Kalamazoo Oriole Mandolin and Kalamazoo Oriole guitar.

[rerefret]

Anybody have an history info , Years? ,Why the name ? Anything ?
The mando shows 695 F 9 through the treble sound hole.

[allenhopkins]

Doing a bit of Google searching, finding "Oriole" as a brand Gibson first put on budget-line tenor banjos in the 1920's, then also assigned to certain instruments from its Kalamazoo budget line in the late 1930's. The Oriole guitars are described as "natural finish," which I would take as meaning unstained.

Gibson used a slew of labels for specialty and budget instruments pre-WWII. Here's a link to a Fox Guitars page (http://www.fox-guitars.com/Gibson-Made_Brands.html) on "Gibson-Made Brands 1920-60's."

[MikeEdgerton]

It's a 1940 KMN-12. Bird decal on peghead, natural finish. They were built from 1940-42. The Factory Order Number you specified left the factory in 1940.

[rerefret]

Thanks, Allen and Mike,
Yes, natural finish .. unstained . Both mandolin and Guitar seem to be one piece top /one piece back. Mandolin is "X" braced which I thought was a newer innovation. 1940 sounds right .It feels a lot like a 1940 A-40 I once had but the sound of this Kalamazoo shames the old Gibson. Very bright and responsive.

[MikeEdgerton]

I'm surprised at that bracing but anything is possible. X bracing was around in the guitar world for a long time before those instruments were built. The tops will be solid, pressed not carved. I'm a Kalamazoo fan and I actually owned one of the first years that Gibson put the Oriole name on a banjo.

[rerefret]

I'm a Kalamazoo fan as well. I recently bought a Kalamazoo "mandolin" with neck off but tuners and not much else. Guess what ? It's a mandola!The body size gives it away. Pretty short scale once it is reassembled. I think maybe 15 + 1/4" A little bit of blood sweat and tears later I should have a vintage mandola(plus tailpiece, bridge, strings and oops... fretboard,it came with a mandolin fret board )small parts that can be $$$ But have you seen what vintage mandolas are going for?

[trevor]

I had a Kalamazoo that sounded better than Gibson f hole mandolins of the period.