A-1 Gibson: Can anyone help with some info?

[Tidajo]

I recently had a yard sale find. A Gibson mandolin, model a-1. Serial number 22504.

In the interest of full disclosure, i am not a player or collector, but I couldn't pass up on what I thought was a 'deal". I'm now researching what this may cost for repair/resoration, and what the value may be before and after the work.

Can anyone help me with a manufacture date? Any thoughts on what you see in the pics?

ANY input would be appreciated.

And I understand that asking for a luthier recommendation may not be appropriate, but what's the best way to seperate the good from the bad? Should I stay local, or is shipping to a good one a better option?

Thanks!
Dale



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[Brutus1999]

It looks very much like mine, which is from 1917. So yours is within a few years of that. Others can probably be more precise. I don't know how much repair and restoration it will need, but I will say that my (original one-piece) bridge broke (after ONLY 85 years!) and I sent it to Elderly who restored the bridge, fixed the action, repaired a very "tight" two inch crack in the back. The sound of my mandolin always was great and now is beyond heavenly. Seriously, an amazing sound -- full, rich, very loud but sweet when played softly. It has a round hole, of course, and therefore does not project out in as focused a way as f-holes do, and the bass sustains for a long time. So it is not especially suited to the "bluegrass chop" (although damping the sustain with the left hand helps a little...). But for playing many types of music, it is definitely a keeper. Those old Gibson round hole A mandolins are one of the best deals, dollar for dollar, and will likely appreciate in value somewhat -- but investment aside, it's a great instrument.

In good condition, even if it had some repairs and wasn't "original", it might be worth $700 -- $1200 (I know that's a big range, so take the middle as a guess...you could look at eBay just to get a ballpark idea). The repair will probably be $200 - $400; I'm not an expert on repair and I don't know if fixing that back would be a small clamping job or a big job!)

[8ch(pl)]

The instrument has no truss rod, so it is pre 1922. The bridge is not original, pre 1922 Gibsons had a one piece bridge.

[xntric]

Serial number looks like 1915. Re luthiers, I'd stay local if I were in Poulsbo, WA, Lovingston, VA, or Goodlettsville, TN -- otherwise, I would ship it to someone who really knows mandolins.

[EdHanrahan]

Should I stay local, or is shipping to a good one a better option?

NICE find, even with the fixable damage. My '17 A-1 has grown to be my favorite.

Telling folks just where "local" is might just trigger a good recommendation. It may also overcrowd your local yard sales!

[Tidajo]

Thanks for the info guys!
@Ed: Sorry, left out that info. Picked up in Clearwater Florida last week during a vacation. My local is Newburgh, NY (60 miles north of NYC- zip:12550)
Dale

[vhughes2000]

I'd say that is an old gibson adjustable bridge..It would have come with a one piece bridge originally but it looks to have been upgraded..Looks too crusty to be a newer repro..I'd hang on to that one..

[RayMan7]

Ahh man thats like my dream of finding one like that, your so lucky! With a little bit of work that would make a great player however it goes, you should hang on to it who knows you might want to learn to play. But if you were to sell it playable most likely would be around $600-$1000.

[Paul Hostetter]

[QUOTE=xntric;1037476]Serial number looks like 1915.[quote]

You always date a Gibson by the FON, not the serial number on the label.

Re luthiers, I'd stay local if I were in Poulsbo, WA...or Goodlettsville, TN -- otherwise, I would ship it to someone who really knows mandolins.

Good advice. Many good luthiers in and around NYC.

[Mace]

George Youngblood knows old Gibson's better than anyone.

[Paul Hostetter]

I'd put my money on Joe Spann's book.

[Ben Milne]

Anyone else think the bridge appears to be a mandola bridge?

[Paul Hostetter]

Ben, I think you're right. This would never play in tune strung like a mandolin.

[mtucker]

May be better off just selling it for $2-3 hundred if you're not going to play it ... it'll need the correct bridge, pickguard, cam clamp for guard, end pin, back repaired and re-glued, trans brace on top checked, general cleaning, dunno about frets condition etc, but everything looks orig except bridge and should be great after surgery... Probably about a wash when you consider sinking $500-$600 in parts and labor, plus your time and effort vs making yourself a few quick hundo, assuming you got it cheap...like $50 bucks or so.

