08 - 01:32 PM

I bet they are imports variously branded for the international market. Sometimes this is okay (like the GoldTone instruments), sometimes not.

"Elite Luthiers" and "$350" don't often go hand in hand.

Anyone played one?

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars
From: MarkS
Date: 05 Oct 08 - 01:05 PM

Hi All
A friend told me about a company in South Carolina making a new family of guitars named Mumbo Jumbo. I took a look at their web site and the product seems like a real bargain for the price.
So - Before plunking any $$$ down, figured I would check with the
rest of y'all!
Anybody ever heard of Mumbo Jumbo guitars and what do you hear good, bad, or indifferent about them?
Thanks for the advice.
Mark