The neck-scale length on a full-size mando-bass is similar to that of a standard orchestral double bass viol: about 43 inches (110 cm).

In trying to play the bass range, many mandolin players were reluctant to switch to the contrabass, because they saw its bowed action as an intrusion into their plucked-string world.

It was at this meeting that George D. Laurian of the Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Company announced that his department had developed a bass member for the mandolin family.

[3][8] Gibson designed their mandobasses to play either upright or on their side (like a regular mandolin) by changing the position of the pins the instrument rests on.

Vega produced both a flat-back and a humped-back mando-bass (known as a "cylinder back"), both with a generally mandolin-shape in outline, but with markedly pointed upper bouts.

An occasional instrument has been privately commissioned, however, such as that crafted in 1992 by English luthier Robin Greenwood, for musician Hilary James.

[3] As noted earlier, several tunings were employed for the mando-bass, depending on the style and size of the individual instrument, player's preference, and the requirements of the music to be performed.

Given the scale of the neck and the presence of frets, the left-hand "feel" of the instrument is similar to a modern electric bass guitar.