This is a handmade Mandocello from Toronto, Canada. It features a spruce top and mahogany back and sides. It sounds as good as any Gibson we've had and plays better than most. Scale length is an easy 21 inches making it very accessible. The sustain is just awesome. Thanks to the 12th Fret for the following information: "Frank Benko was born in Croatia in 1925 and immigrated to Montreal in the 1940s where he started up his workshop. He built mainly mandolins and his popular Croatian Brac. The Brac, pronounced “Brach” is a small body, 4 string, double-course, fretted instrument roughly the shape and size of tenor guitar. It is very popular as a melody instrument throughout the Balkan states. He also built acoustic guitars and stand up string basses."