Please help identifying this old mandolin

[jake.lampy]

Hey there. its on the local selling ads. owner doesn't know what it is. It appears to be a carved mandolin, almost looks like a gibson junior but many features tell me that its not. Thanks in advance!
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[Ray(T)]

Gibson copy post 1924?

[MikeEdgerton]

That is nice, I don't think it ever saw Kalamazoo unless somebody took it there when they went there on vacation or to visit a friend. It's most definitely copied after a Gibson. I'd buy that in a heartbeat and be proud to own it.

Frank Kordick, the man that ran Regal in Chicago had a love affair with some Gibson designs. Bob Carlin's Regal Musical Instruments (http://www.amazon.com/Regal-Musical-Instruments-Bob-Carlin/dp/1574242733/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454940155&sr=8-2&keywords=regal+guitar+book) book details a few guitars that Regal built that had the same shape as certain Gibson models. Whoever built this had the same thing going on. It looks like a decent mandolin.

[jake.lampy]

That is nice, I don't think it ever saw Kalamazoo unless somebody took it there when they went there on vacation or to visit a friend. It's most definitely copied after a Gibson. I'd buy that in a heartbeat and be proud to own it.

Frank Kordick, the man that ran Regal in Chicago had a love affair with some Gibson designs. Bob Carlin's Regal Musical Instruments (http://www.amazon.com/Regal-Musical-Instruments-Bob-Carlin/dp/1574242733/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1454940155&sr=8-2&keywords=regal+guitar+book) book details a few guitars that Regal built that had the same shape as certain Gibson models. Whoever built this had the same thing going on. It looks like a decent mandolin.

Thanks for the info guys. I'd buy but he said the neck is coming away from the body and there is also some seam separation... Top is coming off. I could get it for $150 but it needs lots of work. What do you think

[MikeEdgerton]

At that price it's still not bad but you'd have to be able to repair it cheap. It wouldn't be worth much more than that with no provenance even if it was repaired.

[jake.lampy]

Am I wrong or are those Gibson tuning machines? Looks like a great mando.. Too bad needs a lot of work

[MikeEdgerton]

Those are old Waverly tuning machines, no relation to the new ones. The tailpiece is the cheaper version. The mandolin itself is interesting, the parts not so much.

[Jeff Mando]

Looks like an old copy, a reasonable one, at that. No truss rod and the action seems to be high as you go up the fretboard. But for $150 I'd take a chance. The action might come down after everything is glued back and given a setup. Nice looking old mandolin, IMHO.