The width at the nut of my eight-string mandola was determined not from tradition, but from a personal standard using the Bb chord formation (fretting F on the C string): the neck should be as wide as possible while still allowing easy fingering of this chord. This same formation on mandolin would be Fmaj (C on the G string).
The overall width at the nut of my four-string mandola is essentially the same as the distance between the two E strings on a six-string guitar. The four strings are spaced just like a guitar's would be. The extra wide neck gives you a nice roomy feel and in no way inhibits chording or soloing.
My acoustic mandolas use loop-end mandolin style strings. You can use any mandola set, or try heavy gauge mandolin sets if you want. However, I prefer the following gauges: .010, .017, .032w, .049w (A/D/G/C respectively). These gauges are not available as sets from any retailer that I know of. I special order them and expect to always have a supply on hand. I just personally don't care for the gauge ratios in the available sets.
I normally string the electric mandolas with .008, .013, .026w, .040w ball-end electric guitar strings [nickel wound], which are widely available individually at local music stores.
Two or more strings grouped together, such that they are always fretted simultaneously, are called a Course. While Old World instruments are sometimes found to have one or more three-string courses, modern instruments almost always have two strings per course.
Some of the 12-string guitar's courses are tuned in octaves. Mandolin family instruments usually have all courses tuned in unison, and that is how mine are normally set up. (If you're absolutely sure you want octaves, I'm game.)
I take particular care in precise fretwork, and that's one of the reasons they are High Performance.
Taking all of this into account, the MixSon Mandola is easier to play than most mandolin family instruments I've seen. And it's a whole new avenue of expression.
JJM
