Michael Zita F style mandolin ??

[atetone]

Hi Folks,,, I recently received a Michael Zita F style mandolin in a convoluted trade deal and I dont know much about it except that Zita is a Czechoslovakian builder who worked for Jiri Lebeda for a while.
It is a very nicely built mandolin with a satin finish. Nice, clean build quality.
It isn't adorned with a whole lot of bells and whistles, but it is attractive in a "clean" way.
It has all of the necessary items but is not covered in bling.
Spruce top, nicely figured maple back and sides,maple neck with truss rod, flowerpot type headstock inlay, radiused ebony fingerboard etc,,,

Does anyone know anything about this builder that they could pass along to me?
I intend to sell it but I have no idea yet how much to ask for it.
I am not looking to break the bank on this one but I do sort of need to know something about the fair selling price.
Any help greatly appreciated!
Picture to follow.

[atetone]

Technical difficulties so I only have one picture for now
Ooops, sideways too!
I will try to do better.

[johngrasty]

Hey,

I bought one that looks just like that used in the Czech Republic a little over a year ago. I ended up trading it towards a Pava.

I paid €800 used, and the US dealer I traded with gave me the same value. New ones of that model are around €1300 or so. I'll have to check to verify.

When I get time later today, I'll try to add some more details.

[Ivan Kelsall]

From atetone - " It isn't adorned with a whole lot of bells and whistles,...". They're never a substitute for decent tone & playability anyway = you don't need 'em !.
It looks to me to be a lovely mandolin. The fit & finish on the body is lovely - how does it sound ?,
Ivan

[atetone]

Hopefully these pictures will show up

[atetone]

A couple more since I think I have figured it out lol. All except how to put them right side up. Thanks for doing that for me!

[billkilpatrick]

Gorgeous - complimenti!

[atetone]

That isnt a crack in the scroll, it is just a dark grain line.
Ivan it sounds really good. It isn't at the level of my Heiden of course but it doesnt cost as much either
I just took the old strings off it and I don't know what they were but since I put a set of J74 on it I have a G string bridge buzz so I will re file the bridge slots tomorrow and give it a work out.
It needs some play time from what I can judge so far. I dont think it has had much. It looks almost new.
I will thump on it a bit and see what's up now that I just restrung it.
I am happy with it but I really, really don't need it.
I have to sell some mandolins

[Jess L.]

A couple more since I think I have figured it out lol. All except how to put them right side up. Thanks for doing that for me!

Let me try, hope this works... All 5 pics in one place here...











Beautiful instrument, by the way!

[Ron McMillan]

Dang, that's a good-looking F5.

[MikeZito]

Woah - his name is only one letter off from mine. How cool would it be for Michael Zito to play a Michael Zita mandolin . . . especially one as sharp looking as that one!

[atetone]

Well mr Zito,,, you could always change your name, buy the mandolin, and then it would all match up.
Golden opportunity!

[fatt-dad]

very cool instrument!

Congratulations!

f-d

[Ivan Kelsall]

If it was my mandolin,it would have found a permanent home - it's lovely, as everybody who's contributed to this thread seems to agree,& if it sounds good,why sell it ?. A 'back up' mandolin is always good to have if anything should put your main one in dry dock.
That is one sweet looking mandolin & i really like the rather 'long necked' scroll. It looks good,you say it sounds good,you won't get a fortune for it,so,IMO,whoever buys it will get the best of the deal. You could spend a lot of cash & get nothing that looks or sounds as good - keep it !.

When i was offered my 'used' Ellis "A" style,i didn't 'need' another one either so i refused it. The following day,owing to the fact that it would be helping the seller out,i bought it - i never did a more sensible thing.

I really do NOT need another mandolin,but if i was 4,400 miles closer i'd be taking a very close look at that one,
Ivan
PS - His first name apparently is spelled Michal. We have one Cafe member over in the Czech.Republic ''HoGo'' (Adrian). It might be worth contacting him for a valuation. OR,contact him direct michal.zita@tiscali.cz

The music store ''Fiddle & Fret'' in Ashville have sold his mandolins,so maybe ....?.

[atetone]

Hey Ivan, you are right about the spelling of his name.
I just looked at the label and it is "Michal".
Maybe that is part of the reason that I had trouble finding out much about him.
Thanks for that clarification!
In regards to keeping it as a backup,,,, well,,, I have backups for my backups. Too many mandolins.
Since I got this one in a recent trade and I have been careful not to "bond" with it, it has to be the first to go on the block.
I cant keep them all but I have been trying.

[Russ Donahue]

Handsome! Really like the inlay on the headstock.