I'm probably one of the few people who ever played one. I picked it up for next to nothing at a music store I frequented. They didn't know what to do with it, so I bought it. I tuned it like a mandola, and loved the sound of it. I have an old Lyon and Healy mandola that fits my baritone range better than a mandolin, and I used it for accompaniment. I finally gave it away to someone who had done a great favor for my young sons. I appreciated the favor more than the Portugese guitar, and never regretted giving it to the person who did it. Was I culturally disrespectful? I don't think so. I never made any pretense of playing music native to the instrument. My fingers didn't fall off, either. My attitude is if you can play it and it sounds good, play it.

This being Mudcat, everyone will probably post a message saying that they played two.:-)
Jerry