1915 Gibson F2 from the original owner

[boulderfolkie]

Having sung "Hobo's Mandolin" since the 60's....on guitar...I thought it about time to actually HAVE a mandolin nearby that was "willed to me by an old hobo". About a month ago the 105 yr. old owner of this F2 decided that he no longer played it and gave it to me.
It was covered with decades of grime and, maybe, a little drool, as well as needing a fret job plus an old neck crack needing stabilization.....
It has replacement tuners with 7 of the original buttons, had a non-orig. pickguard, and has a non-orig. adjustable bridge. Decades-old repairs were left alone, the neck repair was done, and a reasonable cleaning was done as well.
The results were amazing. The mando retains its original patina and mojo and the verdict from several local pros is that it's the loudest and sweetest mando they've ever played.....and they own the best of the best.

[tree]

Welcome to the cafe. What a nice old ax. Love the Handel tuners and the brown finish. Got a back shot?

[boulderfolkie]

Thanks, Clark....here's the back...with only a bit of rash. Someone said it's mahogany but I read that they used birch with a mahogany stain. Any thoughts on that?

[LongBlackVeil]

it is most likely birch. Could be maple, but that looks like birch to me. Mahogany neck though

[boulderfolkie]

Thanks, LBV, for the wood info....above is the 105yr.-old member of The Tacoma (Maryland) Mandoleers. He moved to Boulder about 6 years ago and we played music together until he was about 103. Once you know the licks...........

[journeybear]

Hold on, now. Doing the math here ... 1915 F-2, one owner, now 105, so born in 1909 ... So he was given this mandolin when he was six years old? Wow! Those are some nice parents!

In case some of you didn't catch the reference, here is the Tom Rush classic (sorry about the imagery; this is the only youtube clip of his version I could find) ...



... and a very nice mandolin version. I love this song; Tom's version is never very far from my thoughts. This is pretty sweet, though. Thanks for the reminder. And the story.

[Tom C]

Nice mando. It does look like it was refinished at some point. It's not a normal color. There may be a couple of F2 pumpkin tops out there but they are not that color.

[boulderfolkie]

The Tacoma Mandoleers began in the mid-1930s. Sidney bought the mandolin from one of his students who must have been the one who had all the repairs, replacement parts, and refin done. Sidney started out playing violin in 1915 at the age of six...then switched to guitar before taking up the mandolin in the late 20's. He played with the Mandoleers for about 40 years. Sid remembers a ton of stuff from way back but the name of the student is not in that extraordinary mind-file. I find it amazing that all those repairs were made and yet it sounds so amazing. If I can figure out how to do it, I'll have a mando-pro do a short video to post.

[boulderfolkie]

Thank you, Journeybear, for the ghostly mandolin version....it's beautiful...and the decal of Bettie Page as mermaid on the floating mandolin is......well...interesting.

[journeybear]

I know. I thought I was done with MAS until I saw that. Now, suddenly, I want - that one. Not sure why ...

Yes, the stories these old mandolins could tell, if only they could. Much like the song, all about the memories a hobo's mandolin contains - the places it's been, the things it's seen, the people it's known, the things it's done and can do. I wish there were more versions of this fine song out there. I guess it's just not as well-known among the general public as it deserves to be. Much like the mandolin, in general.

[brunello97]

I know. I thought I was done with MAS until I saw that. Now, suddenly, I want - that one. Not sure why ...

Nothing to be confused about, amigo. That is a good looking mandolin.

Mick

[journeybear]

Well, it's a good-looking decal, anyway.

By the way, this is his first video upload. Pretty nice way to start, from a mandolinist's perspective.

"This was inspired by Tom Rush's great version of Michael Smith's "This Here Mandolin". With bare mandolin accompaniment, how Hobo might have sung it sat in the lonesome boxcar....."

[boulderfolkie]

I know. I thought I was done with MAS until I saw that. Now, suddenly, I want - that one. Not sure why ...

Yes, the stories these old mandolins could tell, if only they could. Much like the song, all about the memories a hobo's mandolin contains - the places it's been, the things it's seen, the people it's known, the things it's done and can do. I wish there were more versions of this fine song out there. I guess it's just not as well-known among the general public as it deserves to be. Much like the mandolin, in general.

There IS another version....about sailors...a lot easier to sing because most of the verses actually rhyme. I think Mike also wrote that version..not sure.

[journeybear]

Looking through Michael Peter Smith's website I was reminded where I'd seen the name before. He wrote "The Dutchman," a brilliant if miserable example of songwriting if there ever was one. Steve Goodman's version moved me immensely back in my college days, while learning the finer points of songwriting - also because for a while there I was chasing a girl named Margaret.

[Bernie Daniel]

Looking through Michael Peter Smith's website I was reminded where I'd seen the name before. He wrote "The Dutchman," a brilliant if miserable example of songwriting if there ever was one. Steve Goodman's version moved me immensely back in my college days, while learning the finer points of songwriting - also because for a while there I was chasing a girl named Margaret.

Wow since at least 1972 I thought Steve Goodman wrote "The Dutchman" need to go up and dig out some vinyl LP's!

[boulderfolkie]

If an audience gets unruly, I pull out The Dutchman and watch the waterworks begin. Tom Clancy has a beautiful rendition on YouTube.....and we all don't have to feel bad because we thought a song was written by the singer who made it a hit. Many think Circle Game and Urge For Going we're written by Tom Rush and Jerry Jeff Walker once told me that it really pissed him off when someone asked him to "sing that Nitty Gritty Dirt Band song"......Mr. Bojangles.

[Bob Bass]

Hi boulderfolkie-

Thanks for posting the picture of your friend with the F2! You've been given a real nice instrument w/a great backstory!

We should all be so lucky to still be playing at 103!

Around 2005 I acquired a 1912 blond F4 from a friend of the family whom I had known for over 50 years. She and her husband were in a mandolin orchestra here in Los Angeles which I think was active from the 1960s into the 1980s. Trudi purchased the F4 in Chicago from the son of the Chicago musician who bought it new in 1912. She knew in the 1960s that I was starting to play mandolin, but I didn't know that she and her husband played until much later. When I visited her in the 2003-2006 time frame, I also got to play a Lyon & Healy "A" Professional Model 2 point that she was planning to give to one of her granddaughters; another remarkable instrument.

May you and the F2 have a long musical future together!

Bob

[fatt-dad]

Nice mandolin.

My daughter's name is Margaret.

f-d

[LongBlackVeil]

Nice mando. It does look like it was refinished at some point. It's not a normal color. There may be a couple of F2 pumpkin tops out there but they are not that color.

I think that is actually a natural top that has faded a bit, which is pretty rare.

Like this one

http://www.mandolinarchive.com/gibson/serial/28691