Oliver Ditson Mandolin

[brunello97]

Hi,

I recently purchased an "Oliver Ditson" A-style flat-back mandolin. See attached photo.

It is solidly made and braced and has a suprisingly nice sound. I am pretty taken by it. I am looking for any information perhaps on the real maker. I understand Ditson was a large music-publishing house, and retail dealer of instruments.

I read that Martin made some mandolins for Ditson, but I doubt if this is such: the tuners, pickguard and other details suggest otherwise. But I don't know much.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I'm happy to be a new member of this great forum.

[IMG]http://img19.imagevenue.com/loc262....MG]

[Eugene]

Certainly no Martin. Can you post images of the back too?

[Paul Hostetter]

Welcome aboard. You're right, there are other candidates besides Martin, but a few more pictures would be helpful.

[brunello97]

Well, thanks for the quick response. I knew Martin was a no-go. It sounds like Ditson was kind of the Sam's of its day. Here are photos of the back and tuner plate. Not much to go on but I figure there are some sleuths out there...

[IMG]http://img40.imagevenue.com/loc257....MG]
[IMG]http://img16.imagevenue.com/loc186....MG]

thanks again, I hope these are of some help in deciphering this.

[Django Fret]

I have a Vega clyinderback that has an Oliver Ditson label in it. I know that Vega made instruments showed up under different names like Wurlitzer, so perhaps it was manufactured by Vega?

I believe that most would still have some identification inside them that lists Vega as the manufacturer, so check to see if you can find something that would help.

[Lane Pryce]

I had a very nice Oliver Ditson Guanerius style fiddle. They purchased/comissioned instruments of mid to higher quality for distribution with their own lable,mostly in the early 1900's. That particular fiddle was one of the better ones. I found the majority of information re OD online. Lp

[MML]

My guess would be Vega?

[Eugene]

Maybe. I think it looks a little more Lyon & Healy-like, in a similar profile to their Leland line.

[Jim Garber]

Maybe. #I think it looks a little more Lyon & Healy-like, in a similar profile to their Leland line.

I agree with Professor Eugene. Ditson and Lyon & healy were the same Company tho I believe that Ditson (in Boston) predates the estb of L&H. My first thought was also Leland-like. Leland was theiur flatback line aimed toward orchestras. They even made a piccolo (10.5" scale) that i am provileged to own.

Jim

[brunello97]

You guys are amazing. Thanks for all the help. The L+H Leland clue turned up this image from a site that spoke of their piccolo model as well.
Greg Miner describes it on the site.

[IMG]http://img14.imagevenue.com/loc277....MG]

The Ditson I have, also has rosewood sides and back, mahogany neck. The finish is quite worn away. The sound is really quite lovely, bright with a terrific midtone and decent bass. I haven't been able to put it down. Okay, except to type.

There is a lot number on the inside of neck end. No reference to any maker. I'll double check it.

[Jim Garber]

Check out this Leland piccolo thread. The first photo are my two Lelands: std and piccolo.

Jim

[8ch(pl)]

Gee Eugene, doesn't that look like a Vega headstock...LOL.

[ourgang]

I have a late 20's Vega Mandolin-Banjo that has the same head stock design.

[Paul Hostetter]

The connection between Ditson and L&H was direct enough, but they weren't the same company. In 1864, L&H (the actual guys) went from their employ with Ditson in Boston to Chicago to open a store in that burgeoning metropolis to sell Ditson's sheet music. This is a fairly tenuous connection to Ditson already. In 1889, Patrick Healy bought out Lyon (but kept the name) and started to make string instruments.

Here's a decent quick bio of Oliver Ditson. It speaks of how he set up a couple of sons in NYC and Philadelphia. The Chicago arrangement with L&H was much less formal.



To the uninitiated, pretty much all flat headstocks look alike, because they're all fairly derivative of a few early ones. To Gibson's legal arm of course, a lot of them look like legal issues to pursue.

[brunello97]

Man, this forum is great. Mando-wonks, for sure. And as if I need another excuse to multi-task at work. So the Leland/L+H connection to my "Ditson" seems the consensus, Vega similarities nothwithstanding?
Last clue: on neck end (inside body) is the number stamped 18508.

Any suggestions of what to do with the finish? It seemed like someone had tried to strip it off. I took off the remainder on the top (only a little beneath the strings) and lemon-oiled the spruce(?). The finish is there on about 3/4 of the Rosewood back. Nothing on the mahogany neck.

Thanks for all the help. Someday, I hope to think I might have been around the forum long enough to offer some advice in return.

Mick Kennedy

[Eugene]

Do you do French polishing? That would probably be my suggestion.

[brunello97]

I have not done any type of finish work on stringed instruments. I've done finishes on furniture, though mostly with penetrating stains, some with varnishes. There are some nice instruction step-by-step sites I have found on the web.

However, do you suggest I remove all of the old finish first? If so, what would be the best method? I have seen some references to 'scraping' off the finish. Is that feasible? I don't know if I have ever stripped an alcohol based finish off furniture before....

Thanks for your continuing help.