Beginning of 19th cent. May Bell F?

[stringlessinOH]

I am having trouble finding information regarding the model of my grandfather's mandolin. It is labeled:
BELL BRAND
PATENTED
N.M.S. Co
on the bottom (not back) of the tailpiece. I have pictures, but I am having trouble uploading them. They are far under the limit file size, and everytime i select the file to attach to this post, it disappears when i click the preview or post button. Any ideas? (sorry for the neophyte question) I cannot seem to locate any information regarding even remotely similar mandolins of the same make. It was bought in Armenia or Turkey and later given as a gift to my grandfather's sister sometime around 1920-1930. My grandfather chose among a few possessions to bring it to America around 1933. It has been in a plastic bag hidden in a closet for most of the time since.
It does not seem to be in very good shape now. The fingerboard is cracked, the bridge is missing, and there are lots of scratches. It is seen here with no strings, as i just removed them to polish underneath them. I would really appreciate any information about it as well as any ideas of how to go about restoring it to playable condition. Can anyone suggest what strings to use? I have heard that regular mandolin strings would be too strong and may cause warpage. Any information would be greatly appreciated
thank you,
adam

[8ch(pl)]

That is an American made instrument, sometimes called a Dog ear mandolin. I have seen several on ebay. Some have been marked Supertone. The "Bell Brand " on the tailpiece is it's maker. Bell made strings, tailpieces etc. that were used by various manufacturers, same as Grover, Presto etc.

[OlderThanWillie]

Patient: #Doctor, when I raise my arm over my head and turn my wrist to the left, I get a bad pain in my back.

Doctor: Don't do that.

When you preview your post and the link to your photo disappears, don't do that. Preview first and then add the link. Once the post is produced, if you don't like it, you can always edit the post by punching a little button adjacent to your posting.

As to strings, they come in all shapes and sizes. Many players have old and delicate instruments. The strings they use are lighter in weight than the strings I use. Check out an online vendor's website and see what weight strings are offered. Try something lighter than "medium" and you should be OK.

Also, I would suggest that the mandolin is a beginning of the 20th century model (the years 1901 through the end of 2000) and not the 19th century.

[Jim Garber]

Basically this was manufactured in the 1930s by Regal, one of the large Chicago Companies, partly associated with Lyon & Healy and with Sears Roebuck. In fact, Supertone was a Sears brand made by other companies.

These particular mandolins were basically budget instruments.

Here (http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Museum/Mandolin/Regal/RegalPearloid/regalpearloid.html) is another example of a Regal "reverse scroll" mandolin.

And another (http://www.willcuttguitars.com/details.asp?stock_id=1083).

As far as strings, it should be able to take light gauge, like D'Addario J-62s. if you are worried you could order something like the ultralight GHS A240s.

If you are worried about cracks etc, you might want to take it to a competent luthier and have it looked over. I would not put too much money into it.

Jim

[Eugene]

Aye.