PIRIE Fine Instruments

Mandolins are fun to play and not hard to learn. The most common mandolins are the A-Style and the F-Style. Tonally, they are not much different, but aesthetically, they are not at all similar. While the ‘A’ is very simple in appearance and design, the ‘F’, with its volutes on the body and headstock is quite ornate. Players seem polarized in their tastes, some thinking the F-Style is the way a mandolin in supposed to look, while others prefer the simple A-Style calling the the body volute of the ‘F’ an expensive strap holder due to the higher cost of the instrument!

A-Style Mandolin

F-Style Mandolin