Don Rickert Musical Instruments

Rickert Musical Instruments Is Branching Out with Mandolin Family and Related Instruments.

Email: don@donrickertdesign.com

Phone: 706-896-0909

My name is Donald Rickert, I am a musical instrument designer, inventor, craftsman/maker, musician, luthier and Professional Industrial Designer/Design Researcher. I have been a luthier since 1970, transitioning to full-time professional luthier in 2006.

See more details about me.

About My Company, D. Rickert Musical Instruments

My company, D. Rickert Musical Instruments, formally established in 2008, is based in Hiawassee, Georgia, USA. My business partner is luthier, Dr. Randy Hale. Our new joint venture, Rickert & Hale, Luthiers, will focus on mandolin family instruments. Please check out our new website: www.RickertandHale.com.

See more details about D. Rickert Musical Instruments

Who Plays Instruments Made by D. Rickert Musical Instruments?

Since our founding in 2008, our instruments have made it into the hands of more than 250 musicians. A short list of some of the well-known musicians playing our instruments include: Alasdair Fraser, Darol Anger, Natalie Haas, Andrew Gonzalez (violoncello da spalla), William Hurd (violoncello da spalla), Kristen Rule (violoncello da spalla), Albert Chang (aka Sleightlymusical) (violoncello da spalla), Peter Walker (violoncello da spalla), Gary Payne, Aindrias de Staic, David Thames and Mary Anne Thames.

See pictures and see/hear videos of some of the instruments made by D. Rickert and played by some of the artists listed above.

Our Soon-to-Come “Big Mandolins” and Related Instruments

When I say “Big Mandolins” I am referring generally to octave mandolins, mandocellos and what are commonly referred to these days as “Irish bouzoukis”. Roger Landes points out that, in Ireland, these instruments are simply known as “bouzoukis”, just as, in Belgium, “Brussel sprouts” are simply called “sprouts” and “Belgian waffles” are called “waffles”. But I digress. As a long-time enthusiast, and occasional player (I am primarily a fiddler), of these wonderful tenor and baritone range instruments I have been iterating designs for years while gaining a reputation primarily for my bowed string instruments.

For various reasons, not the least of which is a passionate desire to expand my creative horizons as a musical instrument designer and luthier, I have decided to vigorously enter the mandolin family and related instruments arena. Because my passion is especially strong with respect to the larger and lower pitched mandolin family and related instruments, the initial offerings will be a more or less traditional Irish bouzouki, and several models of octave mandolins. As you may have guessed, I have zero interest in selling-factory made economy instruments to which my name is affixed. My love lies in making exquisite things. So, my new mandolin family instruments will not be cheap, although not so high-priced as to be in the “If you need to ask the price, you can’t afford it” category, at least not in the short term. Put another way, our target audience is comprised of professionals and seriously-committed amateurs with the necessary resources to acquire the very best instruments.

After carrying out a market assessment, I mean actual formal market research, including, surveys, depth interviews, conjoint analysis (i.e., features and pricing analysis), etc., I have concluded that there is a very healthy market for high-end luthier-built octave mandolins, citterns and bouzoukis. If you are interested in the results of a recent survey, click here.

To be sure, mandolin family instruments have become a mainstay of a large number of many popular musical genres, including Celtic, Bluegrass, old-time, folk, Americana, New Age, rock and jazz. With a longstanding large Irish Bouzouki fan base, and the emergence of superstar octave mandolin players, such as Sierra Hull, Tim O’Brien and Molly Tuttle, the market for these larger mandolin family instruments is quite promising. In summary, custom fretted stringed instruments, such as octave mandolins and bouzoukis, have a much larger fan base than niche violin family instruments.

As with the bowed string instruments I have been making for years, I intend to make instruments that will appreciate in value. At least with the higher-priced instruments, which are described below, I plan to embed microchips into the instruments that are digitally linked to NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens) existing on a crypto block chain (e.g., Ethereum). The purpose is to establish provenance with absolute certainty. This relates to the goal of having my new instruments appreciate in value rather than end up in pawn shops or eBay.

Our Planned Initial Offerings in the Mandolin Family Space

Several CAD sketches appear below. Actual photos and sound samples will be available maybe in April 2022.

