Caterina Lichtenberg talks with Mandolin Luthier Alfred Woll 

Mandolins are instruments that represents freedom of choice. Not only there are many types of models; you could also play them according to your own cultural style.

Seems like it depends on what type of music you're playing and what kind of feelings you wish to express. Also your own personal style of playing. Nice video, good to learn. Thank you for sharing.

hello, and thanks for a good video. what would be the price of such a mandolin as the bowlback one? I wish you could do a video about the differences between bowlback, a- and f-style mandolins. you seem to have a very nice way of explaining things properly without having to show us that you are the best player around. most of the videos are people with more skills when it comes to showing off than to properly explain so that we understand. greetings from norway.

This was a great vid, and quite a difference when hearing them a/b comparison. I've worked on all three common styles, but for my personal taste I really believe any music sounds better on a quality solid carved top F-style. They just project notes & chords the way my ear EXPECTS to hear a mandolin. They have just enough warmth, without too much bass, just airy enough without that banjo-like softness the tops of many of the A-styles have, and plenty of the mids (more prevalent in neapolitans), enough to project firm melodic notation for classical and baroque music--like Bach violin sonatas and cello suites. I totally get why so many bluegrass players dig the F-style the best. There's just enough "hardness" to the picking attack when you get a decent one. Really cheap F-styles can sound like a bad A-style, but some very cheap A-styles are a little better sounding. I think it's the flatter top ro the overall shape that allows the cheaper A's to sound better in their element than the cheaper F's. Or it's likely due to the fact that a cheaper A is easier to make sound "decent" than a cheaper F. You need to start getting closer to the $1000 range to start getting a truly respectable F-style, but it's worth it, especially when they break-in and warm up a bit. I'd say the price range is at least there, or more, to have a respectable full-range transient quality neapolitan bowl-back. I hear the "air" more when I play an A-style. I hear the "construction" more when I play an F-style, and I hear the "wood" more when I play a bowl-back. Don't know if that makes any sense LOL but that's what impression I get from these different styles. Lichtenberg is fantastic too, what a great player with such impressive expression to her playing. ~JSV

Does the classical mandolin use different type of strings than bluegrass mandolins?

Such a beautiful instrument...I want one!

Is the back of some mandolins fluted to help stop the rolling? I find the sound of flat back mandolins rather dull in sound. They don't ring as well. Bowl backs siund so much better.

Very interesting. Thank you!

Great video, thank you. What is the color of the stain on the bowl and the back of the neck? Thanks for reading this.

nice mandolin, here in Brazil we used brands jacob (Jacob do Bandolim, brazilian musician) but these models are so beatiful .

THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!! WHERE CAN I BY A GOOD SOUND MANDOLIN? AS THE ITALIAN? OR DEUCH ? WITH BOWL.....? Thanks many...!

First of all, nice english. Even I, a beginner in eglish, could understand almost every word you said. I'm love with this Napolitan Mandolin Sound. It's very cool. I have a portuguese style mandolin and your it's better. Thank you by this so nice interview.

Amazing

great info , thanks for sharing !!!

I like them, but I don't care what genre they were made for, I want to hear them Singing Darkly. I must have one.

Interesting discussion Caterina. Is it my imagination or do you also have a second mandolin with a darker wood on the body? Appears to be Rosewood? Really enjoy your videos and playing.

Geht das auch in deutscher Sprache?

Sir please tell me how can i buy that?

I️ like it how much does it cost

Great back design !

wonderful

well done

nice instrument

"Cantered".Maybe "cambered" It is a good word, very specific and accurate..wtf is that word? This is beautiful craftsmanship, and much better sound than I expected from a bowl back. Germans are known for superior quality, and precision instruments etc. I cannot often afford such luxuries. BTW, I hate my own avatar.

Beautiful mandolin but the Bluegrass sounds better.

Danke fuer der ausgezeichnet englisch !

Orvil Gibson improved the Mandolin by making it harder to play. I am building my mandolin to make it easier to play. Instead of having average string tension of between twenty and twenty five pounds, my mandolin has string tension between ten and fifteen pounds. More like a guitar or banjo than a mandolin. Both of the mandolins you are showing have very high tension.