Patent ID: 8648237

Claim:
A mandolin comprising: a sound chamber defined by a front, a curved side member, and a back, the front and back attached to the curved side member, the front and back in general facing relation; a neck attached to the sound chamber wherein a longitudinal axis is defined by the sound chamber and the neck; a headstock positioned at the end of the neck opposite the sound chamber; a tailpiece attached to the sound chamber; a plurality of strings, including bass strings and treble strings, the strings positioned above the front and oriented along the longitudinal axis, wherein a portion of the mandolin adjacent to the bass strings is defined as the bass side, wherein a first end of each string is attached to the headstock and a second end of each string is attached to the tailpiece; a bridge disposed between the strings and the front of the sound chamber; the curved side member comprising an inside facing surface comprising a first support member for supporting the front and a second support member for supporting the back; the first support member comprising a first section and a second section, the first section comprising a plurality of parallel oriented kerfs and the second section comprising a solid armrest support member, the solid armrest support member extending from a first point on the bass side to a second point adjacent to the tailpiece, the armrest support member comprising an outwardly facing surface; and a cover member attached to the outwardly facing surface.