Irish Bouzouki

Flat Top Bouzouki, available in both short (22”) and long (25.5”) scale versions, 4 or 5 courses. These instruments will have what has become the expected traditional “onion” or “teardrop” shape, inspired by the pioneers of the Irish bouzouki form, including Peter Abnett, Stefan Sobell, Joe Foley and Graham McDonald. Introductory price: $2,500 to $3,700, depending on features such as tone woods, neck binding, ornate purfling, fancy inlay, fittings, etc.

We are still trying to figure out exactly how to profitably make the instrument in this price range, that is, without sacrificing build, material and fitting (e.g., tuners) quality, and 100% made in our North Georgia USA workshop (i.e., NOT even partially built in Asia or Eastern Europe). Employing fairly-paid local apprentice help and/or even use of limited CNC machining are currently on the table. In any case, the first articles will be a bargain, as they will be made completely me or my new business partner, Randy Hale, in our Hiawassee, Georgia (USA) workshops, which are located literally 1/3 mile from each other.

Archtop Octave Mandolin/Cittern Based on an Archtop Guitar plan, Deluxe Model

This high-end Archtop Octave Mandolin (4 courses) is also available in a 5-course configuration, which is often called a cittern (5 courses). It has a fully carved top and back. The top is Sitka or Engelmann spruce; back and sides, flamed bigleaf American maple; neck, three-piece hard maple, also known as sugar maple. Its body plan is unapologetically inspired by the legendary archtop guitars of Robert Benedetto and seen in other high-end instruments such as the Gibson OM-5C octave mandolin, as well as Nugget, Duff, Heiden, and Dudenbostel, etc.; however, our Octave Mandolin/Cittern will cost far less than any of those mentioned.

This instrument will be available in either a 21” or 23” scale length. We are aiming for an introductory price ranging from $6,500 to $8,500, depending on features (e.g., cutaway). You can anticipate that price will increase once its reputation is firmly established.

Custom Artist Models

These will be very high-end archtop instruments, available in an octave mandolin (4 courses), Irish bouzouki (4 courses) or cittern (5 courses) configurations, set to sell initially in the $9,000 to $12,000 range.

Like the deluxe model, the default top is Sitka or Engleman spruce; back and sides, flamed bigleaf American maple; neck, three-piece hard maple, also known as sugar maple. Other tone woods will be available per buyer preference.

Octave mandolin and cittern versions, available with 21” or 23” scale length. Irish bouzouki, 25.5” scale length.

Availability

The instruments will be available for commission very soon. Just have to finalize the CAD design work, make the molds, jigs and fixtures. We will announce availability by March 2022. We plan to eventually make enough of the bouzoukis to have a stock of ready-to-ship instruments. The first articles, however, will be custom builds associated with specific commissions.

Email: don@donrickertdesign.com

Phone: 706-896-0909

Results of Recent Survey: Big Mandolin/Irish Bouzouki Attribute Preferences

Call Us: 1-706-896-0909      Email: don@donrickertdesign.com

Introduction

Several months ago, a number of volunteers from the Facebook “The Irish Bouzouki” and “Octave Mandolin” groups kindly completed a survey about Big Mandolin/Irish Bouzouki Attribute Preferences. The survey also queried participants about pricing preferences and tolerances. Volunteers were also solicited from my own Facebook business page, D. Rickert Musical Instruments (aka DonRickertMusicianShop) as well as my personal Facebook page, Donald Rickert (aka Donald.rickert1).

I wish to once again thank everyone who participated. Our new company, Rickert & Hale's initial offerings in the octave mandolin/cittern/Irish bouzouki space will take the findings summarized below into serious consideration, combined with other research we have conducted. Rickert & Hale is a joint venture with fellow luthier Dr. Jesse Hale specifically to produce mandolin family instruments, with an initial focus on octave mandolins, citterns and Irish bouzoukis. Check out our new website: www.RickertandHale.com.

As promised, here are the key insights derived from the survey responses. A companion report in PDF format containing top line summary statistics and graphs is available for download. Additional advanced analyses of the textual responses related to attribute preference data are not included here; however, it is easy to see what is going on by reading the summary statistical report. I assume that most people are interested in the interpretation of the raw data, which are summarized below.

