Mats Norrman wrote:

>How would you describe how the sound of a Mandolin differs from a Guitar?

Having been a devoted guitarist for nearly 10 years as well as having
listened to and played mandolin on several occasions I wanted to give my
description to the list.  Generally, the guitar offers a much 'thicker'
sound than does the mandolin.  I have played on some thin steel-strung
guitars that had a pretty thin sound but nothing like that of a mandolin.
I think the sound of a mandolin is quite penetrating, though, and have
witnessed a single mandolin voice making its way through a mess of guitar
sound.  Even in the lower registers the mandolin has a strong cutting sound
without a lot of body.

Perhaps a comparison could be drawn with two other instruments in a common
family: a French horn and a trumpet.  While the horn IMO has a deeper
resonant sound, the trumpet has the sharp quality which allows it to
penetrate through nearly any texture.  This is just the way I hear it and
maybe the comparison with the brass instruments is lousy.

Wes Crone