Mandolin

Definition: A short-necked instrument with eight paired strings. Luthier Orville Gibson introduced the flat-backed, scroll-bodied mandolin in 1898. When designer Lloyd Loar introduced his improvement of this design, the Gibson F-series mandolin in 1923, the model's improved tone and greater volume enhanced the mandolin's appeal. Bill Monroe became the mandolin's first country-style virtuoso and brought the instrument into new prominence when he joined the Grand Ole Opry in 1939.