Click here to Download Report (PDF).

Top Line Insights

One must interpret the results with caution, as more than half of the respondents are members of the Irish Bouzouki Facebook group. This and other biases of an unknown nature notwithstanding, an interesting and useful picture can be drawn. Read on…

There are two fairly distinct enthusiast groups

As I am sure will no surprise, at least as measured by the survey, the large mandolin family enthusiasts are not a monolith. This is probably true, as it accords with other research I have conducted. At least among the respondents to our limited survey, it is clear that there are two surprisingly distinct groups with only a small overlap. Among our respondents, about half are in one group and the other half in the other. The first group is made up of Octave Mandolin players and second, Irish Bouzouki players.

All of the Octave Mandolin players and about half of the Irish Bouzouki players are also mandolin owners or prospective owners. A smaller but not insignificant number of both the Octave Mandolin and Irish Bouzouki players’ groups also play or plan to acquire a tenor guitar, tenor banjo or mandocello. Surprisingly, very few of either group express interest in mandolas or citterns. I, for one, find the lack of expressed interest in citterns as surprising if not outright shocking.

Some similarities in attribute preferences between the two groups

There are a number similarities between the Octave Mandolin and Irish Bouzouki groups with respect to attribute preferences and, to a lesser extent, what they are willing to pay for an instrument.

High preference for either a teardrop or onion shape.

There is a high preference for these two similar shapes, regardless of sub-group membership.

Surprising level of active dislike for Flatiron style instruments across both groups.

Nothing more to be said about this except that it is surprising, given that Flatiron 3K and 3M Octaves Mandolins are quite sought after. The last Weber 3K I had in my shop sold in less than a day for just under $4,000.

Many Irish bouzouki players dislike F-type instruments

This is not that surprising, as the F-type is very much associated with the mandolin world, especially Bluegrass artists.

On average, respondents have expectations with respect to cost that diverge from those of many luthiers.

It appears that most respondents are looking for a purchase price in line with factory-made Asian instruments, which are rebranded as Trinity College, Gold Tone, Fender and the like, or simply sold outright as Asian-made instruments on eBay.

The octave mandolin group, however, had a small number of respondents who believe that the instrument of their dreams will cost in $5K to $6K range.

No one surveyed expressed a willingness to pay $7K or more for a high-end luthier-built instrument. This, despite the fact that the real-world price for a luthier-built octave mandolin can easily exceed $10,000, with some selling for more than $20,000!

Both groups are willing to compromise sound and build quality for low cost.

Respondents are more willing to compromise with respect to fit and finish (e.g., setup, fret work, etc.). Presumably this is because people believe that a lot of workmanship issues, cheap tuning machines and such can be fixed post purchase. This is probably true; however, the cost of fixing a poor fret job and replacing the tuners can easily exceed the initial cost of a low-end instrument.

Archtop instruments, with the exception of the round-holed A-type, are generally only appealing to some octave mandolin players and enthusiasts.

In general, across both the octave mandolin and bouzouki groups, archtop instruments of any shape are not preferred. There are, however, serious fans of the guitar shape among octave mandolinists.

Interestingly, f-type instruments are actively disliked by a surprisingly large faction

Distinct differences with respect to preferred scale length for an octave mandolin range instrument.

Octave mandolin group: average just over 21” – Range: 21”-23”

Bouzouki group: average about 25” - Range: 21-27

Interesting note:

Players who prefer scale lengths longer than 24” almost always capo on the 5^th or 7^th fret; sometimes even higher! This accords very much with the large number of available videos of the Irish bouzouki being played.

23” is considered a long scale for an octave mandolin. Players of these long-scale octave mandolins may sometimes capo on the second fret, but this is not that common.

Conclusion

Once again, a sincere thanks to all who responded. Very soon we will be posting an announcement of several mandolin-family instruments by our new company Rickert & Hale, including a bouzouki. Clearly, one will note that the pricing is considerably higher than the preferred price point for most respondents. The pricing for the bouzouki we will be announcing may be in the comfort zone of some respondents. I hope that this is the case. This will definitely not be the case for our new archtop octave mandolins and citterns. Be assured that the input from respondents to the survey was not ignored, rather, the input received confirms what we already suspected; which is that our high-end archtop instruments will only appeal to professionals and extremely committed amateurs with the necessary financial resources for master-built instruments. Customers of our archtop octave mandolins and citterns are more likely to be enthusiasts of the Bluegrass, Americana and Old-Time genres rather than the Celtic genre.

