The Mandolin Manual: The Art, Craft and Science of the Mandolin and Mandola

This manual is a comprehensive workshop guide for constructing instruments belonging to the mandolin family: the mandolin, tenor mandola and octave mandola. It describes the various techniques of the craft and explains the science of their unique sound. The book provides detailed instructions explaining the techniques of making a mandolin and chapters on timber, nature of wood, adhesives, materials and tonewoods. Sections also cover acoustics and dynamics of the bridge, belly and soundbox, string technology, tone theory and playability. An overview introduces the origins of mandolins, their types and tunings, and grid-scale plans for all the intruments’ templates are also included.