Teens Gibson A prices

[Capt. E]

Just picked up a very nice condition, all original 1916 A with OHSC, pickguard, original bridge, tailpiece, tuners, frets etc. No cracks, separations etc with only a small amount of fret wear, excellent action and sounds just fine. Paid $875 for it. Hope to keep this one, not catch and release.

I have noticed $800 - $900 is about the price these have been selling for on ebay these days, perhaps not in quite this condition, but close. Basic A models priced $1200 and above just are not selling. One guitar shop in my city has a teens A that is missing the pickguard and the case that they have priced at $2000. It has been hanging there for 3 years now.

A pre-Loar Era Gibson A continues to be a great bargin.

[Timbofood]

Thanks captain, there go the prices! :grin:

[Jeff Mando]

sounds like a nice one! enjoy it!

[Spruce]

I have noticed $800 - $900 is about the price these have been selling for on ebay these days...

That's just not right... :(


A pre-Loar Era Gibson A continues to be a great bargin.

Well stated...
I've always felt that way, as far back as the early 70's when I paid 600 bucks for a '20 A4, and thought it was a great bargain...

Love to see the A's get the respect they deserve, but I guess there just might too many of them out there for that to happen?

Lovely instruments...

[journeybear]

I paid $850 for my 1917 six years ago, and was happy to have it. Still am. And that's with no pick guard and some surface blems, plus a 5cm crack in the top. Sounds great, and that's all that matters.

It's worth noting that this was about the seventh or eighth one I bid on, as bids got well over $1000 in the previous auctions. No one was bidding on this one for some reason, which is how I got it. Just got lucky for once. ;) So perhaps that means prices have been more or less stable for a while.

[Spruce]

So perhaps that means prices have been more or less stable for a while.

Yeah, like forever...
Certainly the last 40 years that I've been watching...

[RayMan7]

Just curious, does anyone think there will ever be a time when they are considerably more than they are now? I know generally Gibson guitars hold their value/go up but if the old As have been the same for so long do you think it will stay like that?

[Timbofood]

As soon as I decide I really want one, just the way it seems to go for me.;)

[fatt-dad]

Yeah, I gave $75 for my A3 35 years ago. Thought that was a good deal in spite of how it was treated in the original owner's attic.

f-d

[Capt. E]

Considering how well built Gibson A's from the teen are (surviving 100 years or so is pretty good proof) I agree they are worth $1200-$1500. But the market is the market: there are just too many out there. Now, A-2's to A-4's, and certainly F models are another story, but the fact that you can still get a Loar Era A2 for around $2000 or so shows the market is a bit distressed. The fact that there are so many wonderful new instruments being built in the US and abroad has to be a big factor.
Regardless, I was very happy to snatch it up at what I consider to be a bargin price. All original instruments in excellent playing shape are not all that common.

[JeffD]

Just curious, does anyone think there will ever be a time when they are considerably more than they are now? I know generally Gibson guitars hold their value/go up but if the old As have been the same for so long do you think it will stay like that?

Nah. I doubt they will go up considerably. Or down much for that matter. The market is small. Tiny.

Gibson guitars, all vintage guitars, fight for attention in a huge huge market. Vintage mandolins are more like maritime bookends. They have their fans but in general are not that exciting to most people.

[LongBlackVeil]

if the price has remained roughly the same over the years, wouldnt that mean that they are actually dropping in value when you account for inflation?

[journeybear]

Yeah, I gave $75 for my A3 35 years ago. Thought that was a good deal in spite of how it was treated in the original owner's attic.

That's what my mom spent for my first A, 45 years ago, with pickguard and original hardshell case. Adjusting for inflation doesn't account for current prices. They must have been deemed more valuable at some point, and eventually their prices levelled off. Capt. E, I think you got a good price, but not a bargain. A bargain would be half what the going rate is, IMO, so getting one for $600-700 would be something to crow about.

I agree that these were well-built, which accounts for their longevity and desirability. Also, the woods in them have aged nicely and have acquired a vintage sound as a result. I admit freely that I have not played many new instruments from the small builders so often praised around here, so I can't speak with a whole lot of authority as to how they compare to Gibsons. But I am very happy with the way my instruments sound, and so far have resisted MAS. So far ... ;)

[Capt. E]

I agree it was not a "bargin", but was certainly a fair price. Many people have a terribly inflated idea of what they are worth. I see regular Gibson A pre-WW1 mandos being priced at $1200- $1500- $2000 and more. I had just been waiting to find a good all original instrument priced below $900. The last one I had owned I picked up for $550 and sold at a decent profit. I seem to miss having one when the barn is empty.

