12-String Bowl Back

[Jake Wildwood]

Very funny... Mick posts in Italian and Giuseppe in English.

...and Jake uses the Mac dashboard translator for BOTH.

[Glid]

Ah, the conclusion of this story. So, anyadang did not buy it after all, but Glid did. What does that mean "missing a few teeth around the banding"? oh, I think I know... missing a few pieces of pearl or ebony from the binding on the outer rim of the top.

Yes Jim, it's missing some pearl. I'm pretty sure the tailpiece is a replacement. It's scallop and not flat. OS are usually plain and flat, no? I'll be buying some strings today and working on it over the weekend. I don't know about the missing screw on the tuning gear. Would it be a standard thread, say 6-32? What was the standard in 1900? I'll measure the pitch and pray I can find a replacement. There is a Vintage Fretshop, but I never seem to be in that part of the state when their open!
No splits or cracks! The bridging is solid and the neck is straight. There is hope!

[Glid]

I just found a picture of the tailpiece on a Menzenhauer & Schmidt Mandriola! Probably worth more than the mandolin, hey?

http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=...ed=0CBgQ9QEwAw

[Jim Garber]

I think Vintage Fretshop has limited hours these days. I bought something from David last year and he was mostly around i think Thursday and Friday, maybe that is it. I would still try to catch him in terms of getting screw for the gear. You could try some std ones, I suppose. I would take one of the others out to compare to a new one. Good luck.

[Bill Snyder]

Glid those tailpieces are available from Stewart Macdonald here.

[Glid]

Bill, thanks for the link!
Jim, Dave has done great work on my 1923 Thompson Banjo. He has quite a collection of instruments in the back of his store! I've been considering an autoharp for some time now, maybe sooner!