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Martin Jonas
Aug-28-2004, 9:57am
As some of you may recall, I have been trying to get a vintage bowlback for my mother to replace her old Miroglio that she has been using for the past 50 years. I had bid on a number of candidates on E-bay, but have been outbid on the promising ones. Now, she has been visiting a music shop in the nearest small town, who have offered her a Korean-made bowlback for 450 Euros (this is in a remote part of Germany). This bowlback is about five years old, very sturdy construction, with a spruce top and flamed maple back, and has the brand name "Tennessee". Other than the logo at the headstock, no label whatsoever, and no information on whether top and/or bowl are solid wood or laminate. She says it's very heavy and chunky, very different from our respective Italian bowls.

My own feeling is that this is unlikely to be a satisfactory instrument, but I was wondering if anybody here has come across the Tennessee bowlbacks. I had never heard of them before and the only reference I can find on the net is at the sites of two Australian retailers, who sell new "Tennessee TU-5 bowlback mandolins" for AU$550, i.e. rather less than the price quoted to my mother for a used one. Any comments? Anybody else ever seen these?

Martin
(who would prefer to keep looking for that elusive Ebay bargain, but who might need some arguments to persuade his mother).