Originally Posted by
It's a Suzuki A style with f holes in sunburst. There is a sticker on the back of the headstock that says "Made in Japan" and a label inside the body that says "Suzuki Violin Co" or something similar.
Hi, Jackofall
I would judge this mandolin by its apparent quality and sound. #It may be somewhat better than you're thinking.
I also have a Suzuki, made in the style of the 1960s 2-pt Gibson A5 with oval soundhole. #Its label says "Handmade by Kiso Suzuki Violin Company". #I don't remember the model number offhand. #I have seen one other like it come up on ebay or somewhere. #The one I have was described as probably from the late 60s-70s; I would guess early-mid 70s. #It has a solid spruce top, laminated maple back. #The sunburst and paint are a bit on the #"vivid" side, but the playability is very good, and the sound is really very decent. #It's my main kick-around and travel mandolin. #I paid around $375 for it, probably a little too much but I thought it was kind of cool.
My guess is that there was some connection or relationship between the Suzuki and Ibanez companies/brands of that time. #I have seen several Ibanez copies of the Gibson A5 oval, that look almost identical to the Suzuki in their styling, as well as a couple obviously nicer Ibanez versions. #One consistency is that both the Suzuki and Ibanez examples had "through-nuts", ie, the nut slot was cut through the fingerboard near its upper end, like on a Fender guitar. #Another common feature to several was a black-painted neck. So far, I have seen several Suzuki/Ibanez Gibson A5 copies, and also several Suzuki/Ibanez bowlback copies (for which I have no judgement or opinion), but not an f-hole Sukuki. #
A handmade Japanese instrument from the 70s is usually a pretty good bet. #Look at the interest in Japanese-made Kentucky and Ibanez mandolins. I would carefully look over and play this mando if you're interested in it #- #For ~$130 or whatever 65 LBS is worth, or less depending on your offer, it might well be a pretty good vintage Japanese instrument.
Jeff Rohrbough
"Listen louder, play softer"
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