Re: Tips for Caring for Vintage Mandolins
Look at it this way: it's survived nearly a century already. I give my vintage instruments the same care I give my newer ones, and that's just to treat them carefully, keep them clean (but not obsessively), string them with the proper gauge of strings, keep them cased when not in use, and watch carefully for any changes, such as variations in string height, rattles or buzzes, finish checking, etc. I avoid extremes of humidity and temperature, and am specially careful to avoid sudden drastic changes in either.
Buying a mandolin to play, rather than admire, means exposing it to the vicissitudes of playing. Instruments kept in environmentally controlled glass cases are well-preserved, but not much fun. They're not hothouse plants, and one that's been around for decades and decades, is a good bet to be around for decades more.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Bookmarks