Here's one that I've never seen before!
It's... different... I'll say that for it.
Here's one that I've never seen before!
It's... different... I'll say that for it.
Don't like the look of that crack. How do they know it sounds sweet if it has no strings?
My buddy was a big eBay seller of used guitar parts. I would chuckle at his descriptions of items such as guitar pickups as having "sweet blues tone" or "classic Beatles sound" -- when, in fact, they came from who knows where? Probably some repairman's parts box from a back room of an old music store. I told him he had a rare talent for being able to assess the tone of a pickup by merely looking at it! Rare indeed.........
The “moustachio with hanging comma” sound holes are interesting but the top failure is far more disturbing.
Timothy F. Lewis
"If brains was lard, that boy couldn't grease a very big skillet" J.D. Clampett
"The paths of experimentation twist and turn through mountains of miscalculations, and often lose themselves in error and darkness!"
--Leslie Daniel, "The Brain That Wouldn't Die."
Some tunes: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCa1...SV2qtug/videos
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
I assume they were competing with Levin or else made by Levin.
Here's another Crafton mandolin.
Here's an archtop guitar which looks like they copied Epiphone.Early 50's Crafton Mandolin / When first introduced this model was top of the line / Ebony fretboard, ebony adjustable bridge and maple back and sides / Pristine condition / Low action and strong sound.
Crafton made instruments between 1946-1962 in Gothenburgh Sweden. They made about 40.000 instruments, all handmade with selected wood
Last edited by Jim Garber; Feb-11-2018 at 3:40pm.
Jim
My Stream on Soundcloud
19th Century Tunes
Playing lately:
1924 Gibson A4 - 2018 Campanella A-5 - 2007 Brentrup A4C - 1915 Frank Merwin Ashley violin - Huss & Dalton DS - 1923 Gibson A2 black snakehead - '83 Flatiron A5-2 - 1939 Gibson L-00 - 1936 Epiphone Deluxe - 1928 Gibson L-5 - ca. 1890s Fairbanks Senator Banjo - ca. 1923 Vega Style M tenor banjo - ca. 1920 Weymann Style 25 Mandolin-Banjo - National RM-1
Cool! I'll have to do some research. Guseto-style!
The headstock shape mimics the sound holes too!
It ain't gotta be perfect, as long as it's perfect enough!
if only it was setup when bought!
Tough crack!
not for me. . .
My collection's complete!
f-d
ˇpapá gordo ain’t no madre flaca!
'20 A3, '30 L-1, '97 914, 2012 Cohen A5, 2012 Muth A5, '14 OM28A
I wasn't actually encouraging anyone to BUY that mandolin. Just thought it was interesting. But if you have not clicked on that link above, here's the instrument - a lovely european take on the archtops of the day. And lots of good info on the fairly esoteric topic of Swedish 20th c instrument makers.
What everyone is calling a crack is probably just a crack in the thick lacquer that was used by many European makers in the 50's and 60's, I'm guessing. It is different looking than the typical fine lacquer checking we associate with old Gibson and Fender guitars. Working at a vintage guitar shop, I saw this type of "lacquer cracking" on many Hofner, Framus, Hagstrom, and Goya instruments. I would put this brand in that same category as far as quality and manufacture. Most of these were laminated instruments, so the crack would not be a structural issue -- NOT THAT A CRACK IS EVER A GOOD THING! But, it probably does not require repair. Plus it looks ugly. Some of the guitars I've seen had as many as 20 or 30 of these crack lines on a guitar top and most buyers don't seem to be bothered much by it! (or at least they know it is typical and goes with the territory, if you are a fan of such guitars! Try finding one without the cracks -- as they like to say.) The "bound" f-holes were sometimes used to conceal the fact that the tops were laminated. And some were not actually bound in the traditional sense, but were actually molded plastic "cups" for lack of a better word that were quickly glued into the "f-hole" openings to save time in manufacturing. I agree that it is an unusual mandolin, but nothing to get excited over, IMHO.
At first I thought the tailpiece was a ripoff of a Gibson pineapple tp, but it might actually be a nod to the Swedish crown, I'm guessing.
Last edited by Jeff Mando; Feb-12-2018 at 5:27pm.
Thanks for that Jeff. The worse looking one may well be limited to the finish - I thought it was peculiar that it didn't follow the grain - but the other one? Do I detect the early signs of a gassing pickguard? Look at the adjoining frets. This may also explain the colour of the "cracks".
I agree, they're probably finish checks. That's a common problem on many older European instruments (Hofner, Framus, Burns, etc.).
www.OldFrets.com: the obscure side of vintage instruments.
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