WELZHEIM, GERMANY — Alfred Woll has announced the publication of his new book, The Art of Mandolin Making - Historical Development and Construction of the Mandolin, available in German and English.
About the book Woll told us, "Until now, no definitive book about building classical mandolins has been published in any language. With that in mind, I have decided to try to fill the gap and produce an exhaustive work on the subject. Forty years of experience as a mandolin builder coupled with extensive research on the subject have enabled me to acquire thorough knowledge on both historical and practical aspects of that topic, and I would like to make my knowledge generally available."
Beautifully photographed, the hardcover book (9" x 11.5") includes 336 pages with over 800 color photographs, 33 double-sided plates and 15 scaled plans of Embergher, Calace and Seiffert mandolins.
In the historical section, Woll explains how the development of the mandolin in Italy was influenced by the masters Vinaccia, Embergher and Calace, how it spread in Germany, and how a new mandolin model was created there by Reinhold Seiffert. In the practical part that follows, Woll lets us look over his shoulder in his workshop, providing an insight into how his mandolins are made, supported by many detailed photos and construction drawings.
The first part of this book deals with the historical development of the mandolin. Special emphasis is placed on the life and production of the three leading Italian workshops at the beginning of the 20th century, namely those of the Vinaccia family, Luigi Embergher and Raffaele Calace. Images of their most famous and beautiful instruments appear on double-sided plates, and particulars of their construction are discussed on the basis of many detailed photographs and scaled building plans. In addition, special attention is paid to the development of mandolin building in Germany from the end of the 19th century up to the present day. A whole chapter is devoted to the career of Reinhold Seiffert. This chapter describes how his new mandolin model came into being. Alfred Woll complements this discussion by explaining particularities of his own modern mandolins.
The second part of the book is devoted to the practicalities of mandolin construction. Based on his experience, Woll makes available all the considerations and practical information necessary to construct a high-quality modern classical soloist model mandolin. Starting with the criteria for selecting good timber and concluding with complete blueprints, he uses many informative photographs to explain every single step. This gives the interested mandolinist insight into how the instrument comes into being, and also the ambitious luthier valuable information and practical advice for ensuring the survival of an ancient and venerable craft.
An appendix contains advice and instructions for the player on how to look after the instrument, a chapter about the career of the author, and extensive notes and a bibliography.
Chapters
Foreword by Prof. em. Marga Wilden-Hüsgen
Introduction
Part I: Historical development
1. The origin of the mandolin
2. Mandolin making in Italy around 1900
3. The Mandolin in Germany
4. The origins of the Seiffert mandolin
5. Steps to your own model
Part II: Building a modern mandolin
6. Plans, forms and choosing wood
7. Making the soundboard
8. Constructing the bowl
9. Attaching the soundboard
10. Making the neck
11. Fingerboard and neck profile
12. Finishing
13. Bridge, tuning machines and setup
Appendix
14. Care and maintenance
15. How the author came to mandolin making
Notes
Acknowledgements
Ordering is available directly from the author for $84 plus $18 shipping (ordering link follows below). Payment can be made via PayPal or bank transfer. The book will be available from Elderly Instruments in August.
Additional Information
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