Trying to identify old mandolin

[mdalzell]

Hi all - This old mandolin caught my eye at a guitar show a few weeks ago and I wondered if anyone could identify it. It's an odd shape... nice birdseye maple neck with ebony stripe and the top, back and most of the sides are very nice solid mahogany. The upper section of the sides is plywood however, and put in sideways at that... very odd and it definitely doesn't look like a later repair. When I got it the sides and neck were slathered with a dark brown paint. I found an old Bruno banjo mandolin on ebay with a similar headstock, but this is all I have so far. Any ideas? Thanks...

Mark.

http://www.metropolisnj.com/mark/DSCN6962e.jpg
http://www.metropolisnj.com/mark/DSCN6963e.jpg
http://www.metropolisnj.com/mark/DSCN6964e.jpg
http://www.metropolisnj.com/mark/DSCN6966e.jpg

[Jim Garber]

Looks like an old homemade job to me, made by someone who sorta knew what they were doing. Soundholes are esp odd, reminds me of a purple martin (not CF!!) house or some sort of jack o' lantern. Parts look conventional. Neck base looks sort of huge.

Did you buy this baby? String it up and see what happens.

[Schlegel]

Neck base looks sort of huge.



10 bucks says that's because they used the neck out of a Banjolin.

[MikeEdgerton]

...Neck base looks sort of huge...

Think Banjo mandolin.

[MikeEdgerton]

10 bucks says that's because they used the neck out of a Banjolin.

Should have read down farther. I agree.

[Michael Richmond]

The tuners look very similar to the original tuners on my Stradolin. The only difference is the OP tuners have black knobs and my Strad originally had cream coloured knobs.

[mdalzell]

Cool - thanks for the replies... never occurred to me that it was homemade... they did a nice job. Thanks... in the process of relacquering the sides and it'll be back in one piece.

Mark.

[nickster60]

Kind of looks like one of the kids on South Park

[JeffD]

That crack in the top kind of worries me. All the way down through the treble sound hole.