Anyone recognize this one?

[Raymno]

Does anyone recognize or have any information about this little guitar or mandolin?
Bigger Picture

[Rodney Riley]

It's a mandolin. I can't see in the picture if there is an inlay of any kind on the headstock. So identifying is a little harder. Is there any initial/initials or serial number on the body, front or back of the headstock at all? Could possibly be a kit mando. Put together and finished by anyone.

[mrmando]

Cute little bugger, ain't it?

It appears to be between 30 and 50 years old. I am guessing it is not from a kit. Could have come from a skilled hobby builder or an idiosyncratic independent luthier. Fit and finish of the tailpiece and pickguard look a little rough; not really pro-level work from what I can see. In some respects it represents a Japanese Tombo Ukelet, although it clearly isn't one:

http://www.emando.com/builders_inactive/Tombo.htm

I have researched hundreds, probably thousands, of electric mandolins and this one ain't ringing a bell. Whoever built it did know something about mandolins (he or she correctly put a fret marker on the 10th fret rather than the 9th).

It's hard to say anything about price without knowing who the maker is, but if it works it's worth something, probably $250 to $400.

[Highlander]

Stratocaster Mandolin, think I saw Jimi Henrix play one like it at Woodstock... or it was the orange sunshine.

[mrmando]

Thanks for your insightful contribution. There are people who actually take electric mandolins seriously, believe it or not.

It looks more like a Jaguar/Strat hybrid. I don't recall seeing one with quite the same contours. There are a couple of corners on the pickguard that look a little too sharp ... not what you'd expect if it were machine cut, which is what suggests "hobby builder" to me ... but on the other hand, the bridge and tailpiece are reminiscent of what you'd find on some of the '60s Japanese solidbody instruments -- Kingstons and Kents and whatnot.

[allenhopkins]

I'd say "hobby builder" (or someone who artfully re-jiggered some of the Fenderesque parts available from different sellers) -- except for the shaped softshell case. Some company build a dedicated case for this oddity, which leads me to think it's a factory product. What factory? Dunno...

[Raymno]

Thank you for the help with this Mandolin. Still hoping to figure out who might have made this and thought a few more pictures might help.

Handle on case:


Body:




Top:




Side:




Thanks again forthe help.
--- Ray M.

[mrmando]

Well, the Gibson-style tuners say it's American, not Japanese. The nice flamed maple and well-formed neck/headstock, plus the graceful body contour, say it's a luthier, not a hobbyist. Brass frets and rosewood board, to say nothing of the switch and knobs, say this was made no later than the 1970s. The somewhat crude cut of the tailpiece and pickguard say the luthier was a better woodworker than a machinist. They also say this was a one-off using guitar parts that were cut down.

I'm really curious about that piece of plastic screwed to the headstock. Have you looked underneath it? Or have you pulled the pickguard and looked inside?

[mrmando]

Check out this G.L. Stiles 4-stringer on eBay:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/261042020729...84.m1438.l2649

Stiles was an idiosyncratic, independent luthier who blazed his own trails. Small output, but his guitars are highly sought after. I'm not saying the blue instrument is by Stiles, but it could be by someone a lot like him.

[Raymno]

mrmando,
I looked underneath the headstock decoration and there is nothing there. I have not pulled the pickguard and am leary of doing so for fear of damaging the instrument. I'll report back if I decide to disassemble the piece.
Thanks for the info!
--- Ray M.