Nice Stradolin

[David Newton]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-Strad-o-lin-Stradolin-Flatback-Mandolin-w-OHC_W0QQitemZ200303306138QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_Def aultDomain_0?hash=item200303306138&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

And this one with a nice cloud tailpiece, and a pretty fake flame back.

[F5GRun]

is that thing missing the base of the bridge?? Is it jsut the saddle???

[jefflester]

is that thing missing the base of the bridge?? Is it jsut the saddle???
Looks okay to me, it's just that the base is about the same size as the saddle. In photo #10 you can see gap between the saddle and the base around the edges.

[man dough nollij]

is that thing missing the base of the bridge?? Is it jsut the saddle???

It probably has a good bridge. I have one (actually, mine is called a Stadium, but it's just like that'n, without the pick guard). The two-piece bridge has the base about the same size as the saddle.

They say it has the original hard shell case-- that looks like my case, which is a thin chipboard soft-shell. I would never take it on a plane in that case.

[MikeEdgerton]

The case is actually worth more than the mandolin. It looks a little ragged on the tail-end but that's a pretty typical Strad-O-Lin. Faux flame, faux binding. With some work it'll be a player. I wouldn't get crazy on the price.

[atetone]

It has a plywood top.

[MikeEdgerton]

I doubt that. I do however have one out in the shop that is just like it that I'm planning on dissecting in the next month or so for an article. I'll be able to tell you that very soon. I bought one of these that wasn't quite as advertised condition wise. It was cheap so I kept it.

[atetone]

The seller states that it has a plywood top and I had one very much like it and it did too.
I have several different era/style Stradolins and they are all over the map in terms of quality and I still have one here with a plywood top.
You have to be very careful with the old Stradolins.
You never know.

[allenhopkins]

The seller states that it has a plywood top and I had one very much like it and it did too.
I have several different era/style Stradolins and they are all over the map in terms of quality and I still have one here with a plywood top.
You have to be very careful with the old Stradolins.
You never know.

But in the price range where they usually sell, a laminated top isn't a deal-killer. My plywood Strad is an A+ "beater" and I've even recorded with it.

[atetone]

Yup, I am just pointing it out in case somebody didn't notice and got a suprise if they bought it.

[David Newton]

I would think the big surprise would be a solid-top Strad-o-lin.
Strads are all about plywood. The cloud tailpiece sets this one above most, until you get to the 30's ones with solid tops and real binding, the rare ones.
Good-better-best, this is the better. I think $400 would be in the ball park. The case is the wild card, nice one.

[MikeEdgerton]

I've had three solid top strad-o-lins. I must be an amazingly lucky guy. I'm heading out for lottery tickets now.

Take a look at this (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30669&highlight=strad-o-lin) thread. This is a cheaper model, the smaller oval hole. Look inside the sound hole. Does that look like plywood? I'll post pictures when I take the next one apart.

[man dough nollij]

My Stadium has a nice wide-grained solid top. Elderly had it listed as being from the 1950s, but it looks older than that to me.

[wannabethile]

That back is atrocious, ha ha

[Patrick Gunning]

I'm digging the forward-positioned F-holes. Hans Brentrup, do you see anything familiar there?

[Strado Len]

Every Strad-O-Lin I have seen with a spruce top had a solid top. The laminated ones are usually maple or mahogany. Although the faux stripes on the back are a sure sign of plywood, I would bet the top on this one was solid spruce. The bridge, as previously noted, was the standard adjustable Strad bridge. I wonder if Red Henry has ever experimented with this bridge design - lightweight and a small footprint.

[David Newton]

The seller says the top is plywood, it wouldn't be the first mistake on ebay, though.

[MikeEdgerton]

I think people assume these are plywood. That same model was built in droves, it's probably the most common model I've seen for sale. This weekend I'll scrape the inside of the f hole on the one I'm sitting with. The plywood models I've seen were later models than this one. That doesn't mean this one isn't ply, it might very well be. I've never seen one this early that was.

[Brad Nicholas]

Instead of starting a new one, I'll just add to this thread.

Seems to be Strad-O-Lin-O-Thon happening on ebay at the moment:

Orpheum (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380105005479)

STRADOLIN JR (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=140301362645)

STRADOLIN (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120377848409)

Strad-O-Lin (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170301776480)

Strad-O-Lin (or Strandolin to the spelling impaired) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=380103718611)

Strad-O-Lin (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160315947567)

Strad-O-Lin (or Strait-o-lin for the differently-abled speller) (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=290296204624)

[Bruce Clausen]

Nice collection! The fourth of those seven links looks like the winner to me. Notice the bridge, and the fingerboard termination. (And the TWO cracks from bridge to lower edge. Some of these only have the bass-side crack.):)

BC

[MikeEdgerton]

The fourth one appears to be two different instruments.

