1936 mandolin w/ violin scroll head. ivory binding, ivory tuners

[Earl Kayoss]

Howdy folks.

I went back and grabbed that other mandolin today.
Thx for helping me with the sunfish mandolin.

this one...
i hoped not to ask so many questions of you and attempted google searches on this mandolin but came up with absolute zero. not even a mention.

if you good folks could help me with this one, that'd be awesome, i am quite fond of i already.

of note:

1. says 'ramango' 'luthier" 1936, new york, e. 22nd st. on label inside
2. headstock is not cracked all around the back, its a compartment to the tuners.
3. ther pickguard was 'embossed' with a name i cant read now, i tried to photo it.
4. ivory tuners
5. ivory binding
6. pearl dots.
7. a 2 inch bit of binding is gone from the top side of the neck along the side, near neck joint
8. has a crack in the top but, wood is dry, that'll completely seal with moisturization, for now.
i moistened the sunfish and the cradck sealed.
9. the case is in such nice shape, green plush case.,, seems original.
10. violin carved headstock
11. nothing as far as a model # i can see anywhere
12. the scroll itself has "ramango" / "New York" embossed on the face of the head.
13. i like the wood on the back and sides, its purty.
14. i paid $50 total. is that a fair price or did I get ripped?
15. i literally can find no info at all anywhere onn this thing. can you help me?
i have 20+ photos.

[Earl Kayoss]

photos....

[Earl Kayoss]

last....

[sumibuilt]

Holy Cow!!! I'd risk putting my career as a professional amateur mandolin dealer on the line and say "You done good". Everyone was trying to copy the Gibsons of the day, but this maker was obviously chasing after Lyon& Healy on this one, taking artistic liberties of course. It looks like they knew what they were doing for the most part. I like the trap door tuners. Can't say as I've seen another like it.

[Ed Goist]

Fantastic looking mandolin! Congratulations.
I love how from the side the peghead looks like a Viking ship, and the tuners look like it's oars in the water! Primo.
I think you'll want to do something fairly quickly about the top crack (?). I'd be afraid that the string tension combined with the crack could cause failure of the top. However, I'm no expert, and I'm hoping a luthier or qualified repair person will chime in.
Cool dog too.

[Earl Kayoss]

have you ever heard of this builder? Ramango. 1936. e. 22nd st. NY.
i couldnt find zilch, and i tried hard.
it, to me, looks like he thought it out before he built it and cared about the biuld.
if thats true, i find it hard to believe there's no info on "Ramango" out there.

thx.

is it worth more than $50?
No way in heck i'll ever sell it.
i am merely curious because i literally know nothing at this point.
i just figured i can get the 2 inch binding replaced rather easily, moisturize it and have a faiyly decent mandolin at that point for $50... + binding cost.

- e

[Earl Kayoss]

thx gents.
it actually is much prettier than these photos indicate.
much much actually.

i have 2 english bulldogs, i rescued them both.

the crack aint so bad, altho it obviously sux but...
i have damp sponges inside it now and
i will leave it in there for 3 days in the case and when i open it,
the crack will be "gone"...
although we'll know its really still there but i did this with the sunfish mandolin and it fixed the hairline crack.

[Charles E.]

Another cool mandolin, wow. I looks like the builder was useing Lyon and Healy as an inspiration for this instrument. I like his take on the scroll, reminds me of Caspar de Salo.

[Earl Kayoss]

if i just post 2 photos, will they post larger?

[Ed Goist]

Hi Earl; yes - Folks can click the thumbnail to make it bigger, and then click it again to make it bigger still.
That back wood is gorgeous! Maybe Cherry?
Oh, and I'm far from an expert when it comes to determining instrument value, but I'd say it's worth WAY more than $50. I wouldn't accept any offers until hearing from the experts here.

[Earl Kayoss]

also of note:

the top is amazing.

it is extremely arched and
extremely bowled at the same time and that is the design, not defect.

its really really arched up as it approaches the sound hole, then,
it bowls itself approaching the string saddle down there and flairs up again remarkably as it reaches the edge, all the way around down there in the lower poortion of the top.
its extremely dimensional this top.
its really neat to see.
its extreley contoured.
it feels nice to touch it.

[Earl Kayoss]

thx 4 the insight on the photo enlargement, Ed.
I didnt know but I am glad to know now. i wanna try it.

- e

[MikeEdgerton]

I need to hang out where you hang out. The case is worth about 2 bills. I haven' got this name anywhere in anything I have. It would appear that somebody admired the old L&H mandolins. By 1936 they weren't being made anymore by Lyon and Healy. I've going to guess the tuners probably are imprinted Waverly. The tailpiece is a standard Waverly cloud tailpiece. The headstock is a piece of work.

[Earl Kayoss]

it may very well be cherry, now that you metion it.
too bad my camera is lousy.
we're really not seeing the true beauty of this thing here.
it really looks 10x better in hand.
my camera rots.
and it was cloudy as heck outside.

