Old mandolin

[shorty1]

Need help dating this kingston mandolin, this was my mother-in-laws grandfathers, so technically it should be pretty old, but it doesn't look anything like the couple I've seen on the forum. It seems to be in really good condition and plays well with the old strings that are on it. Was really curious if it could be dated and what it would be worth.

[JeffD]

That appears to be a Kingston, like the one in this thread, which see (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?80351-Kingston-Mandolins).

Japan or Korea late 60s or 70s? Something like that. Others may know better, or more specifically.

[shorty1]

Thanks for the reply. I must have missed that thread. I'm assuming that since it says "made in Japan" that it was made in Japan, which would put it in the 60's? Also, is there anything that number inside can tell me? Was it typical for the name to be raised on the headstock?

[Nevin]

I remember Kingston as being a brand you saw in some department stores in the late 60's and early 70's. Many Japanese instrument factories at that time made instruments to order for inporters and distributers putting the appropriate name badge on the headstock. Some were plastic or metal badges like this one.

[MikeEdgerton]

I can tell you what they sell for. Less than $100.00 daily on eBay with a variety of labels on them and honestly most of them don't sell. Generally they look like they went under a bed and were never played because they probably did go under a bed and nobody played them. They're pretty common. Sometime in the 70's they switched production to Korea. It could be 60's or 70's. Nobody will have any real serial number information. Treasure it because it belonged to your mother-in-laws grandfather but unfortunately there's no great monetary value there.

[MikeEdgerton]

Here is another Kingston:

http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?80351-Kingston-Mandolins

[JeffD]

I was thinking the shape of that Kingston was very similar to that of my first mandolin, which I played for many years before it destroyed itself in a closed up car one hot summer day.

Except my first mandolin was not a Kingston, it said Tenada on the headstock.

What I learned to day is that I misread that headstock font. I went and dug it out and checked; it is a Terada. In the 70s Terada was a company in Japan that made mandolins and guitars that were sold under various names in the States, including Kingston.

My dad bought it in the late 70s, from a store that rented band instruments, sold a few stringed instruments, and fixed televisions. As I remember he paid $80.00 for it. That mandolin did everything I needed a mandolin to do, for something like six or more years.

[MysTiK PiKn]

Keep it until you meet someone w a serious desire to learn mandolin.

It's a stereotypical Japanese circa 60's, typical hardware. They were never very exciting.

It would be good if it had some problems to fix.
This would also make a good hotrod mando, with a diy 1pc bridge, fretfiled, Tp, and whatever else you think it needs.
You could also learn a lot about repairs with it - except it's better to learn repairs on one that's unplayable, or stepped on, etc. after the children played with it, or used it for a drumstick on concrete. Lots of practice in those. :))