[Tidajo]

Thanks for all the great info, guys!!
I think you've pretty much answered my questions. Between this info, and what I found elsewhere, I think I have a clearer picture.
1911-1917
$150-$300 cost of repair + cost of bridge(?). Plus cost of repo tailpiece ($75) or original-$150. Pick guard optional:$75
Value after repairs- $850ish
(Does old bridge have much value?)
As I'm not a player, I think this may end up as some else's project.

[mtucker]

Thanks for all the great info, guys!!
Plus cost of repo tailpiece ($75) or original-$150.
(Does old bridge have much value?)

The original tailpiece looks fine...new repop not necessary...buyer needs to find a slide-on cover for it, orig will cost more. If the bridge isn't cracked ...maybe $35-50 dollars or more resale... depending on authenticity/availability/rarity, no experience with them, can only ballpark.

[Brutus1999]

IF you were very skilled at repair or had a friend who was VERY skilled at repair and willing to do the work for very little, you couldn't go wrong fixing it, especially if you want to keep it. If it is about the money (and I don't say this in a negative way....), you have to just figure out all, and I mean all, the expenses, plus your time. Sometimes, if you put $300 into something that's only worth $100 but make it more attractive, you might get $700. Then again, sometimes, if you fix something up but it's not in the way that a buyer wants, then you might not get your total investment back, or you might, but then also find out that you worked on it for fifty hours for $3 an hour! Years ago I saw an old Gibson, f-hole, red top, very beat up, that a store wanted $700 for. I spent several hours calculating that I could spend $300 fixing it up and could sell it for $1100 or so! It was very pretty. Finally, I had to be objective (talk to myself as if I were talking to someone else...) -- did I want that mandolin because it was nice and I wanted to OWN it and play it, or did I want it to resell it. And if the second (selling it), was I wasting too much time agonizing over it when I was really agonizing over just $100 for several dozen hours work (or less than $100 because there are always other expenses....).

If you have the time and skill, you can try to fix it up. If you just want to resell it (and that's fine...), maybe you should put it up on eBay in its current condition, with a $1 opening bid, but with a "Seller's minimum selling price" of, say $500. If you get that much, that's not bad, and you would have saved yourself many hours trying to fix it up and sell it. If you don't get that much, you might at least have a "ball park" figure of what it is worth in current condition by looking at the bidding.

You "MIGHT" (very probably not...) get that much if someone out there loves to repair mandolins, is good at it, has the spare time, and would like to own a nice (repaired by him or her) old Gibson for $500 or so. That's when there is a "win-win" --- selling something that needs repair (whether a mando or a car) -- when the buyer has the time and skills and is willing to work for almost nothing to get the prize. But if there's nobody out there like that, then it is very hard to "beat the system" since the "supply and demand" thing, made even more universal by eBay, means that there is almost always an alternative out there for about the same price.

But if you have the skills or a friend who is very skilled, and you want to own a very, very sweet mandolin, well, I could go on and on about the rich, loud sound of those round hole, 1910-1922, Gibson A-1's (and their other round hole A siblings)...

[pfox14]

According to Joe Spann's book, the mandolin dates to 1913. It obviously going to need some work to get back in playing condition, but well worth the investment. I would try and find the best luthier for the job, who may or may not be local to you. Definitely don't send to Gibson to be repaired.

[Paul Hostetter]

According to Joe Spann's book, the mandolin dates to 1913.

How did you divine the FON?

[Marcus CA]

According to the Mandolin Archive website, it's probably from 1915. Here's the closest serial number that they have:

http://www.mandolinarchive.com/gibson/serial/22531

[Paul Hostetter]

If you have the FON, there's no "probably" about it. That's the point of referencing Spann's book, which has trumped all the earlier dating schemes which were, at best, approximate.

[CeeCee_C]

I have to agree with Mace. George Youngblood definitely knows his

I have to agree. George Younglood definitely knows his **** about vintang gibson mandolins. I suggest calling his colleage Brian and find out when he might be available to speak to you. George is kinda overloaded with work right now.

He was able to tell me some amazing things abojt my 1919 A1 just bu consulting a couple of reference manuals.

Acoustic Music's phone number is 203-458-2525.

Good luck,

CeeCee.



CeeCee

[Timmando]

If I was you, and I (you) was not a mandolin player and wasn't planning on being a mandolin player, then I (you) would put it on ebay and sell it to the highest bidder, or clean it up and hang it on my (your) wall to keep it in my (your) family and maybe someday my (your) child may want it and they can fix it then.