[MikeEdgerton]

The tuners appear to be F style tuners reversed. Can you take a pictures with the cover off the back of the headstock?

[MikeEdgerton]

Here's the inspiration for this thing:

Frank Fords frets.com Museum Lyon and Healy mandocello

[Earl Kayoss]

thx 4 that photo link, Ed.
they look remarkably similar.
even the pickguard.
like i said, pickguard is embossed.
i think i'll do a pencil shading of the guard and see if i can read whats embossed in the guard.

normally. i'd be real hesitant about removing the back wood on the back of the headstock because
i am so mechanically challenged but since you folks have been so kind to me,
when i get back from chinese food with my girl,
i'll try to pop a shot of that head stock w/ the back plate removed.
i promise i'll do it,
i just dont know how quickly i'll get to it.
i wil try to do it sometime today/this evening though.

any estimate on value?
on the mandolin itself?


p.s. - he has one more. it says "stadium" on the head and the head is shaped like the sunfish mandolin and the name is applied to the head much the same way as "washington" was applied to the head os the sunfish. it has black tuners tho.
thx.

- e

[Bill Snyder]

Earl, it seems that you think re-hydrating your mandolins will take of the cracks. IT DOES NOT! They are still there, just closed up. You need to get them fixed or they will become a problem.

[BradKlein]

Hi Earl,

This instrument was made by R.A. Mango, a New York City luthier, who also made guitars. This is an obscure and relatively valuable instrument. By far the best source I know for an appraisal and possible sale of this instrument is the instrument shop that I have sometimes worked for here in Brooklyn, RetroFret/Musurgia. They are honest brokers, and one of the few dealers who have handled Mango instruments before.

Here is their contact information:
Retrofret - New York String Service
233 Butler Street | Brooklyn, New York, 11217 USA
718 237 6092 Voice | 718 237 6092 Fax

[Charles E.]

What I find amazing is that the antique shop where he purchased them had two very obscure mandolins at the same time. Also, as a first time mandolin buyer, his first two instruments are rare, obscure instruments! He did not have to own a cheap Pac Rim or any such mandolin, he went streight to the cool stuff. And I might add for under $ 100.oo!

[Earl Kayoss]

Brad, you totally rock!!!

I feel pretty embarrassed now.
i thought it was "Ramango", no wonder why google truned up zilch.

I will 100% get in touch with the folks you gave me contact info for.
maybe i can send them this link.
i can certainly send them photos.
plus...
i am only 40 mins. west of Brooklyn.

(I ran into Brooklyn about 5 nights ago to pick up a guitar on Ave. U.
(a steal!!) an $800 guitar for $200. )

well its 6:15pm here in NY now.
maybe that shop is closed but i will try caLLIng there anyways.

Listen, all you guys rock, really and...

no, as I alluded to above,
i do not think moisture solves the crack.
i know to bring it to a luthier and I will.
but, it does temporarily seal it and it just makes me feel better to see it seal.
'the sunfish sealed real nice from the moisture.
but i know this doent fix it in the slightest.
basically, its hairline cracked from being dry so, minimally,
i feel hydrating it will do it some good.

Ok, lemme try to call that shop and I will let you good folks know what they say.
I hope you dont mind i mention this forum told me to contact them.

also, there's one more mandolin there, the "stadium" I mentioned.
is it anything worthwhile?
I can probably nail ir for $25 but it has a &5 sticker on it.

thx so much guys.
its fun for me to learn this stuff. you guys are truly amazing.

- e

[Earl Kayoss]

i called, i missed them by 20 mins. they close at 6pm on saturdAY.
when i reach them, i will tell you what they say.

can anyone gimme a legit estimaTe on what one may expect to pay to have a hairline crack repaired caused by dryness?
i have no idea.
i am new to mandolins.
i even paid $20 for someone to string up the sunfish for me. thats how little i know but,
i wanna learn how to string it up and do it myself from now on.
someone said it was difficult to do.

- e

[Earl Kayoss]

they are closed on sunday so, looks like i cant reach them til monday.
i did leave a message on their machine.

- e

[Earl Kayoss]

googling around for "r.a. mango" dont even turn up much...
about 4 links.
in one of them,

Mandolin Bros. in NY was asking $13k for an r.a. mango acoustic guitar. thats a chunk of change.
i think from the little i've seen that his mandolins are rarer than his guitars.
comparing a guitar to a mandolin is not apples to apples so...
now the curiosity is building.
i wonder what the mando is worth.
whoever owned it all these yrs. took pretty decent care of it.
its in nice shape. relatively.

[bmac]

Restringing the mando is not difficult to do.... but I would suggest doing it one string at a time... read frets.com on stringing instruments,,,, there is a right way and lots of wrong ways. By "one string at a time" I mean remove one string, replace... Remove second string, replace, and down the line. People tend to get into trouble when they remove all the strings and then try to restring from scratch. It gets easier and faster and as you know it can be costly to have someone else do it.

You have majic eyeballs to find instruments of this quality at those prices. Amazing finds.