Info on Paganoni Cases

[Gary Hedrick]

I used to own one years ago....great case. I have only seen them with a red interior but from looking at the archives they also are in green and blue?

When I bought the one years ago they were $350 and I saw in the threads that in 2002 they were in the $500's ....what are they today?

And lastly does anyone know of a used one for sale?

thanks

ps I really don't want to buy Harry West's green Pag mandolin in order to own one of his cases. Sheesh that instrument has been for sale for years and years. I assume that this is a running issue with Harry and that mandolin?
Does anyone know the real story of how a green mandolin came to be?

[danb]

Hi Gary,

Nancy tells me they are $500 nowadays, and the wait is only a few months.

I've been on a quest to find a liner that matches the Loar cases even more accurately (that particular type of silk velvet lining). I had a near miss with emerald green that was perfect- ordered it at great expense to find the color was discontinued. I did find from the same vendor some red silk velvet that is a very close match for the teens F4/A4 and the red Loar cases.

Finally, getting a large roll of fabric from London to America also proved difficult, but I've finally managed to get it to the states!

[AlanN]

Gary,

Oh my, Harry still has that greenie? Unreal. What he told me, it was inspired by somebody's dream.

I too had a Pag case, red lining, I got from John, paid $250. Well done case, faithful to the old ways. My only beef was that the 'padding' was too thin. Calton et. al changed all that with their thick, crushed velour, which I prefer to cradle the instrument.

[Gary Hedrick]

Dan and Alan, thanks for the information.

Dan, the better fabric sounds great and that along with John's great craftsmanship will make those cases even better.

Alan, I never worried too much about carrying my Loar around in my case years ago because it was such a perfect fit that there would be little movement of the instrument in a fall. Perhaps a fallicy on my part but I always had a Small Dog case cover for it also.

So sounds like red is the only color that they come in?

[SternART]

I had seen photos of a green Monteleone Grand Artist Delux........and lo and behold it showed up at the Mandolin Symposium in Santa Cruz this past Summer. It even had the side port and maple binding. I got to play it....reminded me of the blonde GA Delux that I use to own.......a really fine instrument......but indeed it was green.

[Gary Hedrick]

Arthur.....a green Monte? oh my.....I'm sure that must have been done during a time when John M was something????.......He is such an artist with his creations that I can't imagine him really liking a green color....but that's just me talking .....a midwest traditionalist.....well somewhat of a traditionist....I've owned some really different instruments over the years ....not as electic as what you have owned . I just have an issue with a green color.....

The Pag that Harry West owns has been for sale for 20 years? at a very high price....
Like Alan says ...it must have come to him in a vision. Harry West is one of the truly colorful characters of bluegrass music.....kind of a Frank Wakefield in way....

Lots of stories out and about concerning Harry and the early days of instrument buying and selling.....very colorful indeed.

[Gary Hedrick]

By the way, for those on the Cafe that might not know ...Arthur is one of the foremost artist in the country in stained glass.....The man is a true artist and has quite an artist eye for wonderful mandolin design also.....

The Cafe is an amazing place to see postings from a wide range of very talented people in areas other than music.......

[sgarrity]

I've seen pictures of the green Monte and it is a stunning and classy instrument.
I do wonder why Harry thinks that the green Pag is worth what he is asking.....

[danb]

The Pag cases come in green too, I was referring to a much more expensive liner that is also hard to find (mine came from a french boutique.. one of the few times my wife's fabric interest and mandolins collided on the same project!). The red I found is "more authentic", though I sure wish I could have found the emerald liner to match cases like Darryl's:

http://www.mandolinarchive.com/images/73992_case_empty.jpg

[Gary Hedrick]

Well now Dan, that's still a very nice deep green and a fantastic looking case

[lubomir]

Hi Dan,
Can you advice the contact address to order a Pag case? When I googled I didn't get back the satisfied answer. I've recently bought a Guardian Loar replica case but I'm not happy with the craftmanship. Just having a look at the picture of a Pag case it looks they are excellent. Thanks for your advise.
Lubomir

[danb]

That one I posted is Darryl Wolfe's Loar case, that isn't a pag. The lining is the main difference, it's very hard to find silk velvet in that color (I couldn't!). I found what matches nearly the red linings, but it's a little bit more orange.

Lubomir- I'll private message you nancy paganoni's email address

[Gary Hedrick]

Argh....so much for my highly skilled eyes......I can't tell a Pag case from a Loar case....

[lubomir]

Hi everybory,
Don't you have by any chance a good picture of a Paganoni case? At least as Darryl's one posted by Dan in here. I've never seen the detailed pictures of a Pag case with a good resolution.
Lubomir

[Darryl Wolfe]

Not the best photos

[J.Albert]

Dan wrote:
"I sure wish I could have found the emerald liner to match cases like Darryl's:"
(with pic attached)

What the mandolin world needs is THAT interior grafted into a white fiberglass shell... :)

- John

[f5loar]

Pag. cases have been with green or red since I can remember when he started. John told me the green was not Loar like but close as he could find at the time and the red was closer. I've not seen a blue one by Pag.
The Green Pag. F5 was indeed a dream that came to Harry West in the middle of the night. He woke up and called Pag. describing the fancy inlay and green patina sunburst finish and some 6 months later he got it. I think the number is close to Doyle's good Pag from '72/'73. This is an early Pag. and at $37,500 (I bet $32,000 would take it today), it might be more then the market will bear for a green F5 Custom Pag. While few have actually seen or played this vision in person, I have. I shall have no comment on it's sound, workmanship or playability because there simply is nothing else you can compare it too.

[lubomir]

Hi Darryl,
Thanks for the pictures.
Lubomir

[danb]

Yes, the Pag cases are fantastic replicas. The downside of the liner material is that emerald green silk velvet is not in vogue or current mass production anywhere at the moment, so if it exists at all it will be quite expensive.

It's not hard to find velvet curtain material, or dress material.. but somewhere in the middle is "upholstery weight" which matches the type used in the cases. It needs to bend correctly over the corners, have "grain" to match the originals, and also be made in a way that the dye itself is not likely to leach off onto the mandolin.

To be really authentic, you'd need some of the padding pieces to be the chicago tribune from 1924 (really!)

[Mark Seale]

While few have actually seen or played this vision in person, I have. I shall have no comment on it's sound, workmanship or playability because there simply is nothing else you can compare it too.

I saw this instrument in a recent web search and it intrigued me. Pags don't show up for sale very often, but even at that, this one is certainly being offered at a premium. What's the story behind Pags on the whole and, other than being green, what sets this one apart?

[mrmando]

So if Paganoni didn't make blue-lined cases, who did? Just came across a blue-lined Loar replica case with a mandolin for sale, and am wondering about the maker.

[danb]

Are you sure it's a replica? There's at least one Loar with a blue lined case.