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We make 5 course mandocellos in teardrop shape and also guitar shape. We have an OM and a Jumbo on our website now. As you would guess the Jumbo is extremely powerful with a big sounding C string....

Ray Varona had read about Nomex, double-toped instruments made by clasical guitar makers. One such maker, with an odd name indeed, is Mathias Dammann (no relation).
I have been told that thicker...

As to how we arrived at what to call our new instrument: I started as a player playing four course mandocellos and octave mandolins and thought they'd be more versatile with an extra course (more...

169014 Here is the photo of a braced double top of one of our SP model mandocellos.
The double top construction was inspired by classical guitar makers and incorporated along with the bracing...

whoops sorry double post.

The bridge plate is fastened beneath the top below the bridge. We now often use locust for bridge plates. Look at the double top section of https://www.mandocello.org/fivecourse-mandocello/ and you...

No secret sauce, just good wood and building techniques!

Troy H did a great job documented a custom instrument we built for him a couple years ago here on MandolinCafe...

Here is a recent guitar shaped, Mandocello/bouzouki (or cittern or whatever you want to call it) that we finished recently from my shop. It is tuned C-G-D-A-E.

https://youtu.be/g9DMOx0nvvs

Our standard scale length is 24.5" for a five-course Mandocello.

Thank you Troy for the wonderful write-up!

Ralph