Pre Truss rod Mandolins

[Yamaholic]

Hi All,
As posted in another thread im looking for a new Oval hole A style mandolin.
Was originally thinking of another Eastman, but I'm starting to think its time to add a vintage model to my collection.

Mainly thinking Gibson or Martin (lots of choice with Gibsons sub $2000). The ones in my budget all appear to be pre 1930s and pre truss rods. I've found a few shops that will let me try and return, but assuming the mandolins are fine, am i storing up trouble for later ? Or am i needlessly worrying ?

[Jmccrory]

I have been looking at teens Gibsons as well. If the neck is straight or with some relief after 100 years there’s no chance of movement. Also, to my ears the pre-truss rod design gives the signature sound. The truss rod came in as you know with the Loar era. I had one shop owner make the comment that Bill Monroe made Lloyd Loar famous, not vice versa.

I’d say find an oval you like and forget the worries. Look for a fairly straight neck, no top caving, and good intonation. Then you are off to enjoying.

[Dave Hicks]

I've had a 1916 A0 for 7 or 8 years. The neck and intonation are fine. I don't like the small frets that much, but they're manageable.

D.H.

[pops1]

Truss rods in Gibson mandolins started in late '21 and '22 in most except the A Jr.

[Yamaholic]

Truss rods in Gibson mandolins started in late '21 and '22 in most except the A Jr.

The A0 ive seen is a '31. No truss rod apparantley.

[grassrootphilosopher]

I have a 30ies Strad-O-Lin without truss rod (obviously). I have had it almost since Christ was a cowboy. It never had a neck reset or anything else concerning the neck. It still plays beautifully with a nice low action.

If a mandolin has lasted this long without any problems it is likely that it will not have any problems under your stewardship if you treat the instrument well.

[mandroid]

Have 2 'paddlehead' 1922 Gibson A mandolins FWIW... 1 brown , A '0' no TR
the A4 introduced the Truss rod & Proclaimed it with a shiny nickel plated TR cover ..

[Mercedes NM]

1912 Gibson A3 here -- neck is a burly piece of work and is as straight as when it left the factory. :-)

[rcc56]

Hi All,
As posted in another thread im looking for a new Oval hole A style mandolin.
Was originally thinking of another Eastman, but I'm starting to think its time to add a vintage model to my collection.

Mainly thinking Gibson or Martin (lots of choice with Gibsons sub $2000). The ones in my budget all appear to be pre 1930s and pre truss rods. Assuming the mandolins are fine, am i storing up trouble for later ? Or am i needlessly worrying ?

No, you're not storing up for trouble, unless you over-string the mandolin and/or leave it in a hot car, or otherwise neglect it.

I've had dozens of pre-truss rod Gibsons pass over my workbench. While some had a very slight bow that could easily be corrected when it was time for new frets, only a couple needed what I would consider to be more than a light amount of levelling.

And only one had a neck that was so badly bowed that I had to take the fingerboard off and straighten the neck. That one had been neglected and stored for five years or more while tuned to full pitch with a rather heavy set of strings. Between the combination of high southern US humidity, which can cause the tuning on an old Gibson to go up as much as a full step in pitch during the summer if not checked, and the heavy strings, nature took its toll. Even if it had had a truss rod, the neck still probably would have warped beyond the point that a truss rod would have corrected it.

BTW, the majority of pre-truss rod Gibsons did have reinforced necks-- a triangular strip of maple inlaid into the neck. It cannot be seen because the fingerboard covers it. It can sometimes be seen if you remove the nut. Some of the earliest or plainest models do not have the reinforcement.

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For the record, the heaviest set that I consider to be safe on an old Gibson is D'Addario J74 or the equivalent-- 11-15-26-40. I string my old Gibson a little lighter-- 10 1/2-14-24-40. To me, it sounds better with the lighter set. The most I would put on a Martin would be J73 [10-14-24-38], though I might be inclined to use a 34 or 36 instead of a 38.

[pops1]

Have 2 'paddlehead' 1922 Gibson A mandolins FWIW... 1 brown , A '0' no TR
the A4 introduced the Truss rod & Proclaimed it with a shiny nickel plated TR cover ..

My ''22 has a truss rod, paddle head, and the nickel truss rod cover. Think they did both in '21 and '22, with the difference possibly being mine is an A2. The Jr and A0 I don't know if they ever got truss rods. Someone posted not long ago of their '31 A0 with no truss rod.