Mando in the attic

[Soupy1957]

There's a fella in my workplace, who walked into a conversation a friend of mine and I were having, about mandolins.

He told us how his dad, a WWII Vet, used to play his mandolin all the time. He vividly remembered a Polish song that his dad played on the mando whenever he picked up the instrument.

After telling me that his dad had passed, I asked him if he knew what became of his dad's mandolin. He said his sister had it.

Now I had a choice...I could advise him to find out what it was, (or "is") because of the potential value of a Gibson, (for one), and or any other instrument of that era; or I could play dumb with him, and ask simply if he and his sister had ever considered selling it, not letting on about potential value.

You'd be proud of me, (those of you with ethics as a motto...cough,cough), as I chose to do the former, and suggested he ask his sister what the brand name was on the Headstock, and on the label in the interior.

I figure that if the instrument was being played in WWII, it could very well be a 1920 - 1945 build at the very least. So I discussed with him the potential value of that instrument, and so forth.

Today when I see him in Engineering, or in the various other spots I run across him, I'll ask him what he learned. It will be interesting.

The fella who I was talking with origionally, (a fellow Mando player), suggested to me: "I don't think you could have NOT told him of the potential value; it would go against your ethical frame!" To which I replied, "yea; for about five minutes anyway!!"

More to follow, as I learn more......
-Soupy1957

[Blueglass]

I'm waiting. I dig this type of stuff. Once a coworker of mine made an offhand remark about his dad's mandolin that his younger brother just kept under the bed. For decades this mandolin layed under the bed. I asked him to check it out and my coworker went and took the thing from his brother adn brought to work for me to check out! IT turned out to be this 1970's Harmoney mandolin in perfect condition. That thing sounded great.

[Jim Garber]

OTOH I took lessons with Roy Smeck many years ago in NY. One day he mentioned that one of his students had a mandolin that she might want to sell. It was in the other room. I took a look and it was in a rectabgular case. When I opened the case, I saw it was an F5. Accompanied by heavy breathing I looking in the f-hoiles and saw the Loar signature.

I took her phone number and called her that night, after looking thru all my meager bank accounts. At the time they were selling for $10-12,000 and I could maybe come up with 1/3 of that.

When I spoke to her I realized she knew what she had. Her grandfather had bought it new and was the concertmaster of the Newark NJ Mandolin Orchestra. Her dad owned it and in the 1960s every bluegrass musician in New York lusted after it. Any way, I offered to help her sell it when she was ready to do so, assuming she even needed help. Don't know what became of it.

Jim

[Tighthead]

Tormented by your guilt over swindling someone out of a valuable mandolin, you would eventually lose your mind, chop the mandolin in pieces, and bury it under your floorboards.

Then some folks would come over to jam one night, and sit right over the spot where the shattered mandolin rests. Very faintly, a g-chord chop would come from the floor. Strange, though, that no one in the jam seems to notice. Louder and louder until the chop is so loud you are sure the others in the jam MUST hear it. You play "more fluently and with a heightened voice." Yet the sound increases--what can you do?

You stand up from your chair as the others are playing, pacing with your instrument--WHAT CAN YOU DO? Still the sound grows louder and the men you are playing with jam on with contented smiles. Is it possible they can not hear it??

They KNOW! They MUST! Anything would be better than this torment!

"Villains!" you shriek, "dissemble no more! I admit the deed!--tear up the planks! here, here!--It is the beating of its hideous chop!"

Call it The Tell-Tale Chop.

Edit: with apologies to Edgar Allen Poe

[mehrsam]

...and from that day on, you can never look at a Poe mandolin the same way...

[Harrmob]

I wouldn't get your hopes up. I had a co-worker that had a family heirloom mandolin. It turned out to be a cheap bowl back from sears or something- she still would not part with it. Plus how long has it been in the attic?

[Blueglass]

tighthead you made my day today, thanks.

[jaydee]

Once I spent an afternon at my stepfather's old house, he was cleaning things out getting ready to move and had come across a trunk with three old violins inside. I'm far from a violin expert, but I know a good fiddle when one is in front of me, so he asked me to check them out. One was a half-finished homemade job, it's sister was a completed fiddle, also homemade. Neither one was playable, or very pretty, but they were really cool finds anyway.
The third violin was obviously the instrument that the first two were patterned after. Before handing it to me, trying to contain a smile, he said:

"There's a name inside... Stradivarius. does that mean anythng to you?"

