Skip to Content

When eight strings are not enough, go with ten!

When eight strings are not enough, go with ten!

There's another noteworthy instrument moving through the Weber custom shop: a 10-string octave mandolin. When asked about the purpose for adding additional strings, Bruce Weber chuckled and said, "When eight strings are not enough, go with ten!"

He added, "This is a unique instrument. We don't build a ton of them, maybe half a dozen a year. It's a great addition to a player's arsenal, as it gives the player more range and variation in the sound. This is a great instrument for various types of music. It would work great in a small bluegrass gathering, or hold its own in a classical ensemble." 

The build process is a little different for this style of instrument. It has additional bracing to handle the added string tension on the front of the instrument. Additionally, the neck is a bit "beefier" and wider. "We can do this to all the instruments in the mandolin family," Bruce noted, "to give the player a much wider range."