Howe-Orme case?

[delsbrother]

Howe-Orme at Buffalo Brothers (http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/images31000-31999/umb31390-howeormestyle31920s/index.html) listed with coffin case.. Is it original?

http://www.buffalobrosguitars.com/images31000-31999/umb31390-howeormestyle31920s/1.jpg

[EdSherry]

Who cares? Even if it's not, it sure looks "period" to me.

[manjitsu]

It's not consistent with the Howe-Orme cases that I've seen, but what a beauty! The turn-of-the-century equivalent of a Calton upgrade, I'd say. Sweet!

-Chris

[allenhopkins]

I've seen a Howe-Orme mandolinetto in original case, and the case was more shaped without the wide, flat-ended neck section. But of course "original" cases could have come from a variety of sources. Can't have been too many people making them, since the mandolinetto wasn't that common an instrument. In any case, very well suited to the instrument -- which, with its rosewood body and inlays, is one of the better models I've seen.

[Bob DeVellis]

I've seen two types of Howe-Orme cases, neither of which looks like that. I'm guessing someone didn't have a case and made one. It's pretty neat, though. It actually looks a lot like a case that came with the Sobell large-bodied mandolin I have, reported made by Sobell himself.

Looks like this insrument has the common issue of the neck having slipped with the fingerboard extension crunching into the top above the sound hole. Hard to tell whether or not any attempt at a repair has been made. It looks like it hasn't but can't tell for sure. Neck joint failure is essentially universal on these critters and it's not unusual for the neck to pivot so that the fingerboard does what seems to have happened here.

I wish I knew the serial number so I could determine whether or not this particular instrument is in the database I have for Howe-Ormes. It doesn't look familiar offhand, but hard to say for sure.