This fiddle was no Strad, not even close, but I looked in the F-hole anyway and sure enough, printed in big block letters, the label read...
Stradivarius,
Followed in small print by; student model, made in Germany.
I explained what he had and we had a laugh, I'm still trying to get those homemade fiddles for wall hangers.

Jeremy

[Rroyd]

Years ago I was told by two major dealers in vintage collectable instruments that they would buy an instrument at far less than real value if the opportunity presented itself. Nor were they admissions, but just matter-of-fact comments. Today, with the wealth of information available with a few keystrokes, that attitude may have changed, but I doubt there are many chopped-up Loars hidden beneath the floorboards of their internationally known establishments.

[mlbex]

Jaydee

The first fiddle I looked into had the word Stradivarius inside, and so did many others. Often it is followed by the word "facit" or some such, meaning (I believe) that it is modeled after a Stradivarius.

I did get the opportunity to handle a Guarnarius (sp?), a contemporary of Stradivaruis whose fiddles (er, violins) are nearly as valuable. It was at a wedding, and the violinist knew exactly what he had. He was first fiddle for some major orchestra.

I have looked for the words "Guarnarius Facit" ever since, and I've never seen them.

I have also heard that sometimes when you look at an old violin, it might be of average quality, but the bow can be worth far more.

I can usually tell by looking at a mandolin or guiter (more or less) how good it is and what it is worth. I'm utterly clueless about violins and bows. But then, I play mandolins and guitars, and not the fiddle.

[arbarnhart]

Years ago I was told by two major dealers in vintage collectable instruments that they would buy an instrument at far less than real value if the opportunity presented itself. #Nor were they admissions, but just matter-of-fact comments. #Today, with the wealth of information available with a few keystrokes, that attitude may have changed, but I doubt there are many chopped-up Loars hidden beneath the floorboards of their internationally known establishments.

For me, it would depend on how the opportunity presented itself. If I am at a sale (flea market or garage/yard sale) and I find something tagged at significantly below value, it would not bother me to get it. In other words, if the seller decided to put the item up for sale and set a price without any input from me. At the other end of the spectrum would be swindling someone by convincing them to sell some possession at far less than its value. That is clearly dishonest and in many cases even illegal. I would never do that. In between is a lot of gray area. The really tough one is when someone asks you what you would give them for an item and it is something you would like to have, but cannot afford (or justify) at full value. In those cases, I politely decline and tell them I can't afford to offer a fair price, but if the seller is insistent then I will go a head and low ball them and buy it if they accept.

The business dealers have serious overhead and certainly can't afford to buy stock at full value. I absolutely understand their position.

[Golman8]

I have a 23 Snake Head Gibson that my brother bought in Atlanta Ga. a few years ago (1995 I think) for $179.00! He had no idea what the instrument was worth, but I had asked him to be on the look out for a mandolin for me when he attended estate sales. He said, "what do they look like?" I described the A and F style, four pairs of strings,etc, and forgot about it. A few weeks later he called and told me he had found a mandolin for a good price. I asked him what kind and he said, "it has The Gibson on it." He heard me catch my breath and laughed, he had contacted Gibson and knew the value. I told him to go ahead and make his profit, that I couldn't afford the $3000.00+ that it was worth in the condition he described. He hung up and then called back later and told me he was shipping the mandolin and to send him $179.00! I have enjoyed this sweet instrument ever since and hows that for a good brother! G.B.

[mandolooter]

hummm, I have 4 brothers...I better get calling!

[allenhopkins]

Cleaning out the attic in the house my grandfather and great-aunt shared in Pike NY, back around 1969, I found some instruments stuck back in a corner. Turned out to be a Gibson A-1, a B&J Victoria bowl-back, and a gut-strung banjo. The A-1 had a top crack that had been mended with adhesive tape (!). I had the crack properly repaired, and promptly joined my brother John and my friend Bob in a bluegrass trio. The rest, you can see listed below.

The A-1's long gone in trades, but I still have the Victoria and the banjo. My grandfather's second wife was apparently a musician, and the instruments probably were hers. Every now and then one finds a treasure in an attic; we have to be aware that in the past, as now, 90% of the instruments made are low-end student models. However, there is a bit of evolutionary selection, in that the better ones are somewhat more likely to be kept and put away as valuable.

Going through attics, one finds a lot of ukelins and Marxophones and other weird obsolete instruments, but every now and then...

