Unusual brown paddle head A2z

[Austin Stovall]

At a gig last night I had the opportunity to get a better look at a friend's nice old well worn Gibson A which he has owned for a very long time and which I have always admired. When he handed it to me I was surprised by 2 things first is that I just realized it had a truss rod which tells me it is not from 1916 as I'm pretty sure he had told me before. But then when I looked at the lable I was even more surprised that it was labeled as an A2z. Which I have only seen as blond Snake heads and seems like I've heard of a black top snake head but this is a Sheraton brown paddle head. Has anyone else come across such a mandolin. I really wish I could have taken some pictures of it I will try to next time I see him and the mandolin. And write down the fon number

[mrmando]

Anything is possible. The body binding and soundhole rosette would be of interest.

[MikeEdgerton]

Paddle head A2Z, blonde:

http://www.mandolinarchive.com/gibson/serial/72606

[Austin Stovall]

What sets the A2z apart from a regular A2 in regards to the sound hole rosette? And the body binding? I really wish I had of snapped a picture. I found an old picture online of him with what looks like the same mandolin in a souvenir brochure for the 1967 Union Grove fiddler's convention. But the picture is in black and white. Here's the link He is Doyle Sowers with the Virginia Mountaineers. Page 14
http://frobbi.org/ug67/

[William Smith]

Anything is possible. The body binding and soundhole rosette would be of interest.

Yep with Gibson your liable to find anything, F-5's with extra long necks, look at the F-4 evolution? Many varieties!

[Capt. E]

Very interesting it is labeled A2z. Those 1922-25 paddle head A-2's with truss-rod are all pretty nice.

[Austin Stovall]

Yeah it has been his main instrument for years. It sounds great and fits his playing style perfectly.

[mrmando]

What sets the A2z apart from a regular A2 in regards to the sound hole rosette?

The A2Z has 2-ply body binding: an outer white strip and an inner black strip. The rosette on *most* A2Zs is a thick white strip bordered inside and out with thin black/white/black strips. (That isn't the case on the paddlehead A2Z posted above, however.) These features were carried over from the A3; A2Zs start showing up right about the time that A3s disappear.

[Austin Stovall]

Thanks for the info. I'll be sure to check out the binding next time I see it.

[Fretbear]

I found an old picture online of him with what looks like the same mandolin in a souvenir brochure for the 1967 Union Grove fiddler's convention. But the picture is in black and white. Here's the link He is Doyle Sowers with the Virginia Mountaineers. Page 14
http://frobbi.org/ug67/

"George Nelson.....not "BABY-FACE".........!"

[V70416]

Austin,that link to the Union Grove festival was a hoot to look at.
I actually recognized a couple of the people;well,I recognized their names anyway;Jody Stecher and Tom Isenhour.
They have changed a lot since then!

Kick myself for not buying an A2Z that was available to me years ago(it was at Carmel Music).

[ollaimh]

what does the z stand for? what is an az mandolin?

[BradKlein]

It is just a play on words. "A to Z" get it?

[shylock3]

Wow, alot of history here. Doyle Sowers is still picking in the East Tennessee area. Like the rest of us he's age a little. I see him every year at the Museum of Appalachia home coming. He's a nice fellow and really enjoys picking. I picked with him years ago when they would meet in Carryville on Monday nights. Really enjoyed the pictures.