View Full Version : Help identifying old mandolin banjo
Hi everyone,
I recently acquired an old 8 string mandolin banjo. The only markings I can find are stenciled on the inside of the skin. It is very faded but stenciled in red are the names Stanley, which appear twice around the outer circumference, and then McGraw which appears in the middle. My research so far has yielded nothing. Does anyone have any info on this. Thank you so much in advance.
dwb
barney 59
Feb-20-2012, 10:00pm
Doesn't tell you much. Writing on the skin is probably the manufacturer of that. Best to post a picture, someone might know something.
allenhopkins
Feb-20-2012, 10:12pm
Pic needed. Names on the head (which is what the "skin" is generally called) could be prior owners, makers of the head, or the music store that replaced a worn or torn head with a new one.
Lots of instruments were made for the "trade" without labels, sold through catalogs, by distributors, or at music stores. A look at the instrument might yield similarities to an identifiable instrument -- though many old mandolin-banjos are pretty "generic" in appearance. Worth a try, though
Pic needed. Names on the head (which is what the "skin" is generally called) could be prior owners, makers of the head, or the music store that replaced a worn or torn head with a new one.
Lots of instruments were made for the "trade" without labels, sold through catalogs, by distributors, or at music stores. A look at the instrument might yield similarities to an identifiable instrument -- though many old mandolin-banjos are pretty "generic" in appearance. Worth a try, though
Thank everyone for your input and assistance. As requested, here are some pics.
Links
Feb-21-2012, 12:49pm
Looks like the original dowel was replaced - that could have had some information on it. It looks like a bottom of the line or student model and quite frankly, the maker for that instrument is probably not very important. If it has no family or other sentimental connection, the value is minimal. If it is playable or can be made playable for not too much money, then the value in it is as a "player".
allenhopkins
Feb-21-2012, 3:41pm
American-made (from the tailpiece), low-end "trade" instrument. The dowel stick, which is the wooden bar inside the shell, is definitely a replacement. Linksmaker's advice is right on. I'd clean it up, get some new light-gauge strings, and see how it plays. Value might reach $100 on a good day. Doubt anyone's going to definitively ID its maker.