PORTUGUESE MANDOLIN

Don't know if this instrument belongs to the same guy who brought in the octave mandolin a few days ago, but it's made by the same people.

This is another strange contraption - for a start it has ten strings (a normal mandolin has eight strings). Then the fingerboard is fiercely curved laterally which imitates the Portuguese guitar which is much bigger & has twelve strings & a completely different tuning!

You learn something every day in this job :o)

This chap needs a serious fret dress - the frets were very uneven - the masking tape is to protect the ebony fingerboard from my sanding & polishing activities...