Really weird mandolin body

[vetus scotia]

Found this for sale online and I have asked for a better photo as well as info on the maker. It might be an old homemade deal, but I thought I would throw this up and ask: has anyone seen anything like this before? It defies all (human) ergonomic considerations.

99001

[Bertram Henze]

Now that is the worst two-point I ever saw.
Guess where the style is coming from...

http://ephemerist.files.wordpress.com/2008/03/061019-stingray_big.jpg

[vetus scotia]

That is almost exactly what it reminds me of! I was thinking shark. I don't know which point would be more awkward, the one on the bottom, which would sit very strangely on or between your knees, or the one on the top, which is so big and so far back it would have to be jabbing you in the chest (if you hold the instrument Mike Marshall style).

[MikeEdgerton]

Look through the first three threads in this (https://www.google.com/search?q=sunfish+site%3Amandolincafe.com&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a) search and you'll see the same mandolin style. It has been likened to a Sunfish in shape.

[MikeEdgerton]

Actually, something happened in the first thread. Earl had one and it's showing up in the search but I can't find it in the thread. The second two messages have pictures.

Here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/showthread.php?85819-New-member-1st-post-need-help-i-d-quot-Washington-quot-mandolin) is Earl's.

[vetus scotia]

Thanks, I found it in the first link eventually. So, Washington is the name on the one you linked to. Can't imagine there were may imitators, so the one I saw online could be a Washington in very rough shape. I suspected that someone would have seen this sort of thing before, but that was fast!

[MikeEdgerton]

Washington was a brand name owned by a distributor. That doesn't mean they made them. They were most likely built by Regal of Chicago. Regal, like Harmony, Kay, and earlier Lyon and Healy built branded and unbranded instruments "for the trade". That is they sold to retailers, music schools, anybody really who resold them by adding their own labels or no label at all.

I should also note that the Chicago builders sold to each other as well as manufacturers in other parts of the country.

[Jim Garber]

I love these oddball mandolins! Hey I am also a fan of the Regal reverse scroll mandolin. I don't own either of these types tho. I just worship them from afar.

It looks like the photographer in the first posting was so overwhelmed by emotion he could not hold his camera still.

[P.D. Kirby]

I love these oddball mandolins! Hey I am also a fan of the Regal reverse scroll mandolin. I don't own either of these types tho. I just worship them from afar.

The further the better :)) Friends don't let friends build Mandolins while drunk, or under the influence of psychedelic drugs, or in this case BOTH.

[vetus scotia]

There is a scene on an old Simpsons episode, in which Homer is having some boudoir photography done for Marge. When Homer gets down to his underwear, the photographer winces in disgust, and then smears vaseline on the camera lens. This is what came to mind when I saw the photo of the two point mandolin. The same seller has a violin in the same ad (in one of those cases that holds two instruments) and you can make out the dust on the body the picture is so clear. I must say, my revulsion has already turned to curiosity and even an incipient appreciation for this thing.

[belbein]

This is just me, ok? and I'm sometimes overly cautious and suspicious. I might not worry about the shakiness of the first picture. It could have been taken from a camera on a phone, and this effect is pretty easy to get. But if the second photo is similarly obscured, I'd start to worry that somebody's hiding something. It would weigh against me ordering the instrument sight unseen, even with "return" rights.

Again, this is just me. There was a mandolin I looked at that the pictures were similar to these--obscured by bad angle and by vibration. I had an intuition that it might be intentional, to obscure some damage. I asked for more pictures. The price came down by nearly 1/2, and the new pictures showed significant "wear." Like a rhinocerous had been "wearing" it. So: caveat emptor, baby.

[vetus scotia]

Thanks belbein. No way I would buy this mandolin without holding it in my hands first (it is advertised in a local classifieds). I don't think the owner knows anything about it. First of all, he says it 'needs a little work.' Even from the blurry photo you can tell that that is an understatement. Also, it looks in another photo like the neck is not original. I was just more curious to find out if this was a production job or if someone just made one in his basement. Probably not going to pursue it.

[Jim Garber]

I thought I would throw this up

It is not THAT bad, is it?

[vetus scotia]

You know, that crossed my mind as a possible double entendre while writing it....

It is funny, until recently I would not have thought I would ever want a two point mandolin. But then I discovered Lyon and Healys and Vegas, and now one of those would be my top choice (were money no object). I can see the appeal of this strange two pointer above. It has a very medieval look to it in a way. Still not going to buy it (unless the owner gets really desperate), but there is a whole world of mandolin shapes out there. Imagine if there were ONLY F-5s around?

[Jim Garber]

So, if you are not going to buy it, why not post the link to the listing?

[Jim Garber]

A few more from the Archive of Oddball Mandolins. The strange thing is that there seems to be a few different models. This could be someone's worst nightmare... :)

[vetus scotia]

I was thinking of that but did not know if that was an ok use of this forum. I emailed the guy already, and asked for more (and better) pictures, and also if he would sell the mandolin separately from the violin. Nothing back yet. I have not decided against it altogether, but if there is someone else interested, here is the link: http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/c-buy-and-sell-musical-instruments-string-Old-mandolin-and-fiddle-W0QQAdIdZ460790324
This site, kijiji, is sort of a Canadian craigslist, except they really encourage face-to-face meetings and cash payments (there is no payment system built into the site), so buying this might be a little more difficult. Even I am about an hour away from this guy. But it might not be impossible for someone in the US to buy it.

[MikeEdgerton]

A Canadian Craig's List eh?

[vetus scotia]

Well, not exactly like craigs list: http://novascotia.kijiji.ca/f-personals-W0QQCatIdZ63

[Jim Garber]

kijiji is craigslist competition owned by eBay.

[JH Murray]

The funny thing is Kijiji has 90% market share in Canada. Nobody really knows why.

[MikeEdgerton]

kijiji is craigslist competition owned by eBay.

That shouldn't be too much of a problem as eBay owns a chunk of Craigslist. :cool:

[Pete Jenner]

It's obviously modelled on Casper the friendly ghost.