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I had one years ago and tried GDAE tuning but it was too quiet. I put it back in standard tenor tuning (CGDA) put a DeArmond "monkey on a stick" pickup on it and ran it thru a fender tube amp. The...

I buy all my strings as singles from my local music store.
Most are D’Addario but he sells Newtone as well.
Does your guitar take loop ends or can it except ball ends, you can order either but most...

They are indeed interesting (that's me in the video!), but I wouldn't rush to buy one - at least not in terms of their sound.

For what it's worth, the "Mandoline Club de Paris" was an orchestra founded, run and conducted by Jeanne Ricarda-Mathorez (1887-1980). This would be the lady seen to conduct the orchestra in the...

Wow. Just...Wow.

If we take what you say at face value, you had no idea what it’s worth in your original post but by post #2 you had am approximate value of $8000 and by post #17 you had a...

I think this is an old mandolin that has been messed up by a previous owner. Also, I think the label inside is a piece of an old Gretsch string package.
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I disagree with colorado al in one regard: bridges on canted-top mandolins are sometimes located "south" of the bend (Vega, e.g.). However, this one has so many questionable features that I'd never...

Yes - I have the idea lodged in my mind from somewhere that Otmar Windisch himself was a well-regarded maker who made good instruments. But all that changed after WW2 and that one on eBay is...

I'm not sure I would put all Otwins into the generic "East German mandolins" pot -- the brand was made pre-war and post-war with similar designs and without date on the label. The pre-war ones were...

Mement0o,
There is a certain style and flair that the older pieces of the period have, a style of their own, the use of the stencil, the less "flossy" finish, the humble elegance which bespeaks of...

From time to time I run across an extreme string issue. Example: Setting up a mandolin and I just leveled and crowned the frets. They were all polished up and looking great. I proceed on and am in...

Contrarian opinion here: sign up for the classes first, and tell your teacher you are looking for an upgrade instrument. A lot of the used instrument trade in student/intermediate-grade instruments...

My advice would be to look on that side of the Atlantic so that your budget isn't consumed by shipping and import fees. One resource would be the Classifieds here at the Mandolin Cafe. You can do...

Lefty,

Can you elaborate on this (the Gelas 'patent', not the French grammar-we're down with that.) #

Are you saying that "Gelas" was the patented construction system we are seeing and...