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Thread: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

  1. #1
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    It's common for people to mistakenly list tamburitza instruments as mandolins. Here's one that makes the mistake almost understandable: a prim with a lump scroll and treble point! First time I've seen such a thing.

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Gorg...EAAOSwWGFZ4mHb
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    Orrig Onion HonketyHank's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Well thanks! I saw that and was wondering what it really was. So now, what is tamburitza?
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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    BION I have one sort of similar that I bought on eBay quite a few years ago. Mine only has 5 strings whereas the current one has six tuners. Mine is less fancy and I called it a tamburitza-telecaster (or a teletamburitza).

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    Jim

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    Registered User DavidKOS's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    This must be a cool new thing.

    Most of the tamburitzas of various systems have lacked the cutaway!



    Notice the cutaway 2nd right back row.

    Tamburitzas have been made in several tuning and fretting systems and body shapes.

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    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Quote Originally Posted by HonketyHank View Post
    Well thanks! I saw that and was wondering what it really was. So now, what is tamburitza?
    Tamburitza is folk music from the Balkans, primarily Croatia. It's played on a unique family of plucked string instruments that come in various sizes. In US cities that have a large number of Croatian immigrants, mostly in the Midwest or on the East Coast, there will generally be a few bands playing traditional tamburitza music, and a few luthiers set up shop in places like Chicago and Milwaukee to supply the instruments.
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Anyone scroll on down and see the oval hole early 1900 LONG NECK mandolin? What's with that?

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    Mando accumulator allenhopkins's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Quote Originally Posted by Mandoplumb View Post
    Anyone scroll on down and see the oval hole early 1900 LONG NECK mandolin? What's with that?
    It's a black-top K-1 mandocello, if I can decipher the label, and at the current bid price ($710), a stone-cold steal. Missing the tailpiece cover, but so what?

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    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Here's some OP photos for historical purposes:

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  11. #9

    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    A brač/basprim tamburitza is fairly high on the list of instruments I'd like to acquire. I wouldn't mind a prim though either. That prim looks like it'd be a lot of fun to play.

  12. #10
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    The "Made by M. Babich" on the headstock plate is intriguing. If you Google "tamburitza Babich" you will get all kinds of hits, including this: http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/...ll-2729684.php
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  13. #11
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    I wonder if Babich is a very common Croatian name.
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  14. #12

    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Garber View Post
    I wonder if Babich is a very common Croatian name.
    According to wikipedia, the third most common surname in Croatia, which is also common in Serbia, and perhaps elsewhere in Eastern Europe.

  15. #13

    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    "... Made by M. Babich" on the headstock plate ..."
    That's not what I'm seeing.

    There's another name immediately underneath "Made by". Looks to me like:

    "N Orehovic" (or Orehovec). I'm now pretty sure the first letter is "N" with a curlique, not "M" like I'd originally thought. See enhanced pics below.

    Click each of the following pics a few times to enlarge them to full size. The first one is the original, the other 3 are Photoshop-enhanced to try to bring out detail:

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    There's a MandolinCafe post from 2012 that mentions a "C Brac (a Tamburitza family Croatian style tenor guitar) custom made by Nick Orehovic from Pittsburgh".

    Hmm... So does anyone have any additional info on Nick Orehovic instruments? And that still leaves the question of who "Babich" (on the other side of the tuner plate) is/was, maybe the instrument was made for Babich, by Orehovic...

    Anyway, thanks mrmando for this thread, what an interesting looking instrument!
    Last edited by Jess L.; Oct-18-2017 at 6:57am. Reason: Correction.

  16. #14
    Martin Stillion mrmando's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Totally missed that. If you Google Nick Orehovic you get images of three different bracs. Nick was born in Croatia in 1895, emigrated to the U.S. and died in Pittsburgh in 1975. Seller is in Pennsylvania so that makes sense.

    It's been relisted with a higher starting bid and a rather optimistic Buy It Now, but at least the seller now knows it's a prim.
    https://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-Gor...EAAOSwWGFZ4mHb
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  18. #15
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Quote Originally Posted by mrmando View Post
    The eBay auction has disappeared; don't know if it will be relisted.
    It is still at this link and if anyone is interested they could contact the seller.
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  19. #16

    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Supposedly Leo Fender was inspired by these instruments when designing the Stratocaster headstock.

  20. #17

    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Well I bid on it on a whim and ended up the lone bidder. I'll make a thread down in CBOM-Land once it arrives. From my research online it looks like a G prim, does that seem about right?

  21. #18
    Mando-Accumulator Jim Garber's Avatar
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    Default Re: Tamburitzagrass! An F-style prim

    Quote Originally Posted by Seter View Post
    Supposedly Leo Fender was inspired by these instruments when designing the Stratocaster headstock.
    Well, maybe but this Martin-Stauffer was made back in the early days, 1830s or 1840s.

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