[mandroid]

I paid $150 for a Gibson A40 in the 70's , $600 for a '22 A -0- in the 80s .
$1350 for a TR '22 A4 in the late 90's .

[barney 59]

If you follow ebay closely there are quite a few A models that sell below the $1000 mark. Pristine examples, Loar Era" Snakeheads excluded but if you know these mandolins you know that an Ajr can sound as nice as an A4. If it doesn't have "The Gibson" on the headstock and you can live with that, if it's not perfect or absolutely original , or maybe in need of minor repair or not in an original box then sometimes they can be had for as little as $600. A few years ago I thought that if you can find a old Gibson A for under $1000 your a fool for not snatching it up because they will only go up in value. (the Pre 2007 vintage instrument gold rush) It seems I was wrong and these things haven't changed much in value since gasoline was a dollar! Part of that is due to ebay I think because so many of them came out of the closet and made available. 30 years ago they seemed so much rarer than they do today and unless you were in some kind of "in crowd" then you were lucky if you were to stumble on one( and mostly it wasn't a stumble but you were on the hunt!) and you pretty much had to buy from a dealer. Dealers still inflate the price and with some justification but they also are in competition with auction sites and classifieds that didn't really exist a few years ago so they probably have to pay more and sell for less of a mark up than they did in the past. If you buy from a good dealer you might have to pay a premium of maybe $500 or so but what you get might be worth it. It was probably inspected and repaired, if needed, by someone that knows what they're looking at. It will be properly set up before they hang it and it will be what they say it is and if you discover a problem they are in a position to make it right-- not a bad deal for someone that just wants to play the thing! The one area that I find that the price is way more than you would think they should be is complete basket cases! There must be a lot of amateur luthiers out there that will pay a big premium for a fun project. There's a F4 on ebay right now with a nasty neck heel crack and started at really low price. It instantly went up about $1200 with 6 days left. I haven't looked for a day or two but I wouldn't be surprised if it goes for $3500 which is about all an F4 with a repaired neck heal crack is worth!

[Randy Smith]

. I see regular Gibson A pre-WW1 mandos being priced at $1200- $1500- $2000 and more.

This seems about what they go for, the "regular" pre-WW1 mandolins being the A, A-1, and A-2. A-3s are often a bit more and A4s almost always are. F2s seem to go for about 4K now and nice F4s for 5 or 6K.

[mandopaul]

How about the plain A snakehead, what should these be going for? I see quite a few of the plainer A with prices 2,600 to 2,950.

Kind of crazy, since these are not that much different in body shape (except for the neck / headstock) than the teens plain A.

[fatt-dad]

All original (including case and pick guard), snakehead A? I'd go $2,200 and likely love it for life! I would not go to $3K though.

f-d

[pheffernan]

How about the plain A snakehead, what should these be going for? I see quite a few of the plainer A with prices 2,600 to 2,950.

Retrofret has this one for $4200: http://www.retrofret.com/products.asp?ProductID=3552

[mandopaul]

Now that one is a darn firesale price. Must be the rare black top, huh? :confused:

[Jeff Mando]

As far as prices go, I consider eBay a high-wholesale marketplace, certainly not the top end of what an instrument may bring. In a better market, like a tourist spot with high traffic, a major city, a "landlocked" college town, etc., I think the same instrument could easily bring much more. Of course, many eBay sellers work from home and don't have any overhead, either. So.....

[Capt. E]

Very true, especially when it comes to items with a relatively small market. Brick and mortar retailers have their overhead etc and a good condition vintage instrument will sell for more. There is value in being able to handle and play before buying. I was fortunate to be able to do so; though I was perfectly willing to buy from a distance and have done so many times.

[barney 59]

As far as prices go, I consider eBay a high-wholesale marketplace, certainly not the top end of what an instrument may bring. In a better market, like a tourist spot with high traffic, a major city, a "landlocked" college town, etc., I think the same instrument could easily bring much more. Of course, many eBay sellers work from home and don't have any overhead, either. So.....

