Info on Vintage 10-String PENNANT Mandolin

[wguitar]

Greetings,

Seeking information about an old 10-string Pennant brand mandolin as seen in pics.

Thanks!

[Jim Garber]

It is not a mandolin, it is a tiple meant to be strung in ukulele tuning (usually GCEA low to high) with 10 strings. You can see from the grooves on the nut that the strings are grouped 2-3-3-2. I am not sure who made the Pennant brand. I would guess this was made in the 1920s or possibly 1930s.

[Oliver A.]

I enjoy a bit of the tipple myself from time to time.

[allenhopkins]

This UK website says elsewhere that Pennant brand ukuleles (and perhaps tiples) were made by a Chicago firm called Globe. I've linked their page on Globe Co.

I've not heard of either Globe or Pennant, but the instrument looks US-made, almost certainly before WWII. Tiples have never been common, but Regal and Martin cataloged them for decades (I have one of each). This recent thread discusses tiple tuning.