The Acoustics of Traditional Italian Mandolins and Their Relation with Soundboard Wood Properties

Stringed musical instruments, which have a long and rich worldwide cultural history, have slowly evolved from ancient lutes to contemporary instruments such as the Italian mandolin. The mandolin has been an iconic element of Italian musical tradition and culture for more than 400 years. In this study, we report on the acoustic characterization of modern Italian mandolins in terms of bridge admittance, sound radiation, and modal shape measurements. The vibrational behavior of the soundboard was studied by means of finite element analysis (FEA) to establish a link between the mechanical and physical properties of wood and the acoustic response of the instrument. This study presents some important features of the acoustic behavior of mandolins and sheds some light on the influence of wood properties on the instrument’s timbre and its variability.