New Violoncello da Spalla in Progress, Big Mandolins, and Other Cool Projects at D. Rickert Musical Instruments

First things first: I have a new Violoncello da Spalla under construction.

Here are some photos of the instrument in its current state. Click on any of the photos for a larger view.

When it is paired with a lucky future owner, I will finish it. It will take about a month. In the meantime, we have several really exciting projects going on, which I will briefly describe below. Once the new Violoncello da Spalla is spoken for, finishing it will resume its place as a top priority.

If you follow me, you already know that the pricing for my violoncellos da spalla, including a discount for payment up front. If you don’t know and you are curious about pricing, specs, etc., visit Don Rickert Musician Shop on the web. If you are currently weighing your options for a new instrument, this is an opportunity to avoiding being stuck in a long backlog.

If you want to learn or refresh your memory of the beauty, workmanship and sound of my violoncellos da spalla, visit the following links on our main website for D. Rickert Musical Instruments.

Demonstrations and Photo Galleries

Demonstrations of Violoncellos da Spalla by Don Rickert

Gallery: Violoncellos da Spalla by Don Rickert

If you wish to learn more or buy this very cool instrument, our direct phone number in the U.S. is 1-706-896-0909. Our email is don@donrickertdesign.com. You can also learn more or buy now at:

NEW Violoncello da Spalla Conservatory Model by D. Rickert 

or learn more about our top-of-the-line Standard Model, see:

NEW Violoncello da Spalla by D. Rickert ($8,400 - $9,600)

We look forward to hearing from you.

Online Store Cleanup and Reorganization

Our online store, Don Rickert Musician Shop had not been updated in quite a while. At the end of 2021 and beginning of this year, refreshing the online store to reflect what we are currently focused on emerged as a top priority. That project is more or less completed. Basically, we got rid of most product listings related to resale of someone else’s instruments, bows, accessories, etc.; the main exception being particularly interesting vintage instruments. Moving forward, we will generally sell only what is made in our workshops in Hiawassee, Georgia, USA.

“Big Mandolins” and Related Instruments

When I say “Big Mandolins” I am referring generally to octave mandolins, mandocellos and what are commonly referred to these days as “Irish bouzoukis”. As a long-time enthusiast, and occasional player of these tenor and baritone range instruments, I have been iterating designs for at least 5 years.

With the current instability of the luthier-built bowed string instruments market, the time seems right to start thinking about expanding horizons; that is, if one wants to continue to make a living as a luthier.  

After some market assessment, I mean actual formal market research, including, surveys, depth interviews, conjoint analysis (i.e., features and pricing analysis), etc., I have concluded that there is a very healthy market for luthier-built octave mandolins, citterns and Irish bouzoukis. Another post will get into the details about our upcoming mandolin enterprise. For now, I can tell you that, in addition to our violoncellos da spalla, we will be introducing three models of mandolin family instruments, specifically:

• An Irish bouzouki, which will sell in the $2,500 to $3,500 range
• An archtop octave mandolin (4 courses)/cittern (5 courses), which will sell initially in the $5,500 to $7,000 range
• A high-end archtop instrument, available as an octave mandolin or Irish bouzouki (4 courses) or cittern (5 courses), set to sell initially in the $7,000 to $10,000 range.

Stay tuned for more on all of this!

The New Mandolin Family Part 2: Octave Mandolins, Citterns and Irish Bouzoukis

This article is Part 2 of 2 and a follow on the article, The New Mandolin Family Part 1: Ancient Mesopotamia to Orville Gibson. We will pick up with other developments staring in the 1960s and culminating in today's New Mandolin Family of instruments.

Here I will discuss the large tenor range instruments of the New Mandolin Family. These instruments are often called ‘octave mandolins’, ‘citterns’ and ‘Irish bouzoukis’. There is considerable confusion about whether these monikers are synonyms or whether they refer to clearly distinct tenor mandolin variants. I might be able to clear that up for you.