I think of it as something similar to a flea market than a wholesale market place. At a flea market you have dealers that come every week and people that are moving or just cleaned out the garage and this is a one time event for them. The dealers want what they want and if they don't get their price they'll keep it until they do knowing they have another shot at the next flea market. The other people want to get some money for the things they have but part of the motivation is to not bring it back home, that's where the deals are, especially near the end of the day! Same thing happens on ebay. I like that listers have some positive feedback but not too much. I don't shy away from things that have little or non when it comes to feedback either. I try to access each situation individually. There are quite a few people that happen on stuff -like an estate/ cleaning out Granddad's closets etc. and decide maybe the can get something if they list it on ebay. Sometimes they'll do some research and completely get it wrong not understanding that their thing isn't the same thing as the $7000 thing they found on the internet and have unrealistic expectations but others times they let things go for really great prices just to get rid of it. I did a thing a while back that I posted on a tread here where I had kept track of all the A model Gibson's that SOLD on ebay over a long period of time. What they were ,condition and price that they sold for.Asking prices don't count,no sales don't count,only completed auctions. I haven't done that for a while but I'm thinking it's time to do that again, it would be interesting to compare now with a couple of years ago.

[Capt. E]

That would be great. I agree Buy-It-Now sales should not count, only auctions. Could be a bit complicated analyzing the numbers: Model, Condition, Date of manufacture, etc. Maybe start an excel spreadsheet.

[barney 59]

Not hard - Go to mandolin write in "Gibson" and you'll get (most) of the Gibson mandolins that are on ebay --there are sometimes others hiding places on there.(By the way those lost or improperly listed items can be the best bargains if you can stumble on them) click the ones your interested in on to your watch list and when they end write 'em down. The problem with buy it now's is that you can never be sure what the final price was, there may have been some haggling that went on. One's that sell at auction the final price is public. If I have enough information I can figure out the date. A lot of the dates supplied by the sellers are often incorrect. Condition is often a guess of course and the ones that sell for the lowest prices are sometimes due to having the worst pictures and scanty information. But we're trying to figure out averages here---throw out the highest 10% and the lowest 10% I figure. Someone will always pay too much and sometimes one falls through the cracks. I missed out on a perfect boxed set of Berg chisels the other day because I slept at the wheel --but no one else got them either because no one bid,my bad! An A2z or a perfectly preserved A4 can change the averages by quite a lot. What I was really trying to come up with was the prices for average "players" 'cause I think Gibson A models are something that every mandolin player should have and probably can because there are so many of them and compared to the price of a new mandolin with anything close to that quality would have to be considered dirt cheap!

[Capt. E]

Actually you can search the last 3 months of completed auctions pretty easily on ebay.
1. enter your search words in the search bar (Gibson mandolin in string)
2. When you have refined the catagories look to the upper right and click "advanced"
3. Check "completed listings", select Format and perhaps Condition, then press Search.
You will get a list of completed auctions with prices etc. for the last 3 months.

Instruments in Excellent all original condition with perhaps modest repairs and the OHSC:
A going for right around $850-900
A-1's a bit more, perhaps $900-1000
A-2's perhaps $1100-1300
A-3's $1400-1600
A-4's $1700-1900

One A2Z missing the pickguard but with the OHSC went for $3605.55
One all original Loar Era A1 went for $2500 without the OHSC

[Jeff Mando]

I think of it as something similar to a flea market than a wholesale market place. At a flea market you have dealers that come every week and people that are moving or just cleaned out the garage and this is a one time event for them. The dealers want what they want and if they don't get their price they'll keep it until they do knowing they have another shot at the next flea market. The other people want to get some money for the things they have but part of the motivation is to not bring it back home, that's where the deals are, especially near the end of the day!

My definition of flea market would be along the lines of cheap prices with low to no overhead. Places like that I've purchased instruments for $50 that were worth $1000, because I had a more specific knowledge of the item being sold and what it was worth in the retail marketplace, than the seller had. And also because I was there at 5am walking around with a flashlight when every normal person was in bed! Paying $875 for an instrument that is worth $1300-1500 is a great deal, but I would consider that high-wholesale, from the perspective of a dealer buying to resell. (me) In other words, I would do it all day long if I could buy at $875 and sell at $1300. You are right, there are steals everyday on eBay, if you have time (hours and hours to search and refresh the new listings) mostly these are Buy It Now listings. Once in a while I do win something on auction that I thought would go much higher and it is a nice surprise. Like when an auction ends during the Super Bowl or the 4th of July and I'm the only one on eBay!

