Bargain Mandolin

The mandolin has been described as a small, short necked, lute. The Zeynel Abidin family, renowned for their Cumbus. Saz amd Ouds, is the maker of this very special mandolin. They named it the Napoliten which is probably Turkish for Neapolitan, but this is not a Neapolitan style mandolin. It's more of a pocket-style mandolin or a piccolo mandolin. Total length is 25 inches. The body is 8.5 inches wide and 2.5 inches deep. It has a matt finish on a flat backed pine body with a mahogany stain. The finished laminate spruce soundboard has an arched top and internal bracing. The sound hole is attractively accented with a colored decal. This mandolin has what is called a zero fret. It is the fret directly below the nut. The strings rest on this zero fret creating a very low action. There are eight strings, in courses of two. The four lowest strings are wound metal, the higher four strings are non-wound metal. These strings should be tuned G-D-A-E low to high. However with a 12 inch scale length, you can string it with light gage mandolin strings and tune it like the very rare piccolo mandolin, C-G-D-A (an octave above a mandola and a fourth above a regular mandolin). It comes with a movable bridge. To find the proper bridge placement, measure from the top, zero, fret, to the 12th fret. Then repeat this distance from the 12th fret to the bridge. It is plucked with a plectrum (not included) and has a sweet voice. This instrument is a great value. Soft case included.