mismatch top

[sunburst]

Here's a picture of the top of a really nice 1916 F4. There have been discussions here about mismatched tops in F5 mandolins, but most of the older Gibsons had book matched tops. This one shows quite a bit of silk in the perfectly quartered right hand side, it shows some run out, and the grain count is different in each side.
(Yes, there is a crack near the center joint, that's one of the reasons it's here.)

Spruce, I thought you, among others, might like to see this one.

[Spruce]

Cool!!

[Michael Lewis]

John, the pic doesn't show quite enough to really tell, but is it possible that one half is flipped, thus having the match to the inside edge of one piece on the outside edge of the other? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/rock.gif

[sunburst]

Michael, it's possible, the grain lines are tighter to the left and wider to the right on both halves.
However, I didn't even look at the outside of the top closely until I looked inside with a mirror to see if anything had already been done to the top crack. The two halves are much different in color inside the mandolin.

[Frank Ford]

Yep, they do turn up. I've seen a Loar F-5 with mismatched top, and lots on early oval hole instruments, including some with evenly spaced three piece tops.

[Spruce]

Of the 2 dozen Loars hanging around IBMA this year, I'd say 60% of them were mismatched...