Mike Mandolins

Scottish Musician, Singer-Songwriter and Builder of Bespoke Instruments

About Mike

Having formally learned bassoon and choral singing, then taught myself piano and guitar, I got into Scottish folk music in the early 90s, co-founding the band ‘Teannaich’ in 1995 on keyboard. After a few years I switched to mandolin, then around 2004 to cittern as a more versatile single instrument for playing ceilidh tunes and accompanying songs and fiddle - especially when travelling with the band. I have restored and repaired instruments for over 30 years, and started building them in 2009. I have written my own songs and been performing as a solo artist since 2017. I have played in various bands and collaborations over the years, and had many 'main instruments', although my current cittern (with cedar top, maple / elm body and stripey neck) has been favourite since 2022. I am based in South Queensferry, Edinburgh in Scotland, use ethically-sourced local and recycled timbers where possible, am comfortable teaching music and instrument-making online and in person, and am happy to travel for gigs.

About the 'Mandolins'

This website, and my passion, is focussed on the whole mandolin family - including octave mandolins, mandolas and citterns - for their diversity, character and playability. My first mandolin, bought in 1994, was a mass-produced semi-acoustic that was useful for learning but lacked dynamics and warmth. The next, by local luthier Thornton Caldwell, had far more depth and character. I played it on the Teannaich ‘Lucid’ album, and it influenced the way I build my own. However, because the mandolin sits in a similar range to the fiddle and is not ideal for accompanying, I began exploring other related instruments. After a brief spell on octave mandolin, and discussions with Jonathan of Kemp Strings, I bought a Fylde cittern and restrung it GCGDA in unison pairs. This is still my preferred cittern tuning, as using a capo essentially gives me a mandolin, octave mandolin and bouzouki in a single instrument; but caused excessive tension on the top string, a boomy low end, and difficulty playing fast on the high frets due to the heel of that instrument. Unable to find a cittern that solved these problems, I made my own and have continued to refine it. I then built my first mandola for someone who wanted a lighter, narrower, 8-string version of my cittern. I brought it to a ceilidh to try through the PA (pictured), played it all night, and enjoyed it so much I made another for myself. As well as custom builds for others, I am now also experimenting with 10-string mandolins and larger-bodied citterns.

About this website

Mike Mandolins draws together the following six distinct yet closely related areas of activity and experience that I continue to develop and to share, each with its own page. There is obviously considerable overlap as I usually perform, whether solo or in the band, with a cittern or other instrument I custom-built for myself, will play tunes and songs I have written, and may teach ceilidh dances or something about the origins of pieces written by others. Click a picture below or tab above to jump to each dedicated page.