Brendan A
Mar-15-2015, 11:44pm
So yeah, title gives a nice overview. I recently inherited this mandolin from my Grandpa, and I got it from my Grandma last Sunday. As far as I know, he got in an auction in St. Louis, but I couldn't tell you when he bought it. This is my first mandolin, so I've just got a few things to show and some questions about it as well.
Here's a general overview of the body, which has an interesting shape to it.
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I took it to a shop last week to get it put in playable condition. I asked them if they knew who the maker might be because there aren't any markings on it that give anything away. They initially suspected Larson, but changed their mind when I picked it up and think it might be homemade/Italian.
Here's a close up of the purfling by the tone hole and by the "scroll", though it's more of a point.
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Moving down, here's the tailpiece. I kind of like how it looks, because it adds character and shows the age of the instrument as well (though I have no idea how it could be). The biggest downside of this mandolin is that there isn't a spot for me to put a strap on the bottom, so it's difficult to hold and play. I've found the easiest way to play it is to put the bottom point on my knee as a rest, and angle the instrument up and play.
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Here's a shot of the neck as well. The third fret was replaced at some point, but it needs to be leveled out.
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Finally, here's a shot of the back of the mandolin. The back was cracked at one point, but patched. There's also a nice crack on the back of the head as well, so I feel like these happened at the same time. The lacquer on the back is uneven, and it's the same with the sides, which makes me feel like this was homemade.
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So with all of that, would you guys have any idea as to who made this/where it might have come from? Also, if you could give any tips on holding it properly, that would be much appreciated!
Here's a general overview of the body, which has an interesting shape to it.
131816
I took it to a shop last week to get it put in playable condition. I asked them if they knew who the maker might be because there aren't any markings on it that give anything away. They initially suspected Larson, but changed their mind when I picked it up and think it might be homemade/Italian.
Here's a close up of the purfling by the tone hole and by the "scroll", though it's more of a point.
131817131818
Moving down, here's the tailpiece. I kind of like how it looks, because it adds character and shows the age of the instrument as well (though I have no idea how it could be). The biggest downside of this mandolin is that there isn't a spot for me to put a strap on the bottom, so it's difficult to hold and play. I've found the easiest way to play it is to put the bottom point on my knee as a rest, and angle the instrument up and play.
131821
Here's a shot of the neck as well. The third fret was replaced at some point, but it needs to be leveled out.
131819
Finally, here's a shot of the back of the mandolin. The back was cracked at one point, but patched. There's also a nice crack on the back of the head as well, so I feel like these happened at the same time. The lacquer on the back is uneven, and it's the same with the sides, which makes me feel like this was homemade.
131820
So with all of that, would you guys have any idea as to who made this/where it might have come from? Also, if you could give any tips on holding it properly, that would be much appreciated!