I really like these old Fylde designs, cedar top and mahogany back and sides. The mandola I bought new in '95, it has heavy unison strings and has a very powerful tone. The Bouzouki version is from '98 and although looks very similar to the mandola, sounds completely different.

It has a pin bridge, and light octave strings and produces a very mellow tone. The octave strings are great for those Balkan tunes and celtic melody. These are extremely comfortable to play, and prefer them to the newer Arch top designs. My Octavious bouzouki and mandola get alot of play and they constantly seem to sound better and better.

Andy Irvine played this model for many years.