Allen's Stewart f-style mandolin need info about it!

[avinson]

This was my grandfather's mandolin. It has an instruction book with it from 1922, I can't seem to find out when this was made or anything else. I've searched, and can't find any others like it. Notice the reverse curl.

[Jim Garber]

That is one strange mandolin. Can you post larger photos? I have never seen one like that. Check out this thread (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?54017-Samual-Swain-Stewart-Mandolins).

I would guess that is was made in the 1930s or 1940s.

[Givson]

Looks like a reverse-scroll Regal. Didn't they make one version of this instrument with an arched top?

[Paul Kotapish]

Looks like a reverse-scroll Regal. Didn't they make one version of this instrument with an arched top?

Quite a bit different than most of the Regal's I've seen. Here's an example of the classic Regal "reverse-scroll" from Frank Ford's FRETS site (http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Museum/Mandolin/Regal/RegalPearloid/regalpearloid.html).

I don't think I've seen another one exactly like it. That peghead is particularly odd. Good mystery unit.

[mrmando]

An S.S. Stewart, perhaps?

[Jim Garber]

That is one strange mandolin. Can you post larger photos? I have never seen one like that. Check out this thread (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?54017-Samual-Swain-Stewart-Mandolins).

I would guess that is was made in the 1930s or 1940s.


An S.S. Stewart, perhaps?

Yes, that is what I thought. It is hard to see the photos -- they are so small. I linked to a thread about Stewart mandolins (see above).

[Jake Wildwood]

That thing screams one-off Harmony product to me. Just my $0.02 after handling some real oddball late 30s/early 40s Harmony prods.

[Jake Wildwood]

FYI, I love the looks of that thing -- so weird and fun!

[Jim Garber]

More like a whisper since those photos are so small. Please, avinson, post more and larger photos.

I wonder if it has nothing to do with SS Stewart. The wackiness of the headstock reminds me of Giuseppe Nettuno tho the rest of the mandolin pictured here is pretty tame.

[Jake Wildwood]

Well, just a hunch --

But the logo is definitely one of those c.1940 SS Stewart types -- just hard to see the triple S in the main circle with them so small.

http://p1.la-img.com/456/13166/3856874_2_l.jpg

http://www.vintageandrare.com/uploads/products/35195/977576/s.-s.-stewart-6008-1932-big.jpg?1386827895

http://cdn1.gbase.com/usercontent/gear/2212085/p3_u2y1qgqc0_so.jpg

[Jim Garber]

I agree it is most likely SS Stewart and after looking at the OP's tiny pic I would say it is pretty close to the last few that Jake posted. It would be nice if the OP returned to check this thread otherwise, from this point on, we are just shooting in the dark.

I up-resed the headstock photo a bit and you can see some of the detail including the little fleurs-de-lis.

[William Smith]

Very kool looking mandolin, I'd also say its an SS stewart. I haven't seen one like that before, very neat, too bad the photos are so small, I'd like to see bigger pix and some back and side shots. Its more than likely heat pressed back and sides unless its flat? I can't tell by the photos.

[Givson]

As far as I know, S.S. Stewart stopped manufacturing their instruments in 1915, when the company name was sold. So any instrument labeled S.S. Stewart after this date was built by another company.

[Jim Garber]

I think there is little doubt that this is a labelled SS Stewart mandolin but who made it is the bigger question. Also, this style looks pretty unique which is even stranger.

[avinson]

I will post bigger pictures if I can figure out how. Thanks for your input so far.. Allen

[avinson]

By the way, I looked at my weird mandolin again, and it DOES have the "triple S" logo. The outer S's are red, which is why you can't see them. Allen

[MnBluesboy]

Here's another mandolin with a similar shape...no markings and no history at all, except I've had it since the late '70's. still new to this so I hope the attachment worked.

Steve

[Jim Garber]

Steve: What you have is the std Regal reverse scroll. Yours is a flattop with an oval hole, bulbous scroll and two points. The OP's mandolin is arched, has f-holes, an open scroll and one treble point. Also the headstocks are very different: yours has the typical 'Smurf" headstock and the other one has...um... I don't know. For comparison on the the left is the typical reverse scroll sold in large wholesale quantities and marketed under many different names. On the right is the OP's. Similar but not the same mandolin.

[Marty Jacobson]

The "mother of bowling ball" peghead definitely looks like something you'd see just before or after WWII.
But the sophistication - or, really, lack of sophistication- in the design of the OP's instrument indicates, as far a I can tell, that it was a prototype or small builder instrument. The f-holes and general body shape (sans points and scroll) are somewhat similar to the S.S. Stewart Snow Queen instrument that David Grisman used on one Tone Poems track.
111353

[MnBluesboy]

Thanks Jim... Any idea how old it is? Mine has quite the bow in the neck. Should I invest in having it fixed?

Steve


Steve: What you have is the std Regal reverse scroll. Yours is a flattop with an oval hole, bulbous scroll and two points. The OP's mandolin is arched, has f-holes, an open scroll and one treble point. Also the headstocks are very different: yours has the typical 'Smurf" headstock and the other one has...um... I don't know. For comparison on the the left is the typical reverse scroll sold in large wholesale quantities and marketed under many different names. On the right is the OP's. Similar but not the same mandolin.

[Jake Wildwood]

Marty: ...and the "snow queens" seem to have been made by Harmony (they're like a super-upgraded version of the Monterey and Vogue mandos made by Har.), along with many of the SSS archtop guitars at the time.

There's a bogus statement somewhere on the web that Regal was responsible for most SSS output of guitars in the 30s/40s but the large majority I've personally handled and seen were Harmony products.