I will also say some more about the modern mandocello, the largest member of the New Mandolin Family, such as the new breed of mandocellos that are hybrids of big mandolins and guitars.

The Octave Mandolin, Irish Bouzouki and Cittern

As previously stated, I believe the two most important antecedents to the octave mandolin to be the bouzouki and the Renaissance/Baroque cittern. It is uncertain who first coined the moniker “octave mandolin”. As described below, the instruments that we now call “octave mandolins” were until recently mostly called bouzoukis, citterns and even mandolas. Discussion of the origin of modern octave mandolins will hopefully shed some light.

The Bouzouki

The Greek bouzouki is, like the mandolin, a double-course stringed instrument. Indeed, the mandolin and bouzouki are presumed to be branches of the same lute family tree, the Arabic oud. The original Greek bouzouki, called the trichordo, was a three course/six-string instrument with a disproportionately long neck (playable string length typically in the 24” to 27”+ range). It looks pretty much like a large Neapolitan mandolin with a really long neck.

In the 1950s the four course/eight string tetrachordo version of the bouzouki was developed.

In general, he two higher courses are tuned in unison (both strings the same) and the lower courses are tuned in octaves (one high and one low) – the same idea as a 12-string guitar.

Irish Bouzouki

The Irish bouzouki is an adaptation of the Greek bouzouki. Johnny Moynihan, of the trio Sweeney’s Men, is widely credited with introducing the first tetrachordo bouzouki into Irish music. He tuned it to G3/G2, D3/D2, A3/A3 and D4/D4, essentially like today’s octave mandolin tuning, except the low G and D courses were tuned in octaves, as on a 12-string guitar. In the early 1970s, Andy Irvine (Sweeney’s Men, Planxty, Patrick Street) gave his Greek bouzouki to Donal Lunny (Planxty, The Bothy Band). He replaced the low G and D courses with unison strings.

A year or so later, Lunny and Irvine commissioned luthier the late Peter Abnett (2015) to build an instrument with a relatively flat (i.e. 3-piece staved) back and otherwise nearly identical specifications to Lunny’s modified Greek bouzouki. It has been said that the Irish bouzouki as a distinct instrument was thus born.

Almost immediately, new designs built specifically for Irish traditional music began to appear. The body was widened and a flat back with straight sides replaced the multi-staved back. This flat-backed teardrop design became the de facto standard for so-called Irish bouzoukis and “Irish” octave mandolins. Irish bouzoukis and octave mandolins are often referred to as “citterns”. I will get to that momentarily.

While all of the initial Irish bouzoukis had flat tops and either flat or flattish backs, a few luthiers such as Stefan Sobell began experimenting with carved arch tops and backs, taking their design inspiration from American archtop guitars and mandolins.

 Nevertheless, the majority of makers today continue to opt for flat or flattish tops and backs (i.e. like internally-braced acoustic guitars).

The Cittern

Earlier I mentioned that an important antecedent to the octave mandolin, and mandocello as well, was the Renaissance cittern. The cittern, a strummed double-course instrument with a flat top and back, was popular in Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. These instruments generally had four or five courses of metal strings. Citterns, especially later examples from the Baroque period, are almost identical in size and shape to modern teardrop style octave mandolins.

 

The Modern Cittern

Interestingly, modern octave mandolin-sized instruments and some the size of mandocellos are often called citterns. For many players, and even builders, the terms “bouzouki”, “octave mandolin” and “cittern” are more or less synonymous. Part of the confusion seems to stem from the fact that some of the most influential makers have used different designations over the years to refer to the same instruments and vise versa. Attributes such as scale length, number of strings and string pair tuning (i.e. unison vs. octave), or some combination of these, have been used as differentiators between bouzoukis, octave mandolins and citterns.

Early on, the influential luthier Stefan Sobell initially referred to instruments with shorter scale lengths (20” – 22”) as “citterns” and those with longer scale lengths (23” – 27”) as “bouzoukis”, regardless of the number of strings. Apparently, Sobell now applies the “cittern” designation to all 5-course instruments regardless of scale length and “octave mandolin” to all 4-course instruments, leaving out the term “bouzouki” altogether.

