Post a Picture of Your Bowlback (or any others)

[brunello97]

Margriet, the photo you posted appears to have a label visible through the soundhole. It is hard to see but resembles the Graziella label I posted. Is this a mandolin that you own?

Mick

[Margriet]

O, Mick , I am só sorry !

It is an instrument that we own and I went upstairs to find her. But it was in a place that I could not reach and my dear Beert was not at home. Sorry, sorry
Stupid me.....

Indeed, it has eaxactly the same label as yours......

Do you know something of this maker?

Thanks,
Margriet

[brunello97]

Thanks for checking, Margriet. I don't know anything more about Graziella. The picture I have is from the web, I don't own that mandolin. I have a collection of images of Italian bowlbacks and am putting together a compendium of the makers. I know Jim Garber and Dave Hynds both have extensive image collections (and maybe some others do as well.) Jim and I have spoken about combining our files but haven't done so yet. I would like to format a little 'coffee table book', as we call them, and have some copies printed up. I have begun setting up the basic pages but it will take some time. I'm always adding to the collection and your 'Graziella' stamp/imprint is a welcome addition! Thanks!

BTW, does your piccolo mandolin that you have been repairing have a label in it?

Mick

[Margriet]

Soon I will make a photo of the label of Graziella and send it to you. The piccolo, yes, it has a label and a very nice one ! You find it at "bowlbacks of note", recently posted.

Margriet

[brunello97]

Doh. Yes, thank you, Margriet. I had already double checked the Rubino label. I'm getting sloppy.....

Mick

[porthos]

...Do you have any images of Alfredo Privitera's work to share? Is his shop in Catania?
Mick

Yes, it's in Catania.
I'll go to his shop next week, I think, because I need advice about a 1965 Eko banjo with a too much high action, and I'll carry the camera. If he's not overloaded with work, i'll take some photos. Anyway, I could take a photo of a mandolin that a friend recently bought from him.

[brunello97]

Eko! Ecco è un grande nome per gli strumenti. I have a bowlback made by the Favilla brothers (in New York) probably in the '10s or '20s with "EKO" inlaid in the headstock (along with a Favilla 'Marca Aquila' label.) I've never been able to figure any connection between this and the EKO company active in the post-war era. Tom Favilla told me their was an earlier EKO company working in the '20s but didn't have any other information on his family's relationship to them. All kind of confusing. This Favilla is a great sounding mandolin. They are an under-appreciated builder here.

I look forward to your photos, Porthos. Some street views from Catania would be great also. It is one of the four mythical mandolin cities (Napoli, Roma, Kalamazoo, Catania). I have never been there but would enjoy a visit one day, hopefully soon.

Mick

[brunello97]

Porthos, is Carlo Privitera related to Alfredo Privitera? I recently saw this mandolin advertised on ebay.it.

http://cgi.ebay.it/MANDOLINO-NAPOLET...#ht_689wt_1036

It looks fairly modest, but it is important, as you say, to continue making instruments in the homeland in the face of an onslaught of inexpensive imports.

Mick

[porthos]

Never heard of Carlo Privitera.
You can see a mandolin by Alfredo Privitera (the most basic bowlback) here:
http://cgi.ebay.it/MANDOLINO-NAPOLET...item5198ad3b67

My banjo is from Eko in Italy, made in 1965. I know the Eko (italian) firm, based in Castelfidardo, the city of many accordion factories, as the first Italian attempt to make cheap and popular string instruments. Eko still exists and resells chinese instruments.

[porthos]

I'm looking for info about this mandolin. No label. Probably 1940-50, probably Geneva or North Italy. Cedar top, maple body and a somewhat strange bone/ebony Greek Mask as a pickguard. The inner side of the body is coated with parchment.
Some pics:

[Jim Garber]

Very interesting. Can you post some pics of the back of the neck joint and headstock? Round vs. oval holes are relatively unusual for this period. Why do you say Geneva or North Italy? Just curious.

[porthos]

...Why do you say Geneva or North Italy?

The mandolin has been hung on a wall for near 50 years in a region of Northern Italy, Piemonte (brunello, it is a great wine land), and now a luthier friend (she makes harps and early music instruments and hates mandolins) is restoring it, mainly varnish work and top repairs.

I posted the only pics I have.

[Jim Garber]

The mandolin has been hung on a wall for near 50 years in a region of Northern Italy, Piemonte (brunello, it is a great wine land), and now a luthier friend (she makes harps and early music instruments and hates mandolins) is restoring it, mainly varnish work and top repairs.

Hates mandolins.... then why is she restoring it? That should be against the law. She might smash it!!

Any clue what that mask inlay depicts?

[brunello97]

The mandolin has been hung on a wall for near 50 years in a region of Northern Italy, Piemonte (brunello, it is a great wine land), and now a luthier friend (she makes harps and early music instruments and hates mandolins) is restoring it, mainly varnish work and top repairs.

