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This particular page was created 16/03/2004 and last updated 17/05/2005
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| | How does a mandolin look? People have tried so many different designs throughout the years, so it's easy to get confused. Here is an overview of some of the most common (and a few not so common) designs. The original (Milanese) mandolin is a completely different instrument, so I've left it out here and given it a section of its own.
Neapolitan (bowlback) mandolinDuring the 19th century the Italians started stringing their mandolins with metal strings, giving it a very different sound. The number of strings decreased to 8, and the original "guitar tuning" gave way for the modern "violin tuning" - GDAE. The result was the Neapolitan mandolin or bowlbacked mandolin. It was the most common mandolin type until well into the 20th Century but gradually gave way to French/Portuguese and American mandolins.
French and Portuguese mandolinsEarlier, in other parts of Europe the cittern went through much of the same evolution as the mandolin (except it already had metal strings, of course). Eventually the name "mandolin" was adopted for these instruments too, although they're not in any way related to the historical mandola/mandolin family.The French mandolin can be traced as far back as to the 17th Century and seems to have been the first one to find more or less its modern shape and size. The instrument very similar to the renaissance cittern, but with only 8 strings, a deeper body and usually a less ornamented design. The Portuguese mandolin seems to be a later development, and it is not clear whether it's a variant of the French mandolin or an independent evolutionary line. The main difference between the two is that the Portuguese mandolin has a tapered and usually ribbed back while the French has a simpler flat back.
American mandolinThe Americans seem to have gotten their mandolin from the Portuguese, but soon started simplifying the design, making it look more like the French variant."A" and "F" style mandolins (bluegrass mandolin)Around 1900 Gibson introduced a series of mandolin designs, some of them with rather elaborate body shapes. Two of these designs, the "A" model (a French mandolin lookalike with f-holes) and the "F" style (a rather elaborate shape possibly inspired by the lyre mandolin), were instant hits and has been the model for most US style mandolins since.
Guitar mandolinOh kay, I came up with that term myself, but during the late 20th Century some amnufacturers started building mandolins with guitar shaped bodies. These instruments never really caught on - it seems you just can get proper sound with this design - but they're still being manufactured.
Lyre mandolinThe lyre mandolin is a (Portuguese) mandolin with a body extending all the way to the peg head, giving it a lyre-like shape and a bigger sound. It was quite popular during the 19th Century, but has all but disappeared today.
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