On the other hand, if we look at the instruments sold by many of the well-known makers, octave-tuned (two strings tuned one octave apart) lower course strings and, to a lesser extent, longer scale, seem to be the defining attributes of what is called a “bouzouki”. For some reason, all of this almost makes some sense to me. See the image of a modern instrument (below) marketed as an "Irish Bouzouki". It looks just like an octave mandolin except for a somewhat disproportionately long neck. It is strung such that the lower two courses are tuned in octaves. It could easily be restrung with the lower courses in unison, just as Donal Lunny did when this story began in the 1970s. I suppose that it would then be an octave mandolin with a longer than average neck! 

The point is that it matters little today whether a tenor range mandolin family instrument is called and "Octave Mandolin" or "Irish Bouzouki". I believe, however, that "cittern" (actually "Modern Cittern") is still a useful designation to indicate 5 or more string courses.

Influence of the Guitar

Anyone familiar with contemporary mandocellos will have observed that many of these instruments bear a strong resemblance to guitars, flattop as well as archtop (i.e. jazz) guitars. In fact, some modern mandocellos essentially are guitars modified for 4 or 5 double courses of strings. This is no surprise, as the scale lengths (i.e. vibrating string lengths) of mandocellos and guitars are the same; between 24.5” and 25.5”.

Also, more than a few contemporary octave mandolins look like small guitars as well. I have seen some that could have been 1920s era tenor guitars with a wider neck to accommodate double rather than single string courses.

Indeed, our own archtop instruments, especially the octave mandolins, tenor citterns and mandocellos are based on the principles underlying the renowned archtop guitars by Robert Benedetto. Our flat top instruments are very much based on best practices for modern acoustic steel string guitar design.

My proposed Naming Conventions for the Large Mandolin Family Instruments

Based on my observations of terminology currently in common use, and what just seems to make sense, as described above, I propose that we refer to the large members of the mandolin family as follows.

As a reference (e.g. relative size of instruments), refer to the illustration below of the New Mandolin Family by D. Rickert Musical Instruments. From left to right: Mandolin, 5-course Alto Mandolin (or Alto Cittern), Octave Mandolin, Tenor Cittern, 5-course Mandocello (or Baritone Cittern).

Octave Mandolin: Four courses, generally tuned in unison to G2/G2, D3/D3, A3/A3, and E4/E4; scale length 23” or shorter.

Cittern (tenor): Five courses, generally tuned in unison to G2/G2, D3/D3, A3/A3, E4/E4 and A4/A4 or B4/B4; scale length 23” or shorter.

Irish Bouzouki: Four courses, generally tuned to G3/G2, D3/D2, A3/A3 and D4/D4 or E4/E4; scale length 23” or longer.

Mandocello: Four courses, generally tuned to C2/C2, G2/G2, D3/D3 and A3/A3; scale length 24.5” – 25.5”.

5-Course Mandocello (aka Baritone Cittern): Five courses, generally tuned to C2/C2, G2/G2, D3/D3, A3/A3 and E4/E4; scale length 24.5” – 25.5”.

I welcome discourse on my proposed classification scheme.

That’s all on the New Mandolin Family for today. Very soon, I will post an article about a plethora of new mandolin family instruments that we have designed and are ramping up to start building and selling at the Don Rickert Musician Shop.

 

Don Rickert

D. Rickert Musical Instruments

The New Mandolin Family Part 1: Ancient Mesopotamia to Orville Gibson

This is the first of a multi-part series on the New Mandolin Family of musical instruments. Those who follow this blog will know that this is also the first article I have posted in some time. This reason for this hiatus is simple; we at Don Rickert Musical Instruments have been very busy making instruments. The success of our 5-string Violoncello da Spalla was far greater than anyone could have predicted. This is the kind of problem that we can deal with!

Here I will briefly lay out the evolution of the mandolin, which appears to have started around 2000 BC, to the heyday of mandolin orchestra and the "Golden Age" of the mandolin in the 1920s. Part 2 will pick up with other developments staring in the 1960s, which culminates in today's New Mandolin Family of instruments.