Very curious mandolin, Porthos, and I can't offer much help. If I had to guess I'd say it looked Catanese from the headstock shape and the way the fretboard terminates at the round hole.

Not to be a quibbler, but are you thinking of Barolo as the signature wine from the Piemonte? Nebbiolo based wines thrive there (I love the word....nebbio) such the great Barbarescos. Also wonderful wines from there are Barberas and Dolcettos, the later particularly hard to find in the US and typically overpriced. I'm very fond of them. We've driven up through that area a number of times and it is beautiful. My wife makes a great hazelnut cake that she learned from a woman up there. From my experience, Brunellos are Tuscan wines, from down near Montalcino.

Mick

[porthos]

To be precise: she hates playing the mandolin. I think that when she wants to pluck some strings, she plays her psaltery, or her many harps.

I'm not skilled at all in classical greek theater masks, and I think that a mask on a mandolin means only "this deals with art".
However, this kind of grotesque triangular masks (that are called "sphenopògon" or "wedge bearded") were used for characters like old men or slaves.

[brewcrew82]

purty dern fancy, a work of art, good luck. Im sureit will sound as nice as it looks.

[roady43]

Hello
Just found mandolincafe some days ago and like to introduce myself by presenting some pictures of my recently acquired "La Gioiosa" made by Klaus Knorr. As everybody here will recognize it is one of those modern German style instruments. It is nearly brand new and has rarely been played yet. Fortunately the fret board is not extremely broad which is an advantage for me because I don't have big hands and my main instrument is the violin. I bought it from a friend who had 2. I took it because of the sound quality which I like very much and its beauty. After 3 weeks of daily playing it is developing well. There will be done some tiny adjustments to the saddle and the bridge to fit my needs even better...

roady43

[brunello97]

Welcome, Roady. Thanks for sharing images of your new mandolin. It is nice to get a good look at one of these modern German instruments. Is that maple (ahorn) on the back? Very pretty.

La Gioiosa, eh? That's wonderful. I've been feeling a bit that way myself this week.

Mick

[Ed Goist]

Roady; welcome to the Cafe.
Wow - What a beautiful mandolin!
I love the overall look, and especially the slot-head.
Does the fretboard have a radius, or is it flat?
Thanks;
Ed

[Tavy]

That's one lovely looking instrument - congratulations!

[roady43]

Thank you all!
Yes the bowl-back is maple (the friends Knorr mandolin is of rosewood) and the fretboard is flat (I guess this is German standart). During the month of May I had the chance to borrow an as beautiful Seiffert from the same person (we played together several performances). Must be one from his last working period (2001). It was maple as well, very similar build but had a wider fretboard (that really was a challenge for me!). The sound was softer and not so "substantial" in the lower registers (D/G string).
More about Seiffert here in the forum:
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ffert-mandolin

The Knorr "La Gioiosa" weights less which makes it a bit easier to keep. Still, I need a rubber cloth to prevent those slippery bowl-backs to turn wherever they like... The sound is much defined and focused, sustain is like on a Steinway, it carries very far (I think because of the strong overtones) and some friends prefer to enjoy the sound more keeping some distance. I do not play with these German rubber plectrums (didn't even know they exist until I got one with the Knorr) but with a approx. 0.7mm kind of celluoid pick which I cut and file to the desired shape (still testing).

roady43

[roady43]

Here comes a cute little mostlikely German made Mandolin (ex GDR, Vogtland 70ies?) with some interesting features.

The maple back has uniquely "arranged" ribs. Does anybody know other instruments with a similar configuration? The side ribs show some slight birdseyes. The curved (!) fretboard is extremely strange and rather uncomfortable to play (one never reaches the wood). I made a lower bridge and it is better now but I really don't know who can play on such high frets seriously? Or is it only me wondering?

I think the all-in-all concept of this instrument could be influenced by Roman models. Several parts of the instrument are marked with the same number (e.g. under the bridge, on struts). It is very carefully crafted, only the frets show some raw spots in the highest positions. The spuce top shows 1 gued crack on the right and another one in the middle wich probably has been glued from inside (it doesn't move so far!). The sound is sweet and elegant.

roady43

[Jim Garber]

I think the frets on this one are a way to introduce some radius to the fretboard without touching the actual wood. I believe that student model Emberghers have that set up with the radiused bar frets.

[delsbrother]

Is the way the ribs are arranged (in a chevron pattern) common?

[roady43]

I think the frets on this one are a way to introduce some radius to the fretboard without touching the actual wood. I believe that student model Emberghers have that set up with the radiused bar frets.

Yes it seems that on some Embergher student (A-?) models this is similar. On mine the wood still has a curve but not as pronounced as the frets. BTW the fretboard is some milimeters higher on the G string than on the E string side. Even the scratch plate is shaped very similarly and there is a zero fret too. It has 27 frets which I think is rare on student instruments.

roady43