[Capt. E]

My parents were antique dealers and I have done my share of picking. Ebay is similar and not similar to a fleamarket. It has helped a lot to inform people as to the value of their items and also caused confusion and mis-understanding. To me the biggest down side is it takes much of the fun out of collecting. Things that you used to come across only rarely (such as vintage Gibson Mandolins) have become easy to find. This actually has depressed the market for many many things. Ebay though, is not the best place to look for the truly rare and valuable (such as Loyd Loar F-5's). For these you still have to go to the specialist dealers or the original sources such as estate sales.

[barney 59]

Well, once in a lifetime deals are just that and at that they only happen to a small percentage of people that spend a lifetime looking. ebay is not a very likely place for that to happen. I know for certain that a great many dealers watch ebay everyday and I have personally lost out to Banana and Eric Schoenberg on instruments that I recognized as diamonds in the rough hoping that I would be the only one that did. That was when you could still know the screen name of the bidders and it was possible to actually communicate with them. (ebay has long ago fixed that saying they are protecting our privacy, but really it is to stop people from end running them.) It was more fun then. I went through a parlor guitar period and there were only about a dozen names that would appear on almost every auction and probably accounted for a least a quarter of all the purchases of mid level parlor guitars. It got to the point that you felt you knew them--when something really good showed up though there was a different set of players! Too many people with a knowledge of what they are looking for frequent ebay--it's too public, your not going to stumble on a undiscovered Van Gogh there without a whole bunch of other people seeing what your seeing! I used the idea of a flea market because at a flea market and ebay there are professional vendors and amateurs in the same place. The professionals are likely to know what they have and hold out for the money when they have a special item, the amateur maybe doesn't know it's true worth. It's true about the Superbowl or listings that end in the wee hours of the morning but the smart vendors make sure that their listings don't end then!

[lenf12]

$875 for a teens Gibson A is a pretty solid purchase imo. Back in the mid 70's (when I bought my F-4), I looked at quite a few Gibson A models that were priced from ~$250 to $350 depending on the model, condition and originality. To have only risen to a nominal $875 (factor inflation?) 40 years later is pretty amazing. Obviously, you didn't buy it as an investment (unlike the cognicenti back then in the 70's who were buying F-5s from the twenties for just a few $K). I have never been troubled with an over abundance of cash so spending $5,000 on a Loar signed F-5 (back then) was never a consideration. However, I would find it very difficult to pass up a really good, all original teens Gibby A at $875 if I didn't have a nice oval hole mandolin already. Play it in good health!!

Len B.
Clearwater, FL

[Capt. E]

I just remembered that my Gibson 1916 A came with an insurance appraisal letter from Mandolin Bros. dated March 2009 that gave a value of $1500. Of course insurance value and sale price are not the same thing.

[Steve Ostrander]

I just missed out on a 1906 punkin' top for $450 on CL. Damn the luck....

[fatt-dad]

this will be an interesting thread in 10 years!

f-d

[Capt. E]

Very true. It is already interesting in light of the state of the market 10 years ago.

The last A-1 to sell on ebay today went for $554.54 plus shipping. It was missing the pickguard, had a modern case and the finish was average with no cracks. The A-1 before that went for $781.45. It had the pickguard, original HSC, in excellent condition.

We'll depend on you to bump the thread in 10 years.

[Jeff Mando]

Sounds like a buyers market, right now!

[barney 59]

We're about 6 years into a buyers market. Not the really cool stuff mind you, that stuff is always going to increase in value I believe but everything in the middle crashed with the crash and hasn't gone up very much since if at all. I had a plan back before 2007 and was buying old instruments to restore and saw it as a potential little money maker,sort of hobby, retirement, business thing. I can't play with the big boys or dabble in the high end collector grade instruments but the prices of things like A model Gibson's or Washburn guitars where rising at a pretty good pace for a few years there until it stopped and when it stopped it really stopped!
but----
I've had another thought about the vintage market in instruments----baby boomers---were baby boomers driving the market? Boomers, of which I am one, are now hitting retirement age. They have passed their peak of earning potential and had several years of probably having a period with a little extra cash to throw around, you know kids gone etc.. I don't think at this point I'll ever be able to retire and am destined to probably drop dead on the job but hitting that age my priorities have changed a lot! Instead of MAS I am suddenly satisfied with the nice instruments that I am fortunate to have acquired. When I look at what Social Security will come to if when I start collecting it it's a good thing that I'm happy with what I have 'cause when I count it up I'm a little worried about food! So --just wondering- is the generation behind or the one behind that as interested in vintage instruments as my generation has been, because we really were! If they're not then it's a different ball game. I don't know if people that frequent a site like this would be the best people to know--people here reading this thread are likely to say "Well, of course we are!" Dealers would know maybe. They know what comes through the door and what leaves with a purchase.

