Gibson Mandola

[Randolph]

I stumbled upon a 1916 H-1 in a local music store. Its in pretty good shape, no cracks or top collapse, with original bridge and pickguard. The neck has a very slight twist towards the bass side and enough curve to make fretting difficult. It looks like the action needs to come down 5mm or so at the twelveth fret. Can the action be corrected by shaving the bridge base without affecting the intonation? (which is almost spot-on right now even with the warp) Also, is it possible to clean some of the grunge off of the body without damaging the finish? Oh, almost forgot: asking price is $1500. Is this reasonable? Thanks. Randolph

[danb]

Hmm.. it probably needs a niew finger board to correct the warping, if that's possible.. it'd clean fine.. I'd ask if they'd also do the work to make it playable, and for how much. That's a tricky one..

[Randolph]

Dan, Thanks for the reply. The folks at the music store had it checked by a reputable luthier who said that a $30-$50 bridge shave would bring it within playable range. The bow in the neck is at the second through fourth fret and then it's a straight shot from there to the bridge. He also thinks that the "grunge" on the back is water staining, possibly caused by condensation from being in the case (top side down) for many years. Ah, decisions, decisions. If anyone else has input, please speak up. Since there is another geezer with MAS anxious to by it, I told the folks I would decide by this afternoon. Thanks. Randolph

[keithd]

Randolph,

My two cents: How does the mandola sound? If it's got a good tone, then it's probably worth the extra money to set up properly. But it sounds like you may need to be prepared to spend another $500 or so for the new fret board. There's probably plenty of other Gibson mandolas out there, but they don't show up close to hand like that too often. Maybe if you go in with $1K in cash and make the offer, they'll take it. Let us know what happens.

Keith

[Randolph]

Keith, The shop had another buyer that was more excited than I was. They were kind enough to offer me "right of first refusal" so to speak. Alas, fearing a bad case of buyers remorse if the simple bridge shave was not enough of a fix, I let go of this one. I hope the new owner has fun playing her. Randolph

[jim simpson]

I have seen a couple of these lately for around $2000. I know one had a headstock/neck repair done to it. If you could find one for $2000 with no issues, you'd probably be better off. The neck twist would have had me concerned.

[Randolph]

Jim, thanks. Although this mandola was in fairly good condition (my guess being that it had been played lightly then put away for many years) the neck problems gave me pause. I liked the tone but sensed the frustration of not getting the playabilty right without major time/money headaches. Randolph

[evanreilly]

Elderly still has the Loar-signed Mandola for sale. Big bucks, tho.
It sure looks booteyful, tho. Bet it plays as good as it looks.

[Randolph]

Evan, Yes...the Loar. The mandola I was considering was closer to the 1913 for sale at Elderly. The top was not nearly as "pumpkinized" as the Elderly, probably because of years of solitary confinement in the case. I would consider the Elderly H-1, but I am very skittish about vintage instruments purchased sound unheard, sight unseen, and touch unfelt. Hopefully my path will cross another mandola and the connection will be right. Randolph

[evanreilly]

Most of the large and reputable vintage instrument dealers have a 48 or 72 hour trial period to allow a buyer to inspect and play a prospective purchase. That means if you don't like it, the most you would lose is shipping costs.
I know several people who have bought good instruments from large shops and are quite satisfied with their acquisitions, as well as the sales procedure.

[grsnovi]

I think I paid $2400 for an H2 of 1919 vintage about a year or so ago with no issues for an instrument of that age. I certainly wasn't "comparison shopping" - I had just walked into a local shop and they had one and I liked the way it sounded. I suppose it was an "impulse buy" (I bought a 'zouk the same way - sort of).

I guess I'm a sucker for alternative tonalities and voicings.

[Randolph]

Gary, This too was a definite "impulse buy," a sort of serendipity but with a definite "twist" to it. I just finished paying bills this morning and after balancing the checkbook I feel better about letting the "impulse" pass. It was a cool instrument, I just didn't want to get bogged done in the real possibility of major neck rehabilitation. Thanks for all of the input. Randolph