Mandolins

Tanglewood Mandolins

A mandolin is a compact, bright-sounding instrument that suits folk, bluegrass, country and Celtic music. We stock three Tanglewood mandolins, all from the Union mandolins range, with prices from £189 to £349. Whichever mandolin musical instrument you choose, the eight strings are tuned in four pairs and played with a pick.

The three models

The Tanglewood TWMTWR Mandolin costs £189. It has a linden top and no electronics, which makes it a straightforward acoustic choice for practice and sessions at home.

The Tanglewood TWMTBKPE Mandolin costs £229. It keeps the linden top and adds electronics, so it works as an electric mandolin instrument when you plug it into an amp or PA.

The Tanglewood TWMFVSE Mandolin costs £349. It has a spruce top and also includes electronics. Spruce is a popular tonewood for acoustic instruments, so this is the model to look at if you want to step up.

Choosing a mandolin

• Acoustic or electric: pick the TWMTWR for quiet home playing, or one of the two electro-acoustic models if you want to play on stage.
• Top wood: linden and spruce both give a clear voice, and the spruce-topped model costs more.
• Budget: £189, £229 and £349 give you three clear steps up.
• Tuning: a standard mandolin is tuned like a violin. A clip-on mandolin tuner makes tuning quick, and you will find options in our tuners and capos range.

Already play guitar?

The mandolin is a natural second instrument. The neck is narrow, the scale is short and the tuning in fifths is easy to learn. You may also want to compare it with a banjo, which has a louder, snappier sound. See the banjos page, or browse everything together under banjos and mandolins.

All three mandolins ship with free UK delivery, and a spare set of strings is worth adding to your order.

Mandolin sizes and tunings

You may see names such as octave mandolin or tenor mandolin, which are larger relatives tuned lower. The three models here are standard mandolins, so they cover the classic high, bright range. A mandolin guitar hybrid is not what you will find on this page either, as these are true mandolins with eight strings. If you play in a cafe mandolin style, with light strumming and tremolo notes, the electro-acoustic versions are a handy choice because you can add volume in a busy room.