The Celebrated "Peate" Mandolin.

**Alex Timmerman** · Feb-18-2004, 2:18pm

Hello,

This has come up for auction: a ´Celebrated "Peate" Mandolin´. Special "Peate" Model. G.A. Peate. Utica, N.Y.

Click here for more photos.

Any information - Eugene or Jim? - on these ´celebrated´ mandolins and who made them?

Greetings,

Alex

**margora** · Feb-18-2004, 2:36pm

This is the second time around for this mandolin. First time around, the starting bid was $500.00. I still think it is too expensive.

**Eugene** · Feb-18-2004, 2:46pm

It looks suspiciously like a low-end piece by Luigi Ricca with horrendous replacement bridge and tailpiece. Ricca's shop was in NYC.

**Jim Garber** · Feb-18-2004, 7:07pm

I have a method published in New York 1919 by Geo. A. Peate (cover below). I would agree with Eugene that these were likely made for Peate by a large maker like Ricca. In fact the sort of rounded soundhole edge can be found on some Riccas. Scary bridge tho that caused some reall damage to the top.

Jim

**Jim Garber** · Feb-18-2004, 7:11pm

I just noticed the illustration on the cover (see closeup) has a guy serenading his girl with a liuto cantabile or mandocello. How esoteric!!

Jim

**Mark Levesque** · Feb-18-2004, 7:36pm

No scales or exercises in the Peate book?
Just think of all the time we've wasted on such insignificant details.

**Jim Garber** · Feb-18-2004, 10:41pm

Originally Posted by (Mark @ Feb. 18 2004, 20:36)

No scales or exercises in the Peate book?
Just think of all the time we've wasted on such insignificant details.

...and written so YOU can understand it!

**Arto** · Feb-19-2004, 12:05am

This is getting interesting and deeply mysterious... did you notice that the guy in the cover is playing his mandocello/liuto cantabile fingerstyle?

Alex, Richard, Eric ... where are you?

;-) Arto

**Alex Timmerman** · Feb-19-2004, 5:21am

Arto, you are right!

I completely overlooked that, probably thinking that it was his paddle since I didn´t see any strings.

But now, with a 2nd look....

yes...,

perhaps..

and seeing a glued bridge..
and no tail-piece...

Yip!

It could be - although somewhat modernised - a Mandora, or a big, very very rare composite Mandolono Milanese or even one of those German Lute-Guitars that somebody swam accros the ocean with.

Thumb inwards lute-like playing mannner, little finger placed on the table;
this must be a real Maestro (maybe Peate himself?)!

Like the frogs in the front of the print; a happy and very relaxed couple indeed

**jeffshuniak** · Feb-19-2004, 6:59am

the drawing quality looks typical for turn of the century ads. like a "sears-robuck artist" lent his time to this..

maybe it is some real great mandolinist in this pic. mabye its a sears-robuck "oar-mandolin". turn of the century american capitalists were thinking of all kindsa crap to sell. .. not that they have stopped.

**vkioulaphides** · Feb-19-2004, 8:07am

Gentlemen, gentlemen, please!

This is a most historically valuable document: It predates by far all those "XYZ for Dummies" publications. And where would we all be without those?

P.S. Is there anything good anyone can say about those German lute-guitars? At least —and much to my relief— the instrument this fellow is playing is certainly NOT a Greek bouzouki.

**Eugene** · Feb-19-2004, 11:26am

I believe the gentleman pictured was a real pioneer of the early-music movement endeavoring to rediscover a historically correct approach to the celebrated Peate colascione.

**Bob A** · Feb-19-2004, 11:37am

I personally want to know more about a system that turns work into play.
This could have wonderful implications for my life in general, but my suspicious nature leads me to believe that the modern solution would involve subtracting salary from the equation.

**jeffshuniak** · Feb-19-2004, 12:04pm

at least it doesnt say "hot licks" anywhere on it.

**vkioulaphides** · Feb-19-2004, 1:48pm

Oh, Bob...

(First of all, glad to have you back amongst us.)

When I was still an errant, young musician, I knew exactly what those seasonal jobs were like, those that were advertised as "Come play in the wonderful XYZ mountains/resort/beach, etc. etc. where EVERYthing is beautiful —why, even the management is beautiful!— etc. etc., enjoy an invigorating artistic experience, etc., etc."

In plain English, that generally translated into: Minimum Wage.

But the premise of the ad is false, I'm afraid: How many of us view mandolin playing as some sort of a chore? If none (as I suspect), then it stands to reason that we also view learning how to play equally pleasurable; ergo, the usefulness of those, so often yet also so wrongly maligned [QUOTE]"scales or exercises" Why would one NOT wish to learn how to get his/her kite off the ground?