deal or no deal?

[bradeinhorn]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7417201845

[Eric F.]

I wouldn't pull the trigger unless I could get it for less than that. I am always wary of people who "don't know much/anything" about mandolins or are "selling for a friend." It nicely absolves them of responsibility, doesn't it? Is the neck straight? Is the top arched or has it sunk? How do the tuners work? And how does it sound? I've played a lot of old Gibson A's over the past couple of years, and the variability in sound and playability has been tremendous. You could get a nice A or A Jr. from any number of established places for about that much money.

[bradeinhorn]

is it correct that a gibson of this year would have a blank headstock? which model is this?

[Eric F.]

It's a model "A," which did not have any ornamentation or writing on the headstock. It's not the year that determines whether the headstock was plain, it's the model.