Lyrics & Knowledge Personal Pages Record Shop Auction Links Radio & Media Kids Membership Help
The Mudcat Cafesj



User Name Thread Name Subject Posted
GUEST,David Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars (24) RE: Tech: mumbo jumbo guitars 17 Feb 09


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.


Post to this Thread -

Back to the Main Forum Page

By clicking on the User Name, you will requery the forum for that user. You will see everything that he or she has posted with that Mudcat name.

By clicking on the Thread Name, you will be sent to the Forum on that thread as if you selected it from the main Mudcat Forum page.

By clicking on the Subject, you will also go to the thread as if you selected it from the original Forum page, but also go directly to that particular message.

By clicking on the Date (Posted), you will dig out every message posted that day.

Try it all, you will see.