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That number is what is called a factory order number.
The letter indicates the year it was made, the numbers next to it are the "batch" number, and the last two numbers are the number of the...

This probably can be fixed, but not easily. What would it cost? Probably hundreds. Maybe lots of hundreds.

The neck to body geometry on that mandolin has changed significantly. There could be...

If you see any signs of white glue, or heaven help us CA, "just say no."

One of the nice things about mandolins is that you can learn to make three chords with only two fingers, and play thousands of songs with those three chords.

Possibly.
Vega made some good mandolins over the years.
Pictures would be essential to say anything more.

Well, not really. They were already screwing up by the 1960s, at least as far as their acoustic instruments were concerned.

But the legal posturing didn't really take off until Henry J. took the...

1.3 mm? Is that height or width?? What is the width of your fret slots? It's hard to answer your question without more specific information.

Jim's suggestion is one solution, if the wire is...

The Tam Lin legend is ancient, dating back to at least the mid 16th century.
One of those strange, lurid, and explicit ancient ballads from the British Isles.
A maiden is walking through the woods,...

They are living as quietly as possible, and both doing quite well.

Some of the best?

A few old Gibsons that were head and shoulders above their litter mates.
A couple of Gilchrist's best efforts.
An exceptional two point oval hole D'Angelico that went through...

Why?? Here's a few things that those of us who repair instruments have found.

Some modern glues are good for instrument building, some are not.
Titebond Original has held up well over the years....

Actually, those of us who have worked on a number of 40's through mid 50's Gibson guitars might say "Only a Gibson isn't glued enough."

Gibson's wide-bodied mandolins were built from 1937 until 1942, when the script logos were standard.
The block letter logo was first used in 1946 or 47, after the wide body mandolins were...

I currently string mine 12 - 20w - 32 - 49 or 50. It sounds strong enough for me. I've tried 22's and 34's also.
Pete Ostroushko strung his about the same-- I measured the gauges of the set he...

You inquired about lodging.
I don't think you'll find much in the downtown area except hotels and motels.
You might find some AirBnB places in the residential areas.
But you might want to consider...

There's not much information available on Martin/Ditson mandolins.
Martin made instruments for Ditson as early as 1903, and their relationship continued until 1930.
If it's a flat back mandolin, it...

I've taught both instruments for many years.
The biggest difficulty is learning the difference between the pick and the bow.

On the violin, the bow does whatever is necessary to follow the...

While Doc was the Rosetta Stone for flatpicking for folks from my generation, I'll always remember his fingerpicking.

There's a couple of million of us who can double-thumb a guitar pretty well,...

A real Larson:

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Note the body shape-- the upper body is one continuous inward curve from waist to neck. I call it the Larson parabola.
...

No.

A student of mine had a good late 40's Gibson guitar, and left it in his car all day in a parking garage on a 20 degree day.
When he showed up for his lesson, I saw light through the...

Mineral spirits or naptha are my number one choice.
You can also try mineral oil.
Do not use acetone. It is too agressive, and will eat lacquer, shellac, and spirit varnish.

I'll bet a dollar that the top brace [there is only one, directly behind the soundhole] has sprung loose at one end. We see this frequently with old oval hole Gibsons.
It's an easy fix for someone...

$500 is preposterous for a set-up . . . assuming that it doesn't need work outside of the following:

1. adjusting the nut
2. adjusting the truss rod [if it has one]
3. setting the bridge...

Also check with Vintage Instruments in Philadelphia.
If they don't have someone in-house, they can refer you to someone who is competent.

The store mentioned in the previous post often lists used instruments at 50% to 80% greater than standard market prices.
Some of their used instruments have been sitting there for years without...