[mandopaul]

I am on the tail end of the Boomers. The ones behind us, I don't think will have near as much interest, heck, I don't think they will have any Social Security at all if this country keeps going like it is....then the bottom will drop out for real - but will be kept up somewhat by foreign buyers who will step in (the ones who will be able to)

I bought an old teens plain A a few years back that I had fixed up - back was shrunken in a few areas and turned out to be a killer sounding mandolin. It cost just shy of 1075 after purchase & repairs.
I would like to get a snakehead (or near the year these were made) but find the prices are not very friendly....or a nice F-2 or something. But these prices of 4 -6500 for the F? I wish I was around buying these in the early 80's or late 70's. Probably could get them for 3-400.

[ollaimh]

I agree the teens gibsons are a good deal, if maintained and played. that quality sound cannot be bought in a new mandolin for anything like a grand. I bought an a 4 from 1919 recently. two repared cracks but stable and well played and a cannon, and I have a 1924 blacktop snakehead a 0, with a2 binding and a4 sound hole rosette and a resonator back. it's a cannon, I love it.

there aren't many of those and the ones I have played do sound the best--if maintained and well played but the other teens models are near.
the a's have a bigger resonating area inside and I think the best ones sound better than f's--but I have never heard an f5 from 1923 up close.

[michaelcj]

$800.00 for my 1919 A2 w OHSC…. That was couple of years ago. No pick guard, had to reglue the traverse brace and repair one tight crack. Worth it to me, I'm not a collector. Like the way it sounds plays and SMELLS.

MJ

[Capt. E]

Just checking out ebay today and there seems to be a flood of teens-20's A body Gibbys. They range from a repairable A for under $300 to $2500 for a very nice A-4. There are also four snakehead A-1's $2600 - $2995 and a snakehead Jr with a starting price of $800. Sure are quite a few to choose from. Can't say they are hard to find.

[brunello97]

"Gibby". :( The proverbial fingernails on the chalkboard.

Thanks for the interesting information, though.

Mick

[Jeff Mando]

"Gibby". :( The proverbial fingernails on the chalkboard.

Is that like calling a Martin, a "Marty" for short....?

[Capt. E]

"Gibby". :( The proverbial fingernails on the chalkboard.

Thanks for the interesting information, though.

Mick
Yeah, I was reluctant to write that...never again. It demeans a great name.

[brunello97]

.... It demeans a great name.

Well put, amigo.

Mick

[Capt. E]

...I bought an old teens plain A a few years back that I had fixed up - back was shrunken in a few areas and turned out to be a killer sounding mandolin. It cost just shy of 1075 after purchase & repairs...

That is still about right. My current plain A didn't need any repairs, but the bridge (original) was way too high. Paid $850 with a , $80 for bridge and set up work, new strings, a McClung armrest, a good neck strap and I am right at $1000. Add a good condition OHSC and $1200 would not be too much. There are so many out there you don't need to spend more

[LongBlackVeil]

I actually believe a teens A4 is a really good deal at somewhere under 2500. Now that ive played one, and compared it to my a junior. I believe they have more clarity because of their maple backs as opposed to the birch that is most often on lower models. I dont think theres many better oval hole mandolins around that price range that would be a better buy*

Plus they look oh so cool, id like to have one thats for sure :)

*with the exception of a good old wave, imo

[Cary Fagan]

Can't resist giving my experience. I kept looking for a less expensive Gibson A and finally found a jr on ebay that a cafe member had restored. The body was in perfect shape but the finish had deteriorated and the fretboard (I wonder if it was in a basement for decades) so he refinished it in pumpkin top colours, put on a new fretboard and tuners. The farthest thing from collectible but it looked really nice and I liked the idea of it having none of the usual possible issues. Paid $675. When it arrived I was a little disappointed with the sound which was very tight and not very loud and several times I considered selling it when, after a year of playing it off and on, it suddenly opened up. Sounded like a different instrument, sweet, with more sustain, and louder. I kept trying it because I couldn't believe it. Glad I didn't sell it, I love the thing.

