Back to navigation


An A Mandolin for Guitarists





This article was


Written By





Our Product Research Team





Get to know them!





Looking for a versatile addition to your folk outfit that’s a real player and will fill the mix just as well? Sweetwater recommends Gold Tone’s A-6 A-style Mando-Guitar! It fuses the plucky and chirpy body and response of a mandolin with the 6-string tuning and neck feel of an acoustic guitar for beautiful hybrid playability that all guitar players can admire. A wider maple neck topped in rosewood creates a playing platform that’s more familiar for guitarists, while the higher register and classic A-style body shape of spruce-topped maple deliver a healthy dose of mandolin ambience. Exceptional playability appointments like a swinging trapeze tailpiece and Gold Tone’s proprietary Zero Glide Nut for easy accenting round out the A-6 A-style Mando-Guitar’s remarkable responsiveness. Playing larger stages? Plug in through the strap button instrument jack and let the bridge-mounted transducer amplify your tones!





Related Videos: A-6 A-style Mando-Guitar - Tobacco Sunburst Satin


Bright-natured with a big range





The A-style shape of the A-6 offers a more traditional feel than Gold Tone’s earlier F-6 Mando-Guitar model. With a maple body and a spruce top, you can expect a naturally bright tonality to perfectly complement the upper register liveliness of the A-6. Similarly, its maple neck presents an ultra-articulate and pronounced foundation for your fingers to fly confidently across the smooth rosewood fingerboard. Gold Tone even widened it for guitarists ? it’s tailor-made for painless transitions from your guitar. And wow, does this little beauty have some range! A total of 21 frets span the A-6’s fingerboard, providing the exceptional versatility to skyrocket into standard mandolin-style soloing or reel things back in through open chord positions with comfort and ease.





No devil in the details





The closer you look at the A-6 A-style Mando-Guitar, the more it reveals its charming nature and quality appointments. In terms of hardware, a set of classic chrome-plated open-gear tuners hold down your intonation up top while an old-school and mando-accurate swinging trapeze tailpiece anchor things down at the body end. An adjustable walnut bridge and 2-way truss rod design leave you plenty of room to setup the A-6 exactly how you need it to play comfortably and to fit your feel. Gold Tone’s patented Zero Glide nut helps accent notes better for more pronounced performances, too! Finally, when the show calls for amplification, take advantage of the bridge-mounted transducer system. The lower strap button doubles as an instrument jack for convenient, unobtrusive connections for larger performance halls, festival stages, and more.





Gold Tone: a legacy of music





The origins of Gold Tone go back to the folk music scene of the ’70s, when musicians Wayne and Robyn Rogers opened a small music shop. Fifteen years later, they founded Gold Tone Banjos in Titusville, Florida. Their first product, the TB-100 banjo, was designed by Wayne. As demand for this critically acclaimed instrument increased, the company expanded its offerings to include a selection of fretted instruments that combine modern innovation and timeless vintage design. The goal? To inspire all musicians, from beginners to professionals, to realize their musical dreams. Today, Sweetwater is pleased to offer you Gold Tone’s exciting range of 4-, 5-, and 6-string banjos, banjo ukuleles, metal- and wood-bodied resonator guitars, Weissenborn Hawaiian steel guitars, and mandolins.





Gold Tone A-6 A-style Mando-Guitar Features:


6-string tuning replicates that of a guitar with a capo at the 12th fret (tuned 1 octave up)


A-style body shape with a resonant spruce top and bright maple back and sides


Articulate maple neck topped with a smooth playing, wide-range 21-fret rosewood fingerboard


Widened neck design makes for easy transitions for guitarists


Chrome-plated open-gear tuners and swinging trapeze tailpiece prioritize intonation and offer old-school charm


Adjustable walnut bridge and 2-way truss rod enable easy and convenient setup just the way you require


Patented Zero Glide nut makes for pronounced accenting of every note, chord, and bend


Bridge-mounted transducer and strap button instrument jack allow for amplification in larger, louder performance settings