[1] Its range was not as good as the mandocello, which replaced it in mandolin orchestras, and had largely disappeared in the 19th century.

He quoted Paul Sparks as saying the four-course Roman mandolone was "usually referred to as a liuto."

He felt that the two authors had not addressed the instrument definitively, leaving questions of interpretation.

The mandolone was a flat-backed, bass instrument, "much larger than the liuto" with "four heavy wound strings" tuned (in fourths) to A-D-G-c.[5] The encyclopedia, Musical Instruments of the World says the mandolones existed with six to eight courses of string pairs.

He said his orchestra intends to restring their mandolone, to tune it in fourths instead (which he says is standard with bass-family, stringed instruments).