[bingoccc]

At the risk of adding insult to injury. I'm going to suggest occasionally checking Guitar Center's Used Gear listings. Just enter Gibson and select "misc. stringed instruments". Leave to search set to "national". They have a fairly good return policy http://guitarcenter.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1388/session/L3RpbWUvMTQxMTA0MzQyOS9zaWQvd1VscWhJMm0%3D and they will certainly entertain offers below the asking price. They won't have a lot but they always have some. http://used.guitarcenter.com/usedGear/index.cfm

[LongBlackVeil]

Can't resist giving my experience. I kept looking for a less expensive Gibson A and finally found a jr on ebay that a cafe member had restored. The body was in perfect shape but the finish had deteriorated and the fretboard (I wonder if it was in a basement for decades) so he refinished it in pumpkin top colours, put on a new fretboard and tuners. The farthest thing from collectible but it looked really nice and I liked the idea of it having none of the usual possible issues. Paid $675. When it arrived I was a little disappointed with the sound which was very tight and not very loud and several times I considered selling it when, after a year of playing it off and on, it suddenly opened up. Sounded like a different instrument, sweet, with more sustain, and louder. I kept trying it because I couldn't believe it. Glad I didn't sell it, I love the thing.

if you havent yet, you should really try putting on a tonegard on your JR. I put one on mine and was so impressed by the improvement in sound that ive decided to leave it on all the time. Its not just volume, it just sounds bigger, and also had more treble response.

[Capt. E]

At the risk of adding insult to injury. I'm going to suggest occasionally checking Guitar Center's Used Gear listings. Just enter Gibson and select "misc. stringed instruments". Leave to search set to "national". They have a fairly good return policy http://guitarcenter.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1388/session/L3RpbWUvMTQxMTA0MzQyOS9zaWQvd1VscWhJMm0%3D and they will certainly entertain offers below the asking price. They won't have a lot but they always have some. http://used.guitarcenter.com/usedGear/index.cfm

I agree, Guitar Center isn't devoid of shopping opportunities and they occasionally get some nice trade-ins. Guy inherits grand-pa's mando but really wants an electric guitar...

[pheffernan]

if you havent yet, you should really try putting on a tonegard on your JR. I put one on mine and was so impressed by the improvement in sound that ive decided to leave it on all the time. Its not just volume, it just sounds bigger, and also had more treble response.

If so, make sure to buy the Vintage Gard for the wider teens A body. I picked up a used one locally on Craigslist for $50 and found it a useful addition to both my Gibson snakehead and my Hester "Loar Tribute" A5. :mandosmiley:

[pheffernan]

I agree, Guitar Center isn't devoid of shopping opportunities and they occasionally get some nice trade-ins.

Not only that, but they often offer very attractive financing options, like twelve months with zero interest, to qualified buyers.

[LongBlackVeil]

If so, make sure to buy the Vintage Gard for the wider teens A body. I picked up a used one locally on Craigslist for $50 and found it a useful addition to both my Gibson snakehead and my Hester "Loar Tribute" A5. :mandosmiley:

Is it only the teens As that have the wider body? I use the same gard on my weber as I do my A jr.

[pheffernan]

Is it only the teens As that have the wider body? I use the same gard on my weber as I do my A jr.

"VintageGards (6-ray design) are for mandolins that are 10-3/16″ across the back, such as old round-hole Gibsons, Weber Absarokas, some of the other Webers (including some F models) some Hillburns, Newsons, etc. If you have one of these instruments, please get the Vintage, and don’t try to bend out the arms of a Sunrise or Deco to force a fit. It won't work."

http://www.tone-gard.com/faqs

[LongBlackVeil]

Oh really? So the webers are wider also? That makes sense because I bought a custom tonegard with the weber logo, it was probably made to fit Webers. There wasn't any bending involved to fit it onto the A Jr

Either way Ive really fallen in love with its sound all over again since I started using the tonegard.

[oldwave]

About 4 years ago I bought a plain a paddle head Loar era in pristine shape with original case and pick guard for 1200
I must admit I copped the pick guard and tailpiece cover for my 23 F 4 before giving it to my daughter. It is a superb instrument. Underrated and a great buy these A models.

[manfromankle]

Looking at these prices I'm sure I paid more than I should have for my A Jr (£1300), but I don't regret it because it's such a lovely mandolin, it's all relative to how much you want to pay I guess.