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I posted this photo a while ago in another section, but I didn't notice that the mandolin is a 5 string! I'm pretty certain that the 5th string is an "aftermarket" addition. I wonder how he altered the bridge.
The player holding it's name is Buddy Wallis. Does anybody have any info?
Subscribed to this thread.... ;)
A quick google search turned up next to nothing about Buddy Wallis or his mandolin. I wonder if he or the mando are still around?
Yeah, I tried google. The only thing I found was the picture. I found some info about the steel player, Bob Meadows, but nothing about Buddy Wallis.
Wallis was also known as a hot jazz violin player and he was from Ft. Worth. He is no longer among us. More as I find more.
He's listed as a player on a recording in 1993 on the fiddle and the mandolin with pianist Johnny Case here. Anybody know if Johnny is still around?
When you blow that picture up it isn't real clear but it looks as though the headstock isn't altered. I'm wondering if he ordered it that way. In those days those necks were pretty much all done by hand anyway.
I just spoke with Louise Rowe, western swing bassist (and the only female instrumentalist ever in Bob Wills' Texas Playboys), who confirmed that Buddy Wallis was a well-regarded fiddle and electric mandolinist in the Fort Worth area. Yes, as Mike indicates, he's passed away. Sorry I don't have any further info -- just that he's was a known freelancing professional player in that region.
Thanks for the info and links! It's always nice to find out about players you've never heard of before.
It appears that the tuning machine farthest from the nut might have been an after-market addition.
Here's a stock 1956 head stock.
Attachment 99111
Blow-up of five string above.
Attachment 99112
This has come up a lot and I have invested time and money trying to contact his family, with no luck. If anyone has any leads or anything of the sort, please let me know!
http://lubbockonline.com/obituaries/...s#.UiU6AY2yLWY
That him? I'm going to assume so, and hopefully track down one of his children.
So, I've tracked down "Laura Joblin", related to Dot Joblin, Bob's sister, who happens to live in the area! Hopefully I can get to the bottom of this. I'm curious to find out if this thing is still around.
Buddy Wallis was my Great Uncle. I realize this thread is five years old. We do not have or know where that mandolin ended up. We do have his five string Tiny Moore Robert's electric mandolin as well as a couple of great guitars. He was my father's uncle.Quote:
Originally Posted by John Rosett
Thanks for the response! Did you ever see that Fender mandolin?
Well, now we know why he wanted that Fender to be a 5-string...Quote:
Originally Posted by briancjordan
Tiny was a pretty large influence on a lot of players, then and now...