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Thread: Stradolin

  1. #26
    Registered User Bruce Clausen's Avatar
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    atetone (how do you pronounce that?): I see you are in BC. If you're in or near Vancouver, PM me and I'd be glad to get together over some Stradolins. By the way, I guess you know that Rufus Guitars in Van. is a reliable source of Strads. Chuck always has five or six on the wall. Mine came from his stock a few years back.

    BC

  2. #27
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    ,Bruce, I live in the West Kootenays,,, a veritable mandolin wasteland except for at my house and a couple of other mando addicts spread around the area.
    I usually get down to Vancouver once or twice a year and always make a trip to Rufus.
    As a matter of fact, the 2 point Strad that I mentioned playing earlier was at Rufus.
    I was tempted to buy it but didn't like the price. I have thought about that mando quite a few times since then but if I remember correctly he wanted $800 for it which I consider to be too much for that particular one. (laminated back and sides).
    It was a cool old mando though.
    Next time I am down there I'll take another look at his stock. Maybe something will catch my eye.

    You asked "How do you pronounce "atetone"??
    Well,,, it was like this,,, I had to come up with a moniker so under great duress in what seemed like a very good idea at the time, I figured that the "ate" part would signify the 8 strings of the mandolin and since my name is Tony that the "tone" part would signify the shortened version of my name and as a bonus signify the "tone" of the mandolin. Thus,,, atetone. Very profound.
    Well, to make a long story short,,,, after some proper diagnosis and minimal treatment, I am feeling much better now .
    I haven't had a drink of alcohol in almost 3 years either so that might have something to do with my improved outlook on reality also.
    I am afraid that I am stuck with the name now though, but it is one of those life lessons well learned,,,
    Never, Ever, make up an online name after spending the previous 10 hours in the pub.

  3. #28
    Unrepentant Dilettante Lee Callicutt's Avatar
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    I'm at least going to start collecting all the pictures of Stradolins that I can come across in the interest of research and posterity.

  4. #29
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    My first mandolin was a Strad-O-Lin, but I didn't know it at the time. #When I bought it in 1972 it had "Armstrong" decals on the headstock. #It was a great mandolin and I played the tar out of it for years. #Then one day I had it over at a friend's fiddle shop, and he said "There's another name under that decal." #He could see a little paint peeking out. #So I went home and steamed the decal off, and sure enough it said "Strad-O-Lin" in the prettiest script you ever saw. #I then wrote the mandolin brothers and they told me the basic story about jobbers and no one knows who made what and such.

    Well, recently there was a 1937 catalog for sale on ebay and it had both Armstrong and Strad-O-Lin mandolins listed. #The catalog showed several models of Armstrong and Strad-O-Lins, and the Armstrongs were 20 percent more expensive. ($5.00 or $6.00)

    I guess I reduced the value of my mandolin by taking the label off, but I learned a lot more about Strad-O-Lins than I ever would have learned about Armstrongs. #The catalog is still out there under

    [I]here..

    Now my original Strad-O-Lin was a wonderful mandolin, but several years ago I bought another off of ebay that blew it away, and I play it all the time now, even more that my Gibsons.

  5. #30
    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    There was an earlier Strad-O-Lin thread, which I'm too lazy to look up, that discussed possible manufacturers of their mandolins. Two firms mentioned, both in the New York City area I believe, are Hoverick Bros. and Homenick Bros. The very similar names probably mean that it was one or the other, and apparently no one's sure which. John Bernunzio once advertised a Strad-O-Lin that he said was built by Hoverick Bros., but with names so similar, it would be easy to mix them up.
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  6. #31
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Here is my Weymann-labelled SOL with nicely flamed maple neck.
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  7. #32
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    This is a composite scan of 3 Strad-O-Lins listed in a circa 1935 Progressive Musical Instruments Company (P'Mico) catalog.
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  8. #33
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    This is a scan of part of a page from a circa 1940 Bugeleisen & Jacobsen (B&J) catalog. The descriptions are toward the bottom of the page.

    I am pretty sure I have a few more pages of these S-O-Ls but I have to do some excavating. More soon... if you want.



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  9. #34
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    Stradolin lovers should be aware it is the mandolin of choice of Russ Barenberg- that's good caché!
    John McGann, Associate Professor, Berklee College of Music
    johnmcgann.com
    myspace page
    Youtube live mando

  10. #35
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    I recall Russ playing an upper-end SOL many years ago at Neffa outside of Boston. I remember it being blonde and flamey and I have been looking for a similar one since.

    BTW he is featured in the current Acoustic Guitar magazine. The only photo tho of his mandolin showed a snakehead Gibson.





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  11. #36
    Unrepentant Dilettante Lee Callicutt's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (jmcgann @ Oct. 20 2007, 08:41)
    Stradolin lovers should be aware it is the mandolin of choice of Russ Barenberg- that's good caché!
    Yeah, I think that's who I spotted playing one on Transatlantic Sessions.

  12. #37
    Unrepentant Dilettante Lee Callicutt's Avatar
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    Thanks for all the informative responses. The catalog pics are especially helpful. Thanks, Jim.

  13. #38
    Unrepentant Dilettante Lee Callicutt's Avatar
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    Charles Johnson at Mandolin Headquarters has one with script lettering and DeArmond pickup that he seems to think has a solid top and is from the fifties if anyone is interested -- a bit pricy for me, though as I tend to be a bottom feeder!

