Stradolin S.G.

[Bruce Clausen]

I've just joined the Stradolin social group. There may be some Strad enthusiasts here who don't know we have such a thing. Join up and share your photos, etc. They are the coolest of all vintage mandos, or if not that, then at least the most fun per dollar. Here are a couple of shots of mine; I'll try to get a video clip up this weekend.

[MikeEdgerton]

And I should note that Bruce has probably the rarest Strad-O-Lin I know of.

[Bruce Clausen]

Here's that little beast in action.

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[amowry]

Sounds good, Bruce!

[Bill Auld]

Nice looking and sounding mandolin, Bruce. Fine job on the playing!

[MikeEdgerton]

Bruce, there's another one like yours on eBay.

Strad-O-Lin Artist (http://cgi.ebay.com/Strad-O-Lin-Mandolin-Great-Sounding-Playing_W0QQitemZ270389581211QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH _DefaultDomain_0?hash=item3ef479959b&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1240%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50)

Some differences, Waverly tailpiece and one piece neck. Bridge appears to have been changed or modified and the tuners aren't original. It does appear to have the bridge centered in the F holes and that appears to be the correct spot for it. Now I've seen two.

[MikeEdgerton]

Here's a catalog page Jim Garber uploaded to the forum showing the Artist Deluxe mandolin.

[Bruce Clausen]

Thanks, lads, and thanks for the info, Mike. Looks like I splurged and bought the 30 dollar mando! It is a good one though.;)

BC

[Jim Garber]

I remember seeing Russ Barenberg playing a curly maple SOL. Probably that model, right? He made it sound great, too.

[MikeEdgerton]

...Looks like I splurged and bought the 30 dollar mando!

I'd buy these at $30.00 anytime. :)

[BradKlein]

The Artist Deluxe may have been the most expensive Stradolin model, but I don't know if it was the best. Here's another, with nice curly maple, and solid top (aged in a garrett, according to the ad copy!). But the bracing on this instrument is classic Strad. A single cross brace running just South of the F-holes. I suspect that brace actually works better with the bridge closer to it.

With a thin top, and a high and somewhat off center neck angle, I don't really trust this one under tension, and I've been thinking about what to do with it. It's certainly a nice old solid mandolin, but I think it would be a structurally sounder one with parallel braces.

The folks at Strad were aiming high. I'll give them that.

[H.P.]

a curly maple SOL

. . .an unfortunate acronym for what many consider a fine old line of instruments?

[Bruce Clausen]

That is a beauty, Brad. Looks closer to Jim's 1935 catalogue image than mine does. Looks like you've got the canonical cracking below the bridge, too. But you feel it's no longer structurally sound? Too bad, as we'd have loved to hear it. Mine has a couple of bad cracks, but still holds up fine under tension.

BC

[MikeEdgerton]

The Artist Deluxe may have been the most expensive Stradolin model, but I don't know if it was the best. Here's another, with nice curly maple, and solid top (aged in a garrett, according to the ad copy!). But the bracing on this instrument is classic Strad. A single cross brace running just South of the F-holes. I suspect that brace actually works better with the bridge closer to it.

With a thin top, and a high and somewhat off center neck angle, I don't really trust this one under tension, and I've been thinking about what to do with it. It's certainly a nice old solid mandolin, but I think it would be a structurally sounder one with parallel braces.

The folks at Strad were aiming high. I'll give them that.

Wow, these are flying out of the woodwork. Mine is a "normal" Strad-O-Lin, although I'm thinking it probably cost more than the basic model (there are pictures in the Strad-O-Lin Social Group page). It has a repaired crack in the top as well. If you get a chance could you post some images of this mandolin to the group?

[BradKlein]

I will get that mandolin into playing shape sometime. The top is solid, with no cracks. It's not collapsed, but the arch is not what I think it should be. The Strad bracing pattern, thin top, large f-holes don't provide much stiffness in the center. The marks beneath the bridge are just scratches in the finish, where a previous owner allowed the bridge feet to scratch the top.

The neck and all else is very solid, and I think that given the time and/or funds, a back-off rebracing of the top / new bridge / finish touch up is what this old box deserves. Will post some photos to the group when I get a chance.

[jessboo]

ok i ended up with this little gem. staley sais it was a kzoo. but i wonder could it be a strad? i've never seen a kzoo with 12 frets clear of the body and painted flaming on the back. it does have numbers stamped inside on the bass side. that read s39 this is in a box then 2706 and sr473.

[MikeEdgerton]

It was built by Harmony in the Summer of 1939. That's what I suspected. I asked the seller if there were any numbers stamped inside and he said no. That S39 in the box is the Harmony date code. The good news is that it should be solid wood.


Note: added 8/2/2018. A few years back it was determined that the S in the Harmony date code stood for "second half" as in the second half of the year. The F stands as you would imagine for "first half" and not fall as had been believed for so many years.

[jessboo]

a harmony ok. thanks Mike. it soungs better then a cromwell i just had. but that means i can't join your strad group bummer.

[MikeEdgerton]

You can still join the group, we aren't picky about who owns what.

[JamieJ]

A couple of years ago, I inherited a Stradolin A style mandolin my late grandfather once owned. He was a CEO of a business and lived in Albany, NY. He might have purchased it in upstate NY or in NYC. He was not a serious musician and used it for entertainment at his summer home on the Jersey shore. It has F holes and has a laminated side and back, with a spruce top. It came with a chip case. It sounds surprisingly good. I would like to know more about the company, but have not been able to find out much information. It seems they were in the NY area, with the factory in the city during the 30s to 70s. They probably had a distribution network that was only for the mid Atlantic states. That's about as much as I know. I see them for sale, from time to time, on ebay for about $400.

[MikeEdgerton]

I've seen very few that didn't have solid backs and sides. Post some pictures.