[Jim Garber]

The first fiddle I looked into had the word Stradivarius inside, and so did many others. Often it is followed by the word "facit" or some such, meaning (I believe) that it is modeled after a Stradivarius.

A couple of articles about Strads:

So you found a Strad!

Labels... Fakes or clues?

Jim

[DPrager]

This stuff really happens.

My wife has a friend who has sister whose husband was reported to have an old mandolin that belonged to his father. They agreed to bring it with them on a planned visit to Washington. My wife knew what it was from the instant they opened the case. She called me at the office to tell me it was an old Gibson F. I was worthless at work for the rest of the day.

It was/is a beauty of a black face F4 that I still play today.

[dmamlep]

I was doing some work for a guy I knew and asked him if he liked bluegrass music for I had a new cd of our group, he said not much,saw on the cd that I played mandolin, then told me he has one, took me inside and opened up the case, Gibson whiteface I guess it was white had the pickguard,not all the string was on it, but in pretty good shape he called it a pumpkin seed. showed me a pic of his dad playing it, was dressed n long dress coat back in 40s or 50s I guess, said his dad bought it from Bill Monroe because he dint like it. He had played in Chicago for a while, He asked me what it was worth and I said without a pic of Bill actually playing it not much. I am still tempted to go by and see what he will take for it. So does anyone know what its worth. need cleaning and new strings. I have thought that without trying to cheat him, if I sold it I would split the difference with him, thats just me.

[JonT]

Yep. My fiddle has "Amati" on the label inside it. Not a chance. It was built in Germany. What I think is cool, though, is that somebody - maybe the original owner, I hope - scratched his name and the date in the top-right side. Says "J.A. Fritch, July 8, 1895." He also put his initials on it in at least one other place. Pretty good soundin' ol' fiddle, actually.

Peace - Jon

[Santiago]

I've told this on the Cafe before. A childhood friend was given a REAL Stadivarius violin by her grandmother's friend who found it in the attic after a housefire (undamaged). Her husband, a musician, had been dead for years. "Gee, your granddaughter plays, doesn't she? It's supposed to be a good one, but I just want to be sure that someone plays it and appreciates it." Kid looked at the label, but everyone said it couldn't be. I got the name of an appraiser next door to carnegie Hall from my teacher,and the rest was Hi$tory. I got to play it once or twice. The thing sang!

[dmamlep]

Actually there are several stradivarous out there, they just arent the real ones. If you dont watch and know, we may be seeing some Loars also.

[Ivan Kelsall]

It reminds me of the old joke about the guy sorting out junk in his loft.He finds a beautiful old Violin & a wonderful oil painting.He takes them to an auction room for valuation & the valuer says, "Mr Smith.,you have a Stradivarious & a Rembrandt. Mr Smith starts doing summersaults of delight at the news.The valuer calms him down & says,"unfortunately you have a Stradivarius painting & a Rembrandt Violin". Not all that glitters is gold - sometimes it's Diamonds !!!(if you're lucky ).

[Chadmills]

Or as the British comedian Tommy Cooper used to tell it, "Unfortunately Stradivarius was a rotten painter, and Rembrandt made terrible violins!"

[8ch(pl)]

My brother in law gave me his father's Czech violin. It has been in his attic, garage etc since his dad died in October of 1958. I bought a new case aand had some work done: reglued the plates, new tailpiece, chinrest etc. A couple of hundred dollars. It is a really nice instrument, although the bridge profile is not what most folks like. I don't play violin, but I am lending it out a bit. I may take it up.

A yard sale story that I heard here in Nova Scotia was a Gibson A that was sold for $50. It belonged to the ex-husband and was being sold by the wife out of spite. I think I would buy it under those circumstances, unless I knew the guy (and liked him).

[F5G WIZ]

The fiddle player in my group has several, 30-40 old fiddles hanging on his walls, one of them is very black in color. He found it in an old burnt out house in the basement wrapped in a linen cloth and stuck in a box barried in the coal bin. It had been there so long the coal dust had penetrated the wood to give it the black color. Isn't worth much but does have a good sound and an interesting story.

[Dan Adams]

Both my Teens Gibson A-models, a 16 and a 17 came to me in this manner. I always listen when somebody says 'I've got an old mandolin of my father's,etc...' I've also seen some junk mandolins come out of the attic. Maybe someday my kids will use the "My father used to..." line. Dan