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sprucetop1
May-23-2006, 4:18pm
I played in a band many years ago where the mandolin player had a 1930's f-hole sunburst A model Gibson. I'm fairly sure, looking at some old photos, and comparing these with a reprint 1934 Gibson catalogue, that this mandolin was an A-75. I have never seen another one of these, nor have I seen one for sale over the years. None are depicted or listed in the Mandolin Archive. Are these A-75's rare models......has anyone got one? The one I remember had a great sound.......John

John Rosett
May-24-2006, 7:11am
like this?
http://www.vintageinstruments.com/photos/inst26/37a75ful.jpg

Givson
May-25-2006, 9:28am
I have seen a wide-body A-75 from the late 30's with fancy fingerboard inlays.

sprucetop1
May-25-2006, 3:53pm
Mandorose......thanks a lot for posting the link to that A-75, and I'm fairly certain looking at this pic. that the mandolin I remember was one of these models. It had a really good sound too.....John

Scott Tichenor
Dec-11-2012, 7:06pm
One of these (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-1934-36-A75-A-Style-Mandolin-with-orig-case-exc-condition-/300832301372) on eBay right now. Not sure I've seen one of these before. Googled it and ended up back here... Going to save out one of the images since these aren't exactly commonplace.

95171

f5loar
Dec-11-2012, 8:00pm
Pretty much nothing more than the A50 with a pearl inlays. Rare but not any better than the A50. Just looks fancier. The wide body A75 had the full flowerpot like the F5.

barney 59
Dec-11-2012, 8:29pm
Eric Schoenberg has one. It's pretty nice, kind of like a A-50 but it has a raised fingerboard.

Scott Tichenor
Dec-11-2012, 9:26pm
Someone wanted it. Sold shortly after I posted that image. Go figure. I'm with you f5loar, sort of an A-50 look alike.

pfox14
Dec-12-2012, 10:24am
From Gibson's 1934 Catalog W - 3 A mandos including the A-75, A-C and A-50. The A-75 had the fancy peghead inlay and bound fingerboard.

95201

houseworker
Dec-12-2012, 12:52pm
Not surprised the one on eBay sold so quickly. I'd have expected a higher BIN than $1,200.

barney 59
Dec-12-2012, 2:31pm
Schoenberg has a $2400+ price tag on the one he has. His is pretty much pristine but it's been there a while though so maybe he would haggle. The elevated fingerboard kind of lifts it out of the A50 category in my opinion and it's apparently quite rare. The only one I've seen in real life.(the one on ebay is maybe only the second one I've ever seen on ebay) It's arched front and back unlike the Century and it also sounded quite nice, also unlike the Centurys that I have tried.

William Smith
Dec-12-2012, 2:52pm
I almost popped on the A-75 on ebay,,good deal at 1200!,,rarer little bird,,Gotta love the depresion era Gibsons!,they are my favorites...The one on ebay didn't have an elevated board did it?,, There are so many different variations with those A's in the 30's,,I've never seen an A-75 with the "Wide Body as F5 Loar talked about!",,I didn't know they made one of them,,I've owned plenty of the wide bodied A-50's though and they've had different inlay variations in the peghead..Was the wide bodied A-75 just like the smaller A-75 with the same sunburst and mahogany back,etc???/,,Thanks and curious!

Bernie Daniel
Dec-12-2012, 5:59pm
I almost popped on the A-75 on ebay,,good deal at 1200!,,rarer little bird,,Gotta love the depresion era Gibsons!,they are my favorites...The one on ebay didn't have an elevated board did it?,, There are so many different variations with those A's in the 30's,,I've never seen an A-75 with the "Wide Body as F5 Loar talked about!",,I didn't know they made one of them,,I've owned plenty of the wide bodied A-50's though and they've had different inlay variations in the peghead..Was the wide bodied A-75 just like the smaller A-75 with the same sunburst and mahogany back,etc???/,,Thanks and curious!

The one sold on eBay did not have the elevated finger board -- it was on the top board.

Capt. E
Sep-27-2013, 12:20pm
Here's one on Ebay now...
http://www.ebay.com/itm/111177366781?ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1423.l2649

the body seems to have a different shape than an A-50 or A-00, more like a Martin 2-15. It is pretty though.

pfox14
Sep-27-2013, 12:47pm
The one on eBay is not an A-75, but an A-50. No bound FB or peghead inlay.

Capt. E
Sep-27-2013, 3:30pm
Took a closer look at the photos and agree it is most likely an A-50. I think the logo is re-done and not inlaid. I know the earliest ones (1933 or so) had elevated fingerboards, but became flush in 1937, so this is 1937 or later.
I'm beginning to wonder if this so called A-75 has gone through a complete refinishing etc. The body still seems to have a strange contour at the neck.

stevedenver
Sep-27-2013, 6:53pm
Schoenberg has a $2400+ price tag on the one he has. His is pretty much pristine but it's been there a while though so maybe he would haggle. The elevated fingerboard kind of lifts it out of the A50 category in my opinion and it's apparently quite rare. The only one I've seen in real life.(the one on ebay is maybe only the second one I've ever seen on ebay) It's arched front and back unlike the Century and it also sounded quite nice, also unlike the Centurys that I have tried.

I had a 1935 A-50-stolen about fifteen years ago from me.

It had an elevated fingerboard, triburst, and birch back and sides stained walnut.
Redline geib case.

No fretboard binding, rosewood board and bridge, finger rest, dot markers. The 75s (both) ive seen had more intricate inlays not unlike the Roy Smeck guitars.

It had no feur-de-lis but script Gibson. Not a bad mando and I miss it terribly, think its somewhere in Wray Colorado with an ex nanny's thieving boyfriend. I miss that mandolin a lot.

William Smith
Sep-27-2013, 7:28pm
The Gibson on ebay right now is an A-1, they were plain janes compared to the A-50's. The A-50's of them few years "late 30's" also had the wide body but it was sunburst back and sides, also had the fancy F-7 or "Nick Lucus" fretboard inlays with Gibson inlaid in pearl in peg head and the fluer-de-lis or flowerpot inlay in peg head. The A-75 was the one I think only in 35-36? that had the elevated board, urn peg head inlay, sunburst mahogany body, spruce top. I don't believe there was a wide bodied A-75.

William Smith
Sep-27-2013, 7:32pm
The tuning machines are not original on that A-1 also. It appears that it also has the treble F hole crack that most all them wide bodied Gibsons get. The finish is original I also think.

Capt. E
Sep-30-2013, 9:22am
Ok, let's see if I have this right, I seem to have not been entirely clear on identifying A-1's of the period:

The A-1 was, of course, originally had an oval sound hole, just as the A-00 and the A-50 which were first sold in 1933. All three models gained ff holes in 1934. The A-50 was the fanciest model, introduced to please those people who wanted a high end instrument but could not afford an F-5. There seems to be a lot of overlap of specs between the A-50 and the "Nick Lucas" style A-75, which is very rare. I have seen a few rather fancy A-50's with very nice inlay and binding (I think one of them may have actually been an A-75). Of course, the A-50 was the only survivor of this period and continued to be made into the 70's along with the A-40, which began in 1948 as a replacement for the A-00 and the A-1 that were discontinued in 1943. I really like this whole family of instruments and have owned a couple (I'd like to find another at the right price to fill my 1960's "Gibson" case).

The A-75 ad has been corrected to A-1. http://www.ebay.com/itm/Gibson-A-1-Mandolin-Late-1937-Nice-Shape-RARE-FIND-/111177366781?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19e2affcfd