bowl back mandolin

[Bill Kimble]

I bought a bowl back mandolin at a tag sale and would like to figure out a value for it. The label inside has these words: A. Galiano, Mandolini, E. Chitarre, Garentite. There were a couple words I could not determine. It has a Mason's logo. I tuned it and no strings broke but on closer examination I noticed that there is a repaired crack where the neck joins the tuning part (I know it has a name but I can't remember it). So far the crack has not opened with the tension of the strings.

[LadysSolo]

Can you take pictures of the mandolin and the label? That would help a lot! Thanks!

[Graham McDonald]

The A Galiano label was label was probably owned by the Oscar Schmidt company of New Jersey in the 1910s and teens and the instruments were likely to have been built by a group of Italian-American luthiers associated with the workshop of Raphael Ciani in lower Manhattan at that time. Some of the Galiano labels mention Ciani, others do not. The details are frustratingly elusive. Others will have a better suggestion of value, but it is probably not worth much.

Cheers

[allenhopkins]

...the tuning part (I know it has a name but I can't remember it)...

Headstock. Or peghead.

[Bill Kimble]

I'm learning more. After a few days of tension, I could see the crack was getting bigger. Pictures should help. Still wondering if it is worth anything. That could be in dollars or worth repairing.

[allenhopkins]

1. Looks like a decent mid-price instrument.

2. Take the string tension off (especially if you still have the "tag sale" strings on it; dollars to doughnuts they're too heavy, since many bowl-back owners just threw medium-gauge strings on), and take the mandolin to a reputable instrument shop that also does repairs. Get an estimate on having the crack mended; if it's within your budget, have it done.

3. Buy a set of extra light strings to replace those that are on it now.

The fact that the crack's widening under string tension, is an omen of worse to come. But from what I can tell from two pics -- depending on what you have paid for it already -- spending a couple hundred buxx or less on a pro fix would be a defensible idea.

[MikeEdgerton]

Bowlback mandolins in good shape regularly fail to sell on eBay. The tuners on yours are not original, they are Gotoh tuners made in Japan and are very recent. The tailpiece and the tailpiece cover do have some value as that tailpiece was used on some desirable mandolin models.

[Bill Kimble]

Thanks for your reply. Here are a couple more pictures if I can get them to load. Tried several last time but only 2 made it. I did take the tension off the strings. At this point I would be more interested in selling it to someone who wants to fix it up.

[MikeEdgerton]

There's more bad news, the neck is cracked. The shipping charges will probably exceed the value of the instrument. This what we call a wall hanger. You hang it up as a decoration.

[Nevin]

Sorry to agree with the wall hanger verdict. Unless you are intersted in learning to do repairs, hang it on the wall and chalk it up to experience. That said, if you are interested in learning about repairs, you have a test subjec that will probably reward your efforts.

[Bill Kimble]

But the good news is that I have learned a lot about mandolins already and have also appreciated everyone's kind words of wisdom. It was a wall hanger when I bought it and only bought it because it is tuned like a violin. I paid $65 so it has been worth the education so far. And it probably is worth $65 as wall decor! Thanks again.

[MikeEdgerton]

The tailpiece is worth at least $65 and you can still sell it as a wall hanger