View Full Version : My Old Vega (circa 191?)
grsnovi
Feb-13-2004, 8:50pm
http://hometown.aol.com/gsmith9810/mando1.jpg
grsnovi
Feb-13-2004, 8:51pm
http://hometown.aol.com/gsmith9810/mando2.jpg
grsnovi
Feb-13-2004, 8:52pm
http://hometown.aol.com/gsmith9810/mando3.jpg
grsnovi
Feb-13-2004, 8:57pm
The Vega was given to me by my father, who got it from his father, who got it from his brother. Not sure where he got it...
I repaired the binding which was missing approx. 50% of the pearl pieces and one or two ebony pieces. Also the grout around the soundhole inlay was dried and curled into what looked like the sun dried bed of a mud flat. It was also missing the pearl inlaid "o" around several of the tuner posts.
It has been strung (and restrung) to pitch as long as I've had it and although the original "clown boot" dry rotted about 30 years ago, I'm delighted to have found a new, in stock hard shell case for it (see my post and picture in the equipment thread).
Here are the other members of my mando family:
http://hometown.aol.com/gsmith9810/mando4.jpg
Jim Garber
Feb-13-2004, 11:35pm
Hi Gary:
That is one nice mandolin. I have a style 3 similar era. Yours is a style 4, somewhat fancier and the outer binding is a giveaway.
The catalog I have is undated but the guy I got the copy from says 1910-15.
Do you have any clear full frontal shots (pardon the expression). I would love to see it is its entirety.
Oh, and one other caveat you may or may not know: please do not string it with J74s or the like. Much too heavy: use GHS A240 ultralight stringsor Black Diamonds or better still Dogal Calace 92b.
Congratulations on finding those cases.
Jim
grsnovi
Feb-14-2004, 12:25am
Hi Jim,
I'll have to shoot something in the sun - the case shot that I took earlier tonight isn't all that great (even at full res).
I probably ought to get some new strings on it, as I'm not sure what's on it now.
Gary
Jim Garber
Feb-14-2004, 5:46am
Bluegrass strings will eventually destroy it. That's why you see so many basket cases in bowlbacaks out there: cracks, sunken tops and the worse.
juststrings.com has GHS and BlackDiamond mentioned above.
Classic Bows has Dogals:
Classic Bows, Inc.
PO Box 81655
San Diego CA 92138
619 282-2010
classicbows@nethere.com
Jim