This Vanden f-hole mandolin has been used on all my recordings. It was made in 1983 and bought new from a dealer in London.

It is built essentially like a F5 but without any frills at all: no scrolls and points, no back binding. The absence of back binding has allowed a good deal of honest wear and tear but it's taken some bad scratches as well.

As is so often the case, a very basic instrument can have a fantastic tone, and even though this mandolin's sound is now very mature, it has recorded beautifully since new. It's a trusty old friend which vies for my affection with my new, longer scale Vanden "SM' model

I acquired a new version of this standard 352mm scale model in 1999 (not pictured) which I use on some concerts.

Read about the Vanden 'SM' Simon Mayor model mandolin.

Visit Mike Vanden's website.