Carlo Sauli, Brescia 1761 - 4-string mandolin
Original: Germanisches Nationalmuseum Nürnberg, MIR 873

Making this copy of an 4-string mandolin from the museum in Nürnberg, I must say that this is the experiment to try out and what has the menioned and existing type of a mandolin, the Cremonese mandolin. This type of mandolin you will find at some places mentioned, mentioned that it must have 4 single strings and is tuned in fourth like a violin. I know only one further instrument of this style, which has an anonym maker and is now shown in Eisenach in the Bachhaus. This instrument is much bigger. During my period of examinating the historical mandolins, this instrument I could not get into my hands, as Eisenach was at this time in the eastern part of germany. But if you are interested, it is no possible to make a copy of this model.

My copy of the Sauli instrument has the following features:

• Mould with 13 ribs of curly maple with black or dark brown spacers.
• Soundboard made out of a wide grained but hard european spruce with an inserted part of very fine grained spruce for the rose. To cute the rose out of the wide grained wood is not possible.
• Neck and pegbox are one piece maple
• Fingerboard is made from ebony
• For the pegs I use plum wood, a very good wood for this purpose.
• String length is 31,8 cm - tuning: g, d', a', e'' - single gut strings
• the bridge is made out of pear wood
• The top is covered with wax, veneeres are oiled and the mould will have a french polishing.

On request anothet 4-string model can be offered.