I actually find the playing style to be quite different on guitar and octave mandolin, that is if you play melody. Chord strumming would be less difficult but the double strings and some of the stretches involved on octave or bouzouki may be a challenge, at least initially. If I were a strummer, I'd probably want to find open chord shapes, both for the sustaining drone notes and for ease of fingering. They have a unique sound, for sure. My octave mandolin is a Trillium that I've had for a number of years but don't actually play hardly at all, just because I spend my playing time primarily with guitar. The Trilliums are very nice instruments, though, handmade by Bob Abrams in New Hampshire.
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Bob DeVellis
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