The “New Mandolin Family” of musical instruments includes the following core members:

• Mandolin
• Mandola or Alto Mandolin
• Octave Mandolin
• Mandocello
• Mando-bass

In reality, the mando-bass is such a rarity these days that it should probably be considered an ancestor rather than a “living” family member.

Very closely related members are:

• Cittern
• Irish Bouzouki

More distant relative members are:

• Greek Bouzouki
• Portuguese Mandolin
• Bandolin or Bandolim
• Oud
• Portuguese Guitar
• Viola Caipira
• Cuban Tres
• Puerto Rican Cuatro
• Columbian Tiple
• Charango

There are many other more exotic variants the above instruments.

What follows is a brief history of how modern mandolin family and its close relatives came to be.

Brief History of the Mandolin

A plucked string instrument historically called the mandola evolved as an offshoot of the lute family in Italy in the 15^th Century. Later, during the Baroque period (17^th and 18^th Centuries), the somewhat smaller and higher-pitched mandolin (literally, small mandola) appeared. By the early 19^th Century, the mandolin, in its familiar round staved back (aka “tater bug”) form, with 8 metal strings divided into 4 courses, would become the standard.

By the 1830s, these mandolins were, and still are, widely referred to as “Neapolitan” mandolins, due to the fact that many of the original makers were located in or near Naples, Italy. These early “modern” mandolins were tuned in 5ths like a violin and played with a plectrum (i.e. pick).

There were other antecedents to modern mandolin family instruments, such as the octave mandolin.  The cittern, a strummed instrument with a flat top and back, was popular in Europe during the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods. These instruments generally had four or five courses of metal strings. Citterns, especially later examples are, indeed, almost identical in size and shape to modern teardrop style octave mandolins.

 

Interestingly, modern octave mandolin-sized instruments are often called citterns, especially when they have 5 courses (either 9 or 10 strings) and/or they are tuned to optimally afford chordal playing, but I digress.

The lute itself evolved over many hundreds of years, probably even thousands. For instance, lute-like instruments appear as early as 2000 BC in Mesopotamia. By the 7^th Century AD, the Arabic oud was in widespread use in the near East and North Africa. The oud, still in use today, is often viewed as the immediate predecessor to the European lute. The oud found its way into Spain during Moorish conquest (711-1492), then to Venice through coastal trade and northern Europe by returning Crusaders in the 11^th and 12^th Centuries.

The mandolin entered the mainstream of popular culture in America during the first wave of substantial  immigration from Eastern and Southern Europe in the middle of the 19^th Century. By the 1850s, the instrument was quite in vogue, along with zithers and ukuleles, especially with the increasingly leisured middle class. With the marked increase of Italian immigration in the 1880s, the Neapolitan mandolin became nothing short of a fad. In fact, the mandolin was even among the first recorded instrument on Edison cylinders.

By the end of the 19^th Century, Lyon & Healy (i.e. Washburn) was the largest American manufacture of Neapolitan style mandolins. In 1900, Lyon & Healy boasted that 'At any time you can find in our factory upwards of 10,000 mandolins in various stages of construction'. That’s a lot of mandolins!

 

“Flat” and “Flattish” Mandolins

In the early 20^th Century, there appeared two types of mandolin that could be described as basically flat (or at least flattish), at least when compared to the bowl-shaped Neapolitan mandolins. The first of these two new types was the carved-arch type, with a carved slightly arched back and top, and little, if any, internal bracing; in other words, made like a violin. The second is the American flat-back type.

 

Gibson Carved Arch Mandolins

Gibson introduced a carved-arch (carved arch top and back) mandolin (the “A” or teardrop shape) in about 1904, based on Orville Gibson’s 1896 patent. The first of these were teardrop shaped, now known as the “A-type”.

The iconic “Florentine” or F-type was introduced in about 1910.

The violin-style f-holes now associated with the F-type were introduced in the early 1920s, as a feature of the Lloyd Loar-designed F-5 mandolin.

Lyon & Healy Carved Arch Mandolins

Lyon & Healy and their Washburn division introduced carved back mandolin family instruments in 1912. Some of these instruments have two “points” and a distinctive violin-type head-stock.

