The Soundhole Mandolin

Of all stringed instruments, the mandolin is probably the most varied in form and design from the Neapolitan bowl-back to Lloyd Loar's Gibson F5.

This is my flat-top, flat-back design aimed primarily at providing the warm, ringing sustain tone required when playing Celtic music. Although the soundboard and back are described as flat, they are in fact arched over struts to give a slightly "inflated" appearance. This also gives the instrument the required strength to resist the tendancy of many flat-top mandolin soundboards to slowly "sink" under the considerable down pressure of eight strings.

The instrument pictured above has back and sides of rosewood with a spruce top. The fingerboard and bridge are also rosewood whilst the neck and bindings are mahogany. It has a high gloss finish. The instrument shown as a thumbnail on the Mandolin Family page is a slightly plainer mahogany backed version with an eggshell finish.
Scale length 350mm