Vega mode 201 built supposedly around 1930 comments?

[Barry Canada]

Wondering if anyone knows if this is a worthwhile instrument to check out and what a fair price would be assuming it is in good picking order.
Thanks! any comments welcome!


http://qc.kijiji.ca/c-acheter-et-ven...AdIdZ352077155

[barney 59]

Hard to tell from the information provided. It's missing the tail piece cover. Are the back and sides brazilian or mahogany? If it's brazilian then $500 maybe --knock at least a couple hundred off if it's not. Martin's similar to that are obtainable for maybe $800,maybe even less. A Lyon and Healey style G which is even more similar can be had for 3 to $400. It looks shiny in the pictures, if it's all in order I'd bet it sounds pretty nice.

[bobbyburns]

I've had a lot of flat top mandolins over the years, and still own quite a few. One of my best sounding ones, by far, looks just like that one. It's a great old time mandolin. It's got volume and tone to keep up with any oval hole Gibson (not knocking the Gibsons, I love the "A" models too). Mine is mahogany, and had more wear on the top when I got it (I've had it for years). I don't remember how much I gave for it, but if I didn't already have one, and I played that one, and the sound was there, and it won't take much to have it playing good, I'd pay $500 in a heartbeat.

If you can play it before you buy it, and it's in good shape, it's a prize. If you are having it shipped and you can't play it first, see if you can get it for less, to cover yourself if you have to have minor work done to make it playable.

I think this type of mandolin went out of style, just before they reached the peak of their development. Lyon-Healey/Regal, Weymann, Oscar Schmidt, Larson Bros, Martin, all of these have their good points, and their bad points. Most tend to sagg around the soundhole. Most of the time, the reason they sell so cheap, is that they need rebuilding to play. Often, someone has already made a mess out of it, with quick and dirty attempts to make it play, often with modern strings that are way too heavy.

Vega was way ahead of the other flattop mandolin builders of the time. They treated these as a musical instrument, not just as a cheap musical instrument, like a lot of other flattops were. These Vega flattop mandos are among the most stable of their type. I've not seen so many of these with the top sagging around the hole, like I see so much in nearly every other flattop that comes up for sale. These Vegas are not near as likely to sag as the Vega cylinder back mandos are, and this one will sound about as good, and cost a lot less. I've not played a Martin flattop mando that sounds as good as an average Vega (or Stella, for that matter).

Now what would you really think was cooler to have your $500 tied up in? A piece of mandolin history from Vega, or any of the shiny, plastic coated, soulless import mandolins that we consiser cheap for that price? I say go for it!

[Barry Canada]

Thanks Bobby and Barney for taking the time to give me the feedback. I will probably check the instrument out.