Vintage Bowl Back Mandolins??

[Big Bert]

Does anyone have any experience with these? Are they good for a starting mandolin, and do repairs such as minor separation affect the quality of sound?

[Jim Garber]

Yes, maybe and yes.

i have lots of experience. What kind of music do you want to play?

As a starter maybe. Partly depends on what you are buying, how much you pay and your experience with vintage instruments in general. Given the quality of lower priced mandolins these days, if you have never played before, I would personally stick to a decently set up simple A style, readily available from quality dealers. Unless, of course, you have your heart set on a bowlback, then I say go for it. But I would not buy anything that had a separated bowl unless you were willing to have it fixed or capable of fixing it yourself. The separation may not affect the sound but the instrument might change over time with that separation left unrepaired.

[JeffD]

Vintage bowlbacks can be fussy, but very very rewarding to play.