  14. #39
    Registered User Bruce Clausen's Avatar
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    Yours is a beauty, Jim! I haven't seen many with real binding. Any idea when it was built? And thanks for the catalogue material. Mine looks much like the Artist model from 1935 (same head logo and purfled head, same fingerboard markers), but I don't think it could be a carved top. I wonder if "graduated top" meant a top tinkered with a little after pressing. My bridge is the short chunky adjustable bridge with big wheels, not like either type in these pictures; fingerrest is the larger style, screwed directly to the top; tailpiece is "kidney" type. No label, date, or model number, but I imagine it must be from this period.

    BC

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    Hey check this out:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_78cdmMR0s
    Russ Barenberg playing his Strad with Ricky Skaggs.

  16. #41
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by (allenhopkins @ Oct. 19 2007, 21:21)
    There was an earlier Strad-O-Lin thread, which I'm too lazy to look up, that discussed possible manufacturers of their mandolins. #Two firms mentioned, both in the New York City area I believe, are Hoverick Bros. and Homenick Bros. #The very similar names probably mean that it was one or the other, and apparently no one's sure which. #John Bernunzio once advertised a Strad-O-Lin that he said was built by Hoverick Bros., but with names so similar, it would be easy to mix them up.
    I've been wondering when someone would bring up those names. The problem with the Bernunzio theory is that there isn't a single mandolin branded with their name that I'm aware of. Stan Jay or Stan Werblin (I can't recall which Stan) guessed that they might have been built by Oscar Schmidt as Schmidt had many plant in the New York Metropolitan area during the Strad-O-Lin years. According to the Mugwumps site someone recalled being in the Strad-O-Lin factory in NYC. Assuming they were made in the New York metropolitan area is probably valid as Strad-O-Lin was also located in the area.

    There is however another New York firm that has been around since the early 1900's (maybe late 1800's) that built a mandolin that is the same as a Strad-O-Lin and put their brand name on it. My friend Jim Garber has offered the opinion that these mandolins could have been built by more than one manufacturer and that is always a possibility. This one though is the only Strad-O-Lin genre mandolin I've ever seen that had a brand name of a builder that might have actually built it on it. The Weymann and Orpheum branded instruments were obviously farmed out. This one was built by Favilla. The Favilla Brothers have a long history in NYC. The grandson (or great grandson), Tom Favilla is still alive. I sent this picture to Tom and he said that it was a model that Favilla had been building since the 20's. To throw a wrench into the theory he also said they never built them for anyone else, but then again Tom entered the Family business in the late 50's and may be unaware of everything the family business did in the 30's and 40's. This mandolin has the same fittings under the pickguard that my labeled Stad-O-Lin has, along with the other features, including the tailpiece cover. In my opinion Favilla built these mandolins. This is the Rosetta stone so to speak.



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    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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  17. #42
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    Here's a side by side with a branded Strad-O-Lin:
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    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
    --J. Garber

  18. #43
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    Quote Originally Posted by (Steve L @ Oct. 10 2007, 11:02)
    For what it's worth to the Strad-O-Lin saga, we had one of their student sized acoustic guitars come through the shop and the label read "Made in Taiwan". #This thing was at least 25 years old.
    The Strad-O-Lin brand name was resurrected in the late 60's-70's time frame and put on some very cheap imported instruments. A while back there was a music shop selling one of these as a 30's Strad-O-Lin on that well known auction site. The buyer bought it thinking he had a 30's instrument.
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    Last edited by MikeEdgerton; Aug-01-2013 at 4:01pm.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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  19. #44
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    So who has a theory on why these instruments sound so good? Given what appear to be their rather modest design parameters, they're incredible overachievers.

  20. #45
    Registered User Givson's Avatar
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    Stradolins were built lightly, with minimal bracing. #Many have solid spruce tops. #They are now 50-75 years old. #All of these factors contribute to their excellent sound.
    When 'good enough' is more than adequate.

  21. #46
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    The Strad-O-Lin genre mandolins were generally well built. Here is a thread with pictures of a Strad-O-Lin oval hole with the back off. The neck joint is pretty clean, unlike the neck joints on most of the Kay mandolin's I've seen. These mandolins were built well with decent wood (not always exquisite wood) and have managed to hold up over time. Not every Strad-O-Lin is great but on a whole they are quite decent.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
    --M. Stillion

    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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  22. #47
    Registered User Bruce Clausen's Avatar
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    Mike-- Thanks for your knowledge and insights. Since we're in Research mode here, I'll just add a footnote to your comparison above of an old Strad and a later import. Jim's 1935 catalogue images show two f-hole models, one with the bridge across the bottom of the f-holes, the other (the "Artist" model) with the holes themselves lower on the body, and the bridge nearer the center of the holes. This is the model with the so-called graduated top.

    BC

  23. #48
    Moderator MikeEdgerton's Avatar
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    That's actually pretty interesting. The f holes are much lower on that model. I've never seen one of those.
    "It's comparable to playing a cheese slicer."
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    "Bargain instruments are no bargains if you can't play them"
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  24. #49
    Unrepentant Dilettante Lee Callicutt's Avatar
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    Here's a pic of one I've come across searching the net, from the Jim Fisch collection.
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  25. #50
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Another observation:
    I think there are at least two distinct f-hole shapes. My relatively fancy Weymann and Mike's last pic posted (and prob a few others) have round holes for the top and bottom ends of the "f". Others have comma-shaped tops and bottoms. Not sure if that is a brand distinction or era related.
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