[Bruce Clausen]

Sold for $103.51. Looks good to me. What am I missing there. Mike?

BC

[David Newton]

Does the Orpheum variant add any new info to the "who done it" debate?

[David Newton]

Do you guys realize there is a thread in the vintage area about a 27 F5 Fern?
And here we are comparing ebay Strad-o-lins?
I like it.

[John Rosett]

Sold for $103.51. Looks good to me. What am I missing there. Mike?

BC

Bruce- It didn't sell. $103 didn't reach the reserve price. Maybe it didn't go higher because of the refinished (replaced?) back.
That ruins the collector value, you know...

[MikeEdgerton]

Sold for $103.51. Looks good to me. What am I missing there. Mike?

BC

There was a picture of a brown headstock and a black headstock in that group of photos.

[MikeEdgerton]

Does the Orpheum variant add any new info to the "who done it" debate?

No. There were dozens (maybe more) of Strad-O-Lin genre mandolins. I had a much nicer Orpheum come through a while back, the banjo player in my band has it now. Jim Garber has a Strad-O-Lin genre mandolin labeled Wymann. By the time this Orpheum was built it was just a brand name.

[MikeEdgerton]

Do you guys realize there is a thread in the vintage area about a 27 F5 Fern?
And here we are comparing ebay Strad-o-lins?
I like it.

We know who made the 27 fern and speaking for myself, I can afford these :)

[Nate]

There was a picture of a brown headstock and a black headstock in that group of photos.

The guy sure went to a lot of trouble to recreate the little chip on the G-D side of the headstock, then, not to mention the exact rotational positioning of the tuner buttons.

[MikeEdgerton]

It's probably more to the fact that the headstocks looked to be one black and one brown but if one was to lighten up the black one it will almost look brown, don't ya think? It was an observation not a condemnation.

[Nate]

It was an observation not a condemnation.

Same with my post. :)

[Rayloche]

I just won the "Strandolin" Stradolin mentioned in post 19. Can it be determined form the photos if it is a plywood or solid? Is there anything I should be extra careful about having an 76 year old instrument? Thanks for any advice.

[MikeEdgerton]

I just won the "Strandolin" Stradolin mentioned in post 19. Can it be determined form the photos if it is a plywood or solid? Is there anything I should be extra careful about having an 76 year old instrument? Thanks for any advice.

Congratulations, you should be careful to play it all the time and whip it like a mule. Don't baby it, it was made to be played. :)

[Bruce Clausen]

Looks like you've got one of the celebrated October 26's!:) As far as plywood or solid goes, would plywood crack that cleanly? As Mike says, whip that thing.

BC

[Brad Nicholas]

Another: Strad-O-Lin (http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350168796986)

I find myself becoming more and more a fan of some of the style elements on vintage budget instruments. The brown finish and blank headstock of an A-jr. The cloud tailpiece on many models. The segmented f-holes on this Strad-O-Lin or an Epiphone Olympic.

Pic for posterity:

[Brad Nicholas]

Pictures of all of the other mandolins so far in this thread (1-4 of 8):

[Brad Nicholas]

Pictures of all of the other mandolins so far in this thread (5-8 of 8):

[MikeEdgerton]

I mentioned earlier in this thread that I was going to dissect a Strad-O-lin and I haven't gotten around to it. I did however remove some paint from the inside of the f hole and the top is solid, no plywood. This is a picture of this model, the most common model I've seen. I tried to get a picture of the inside of the f hole but it's blurry. I'll try again in natural light when I can.

[David Newton]

Thanks for reviving the thread, Mike.
Here are a couple current ebay instruments.
I've not seen an oval hole stradolin, doubt it. He thinks it may be "ancient".
The other could be a steal.

http://cgi.ebay.com/MANDOLIN-VERY-OLD-FROM-MY-GRANDPARENTS-HOUSE-W-CASE_W0QQitemZ160322169378QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_De faultDomain_0?hash=item160322169378&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-VINTAGE-STRADOLIN-MANDOLIN-FOR-REPAIR-DECORATION_W0QQitemZ280324718554QQcmdZViewItemQQpt ZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item280324718554&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

[Richard Singleton]

I have seen oval hole stradolins twice on ebay over the years, but they both had the stradolin name on the headstock.

[MikeEdgerton]

It's an Oval Strad-o-lin genre mandolin. Take a look at this (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?t=30669&highlight=stradolin) thread.


Both of those are in rough shape.