Others are basically teardrop shaped with a standard geared peg headstock. As will be described momentarily, Lyon & Healy, as well as Gibson, made larger members of the mandolin family, the mandola and mandocello. Gibson also made mando-basses. There is no evidence that Lyon & Healy made such an instrument.

 

Gibson Flat-back Mandolins

Near the end of WWI (i.e. November, 1918), Gibson introduced the “A/N” (Army-Navy) mandolin to be sold in military PXs. These simple design mandolins, later revived under the name of “Flatiron”, were oval-shaped and had braced flat tops and backs (like an acoustic guitar). Despite their minimalist appearance, these instruments sound really good! This truly flat style of mandolin is often referred to by the nickname, “pancake style”.

Martin, Gretsch, Oscar Schmidt and Vega

By the 1920s, all of the major American instrument makers were offering mandolins with either an oval or teardrop shape with essentially flat tops and backs.

Stromberg-Voisinet (1920-1930)

In about 1920, Stromberg-Voisinet introduced their “Venetian” series instruments, which included mandolins, tenor guitars, 6-string guitars and mandocellos. Some of these instruments were flat-top braced instruments and some had carved arch tops and/or backs.

This unique and beautiful “Venetian” shape motif continued with KayKraft, which acquired Stromberg-Voisinet. KayKraft later became Kay and then Harmony.

 

The Vega Mandolin Family

In the ‘teens and 1920s, Vega also made a complete mandolin quartet (including the mandobass) as well as 10-string hybrid instruments that spanned the pitch range between adjacent 8-string instruments. In other words, there was, according to reports but unverified, a mandola-sized instrument with an extra E-course at that high end (tuning: C3/C3, G3/G3, D4/D4, A4/A4, E5/E5; covers the range of a both a mandolin and a mandola). There could also have been a mandocello-sized instrument, likely, also with an extra E-course at the high end (tuning: C2/C2, G2/G2, D3/D3, A3/A3, E4/E4). Such an instrument would cover the range of both the mandocello and the modern octave mandolin.

 

Mandolin Orchestras and the Idea of a Modern Mandolin Family

In the years leading up to 1920, the large musical instrument manufacturers, Gibson and Lyon & Healy (Washburn) and Vega were in a battle royale competition to supply amateur mandolin orchestras with instruments. Most would say that Gibson won this competition, mostly due its legendary marketing war machine. Indeed, Gibson had a substantial cadre of employees and associates (e.g. music teachers) whose job it was to drum up interest in and to establish mandolin orchestras throughout the U.S. By the 1920s, these orchestras were common in big cities and small towns across America.

While the notion of larger mandolin family instruments such as the mandola and mandocello may have been around for some time (especially the mandola), it was Gibson that took the idea of an entire mandolin family orchestra to a whole new level. In addition to mandolins, Gibson in its formative years (early 20^th C.) introduced mandolas, mandocellos and even the gigantic mandobass.

They also introduced guitars with violin-type carved arch backs and tops (today, referred to as “archtop” or “jazz” guitars), built on the same principles covered by Orville Gibson’s 1898 patent for a carved arch mandolin.

Indeed, becoming the top supplier of instruments to mandolin orchestras was arguably Gibson’s raison d’etre.

A significant outcome of the mandolin orchestra rage was that by 1920 at least three of the members of the modern mandolin family were now well-defined and standardized as distinct instruments. These were the mandolin, with a 13”-14” scale and tuned like a violin, the mandola with a 17” scale and tuned like a viola and the mandocello with approximately a 25” scale and tuned like a cello. One could consider the mando-bass as a fourth member to become standardized; however, mando-basses are quite rare these days. Even in the mandolin orchestra heyday, the bass viol (i.e. double bass) was more commonly used to play bass parts.

Just as there is no octave violin in a modern orchestra, neither was there an octave mandolin in the mandolin orchestra. Octave mandolins came along much later in the 20^th Century, taking their inspiration from folk instruments (e.g. Greek bouzouki) as well as a Renaissance plucked instrument called the cittern, rather than modern orchestral bowed instruments. You can read about that and more in the next installment. See The New Mandolin Family Part 2: Octave Mandolins, Citterns and Irish Bouzoukis

 

Stay tuned!