Restoring a mandolin by Salvador Ibanez e Hijos

[tonydxn]

Just got hold of this mandolin by Salvador Ibanez e Hijos (and sons) from about the 1920's I think. I'm going to get it back into playing order and will be posting photos in case anyone is interested.


The bridge saddle is a cocktail stick. The fingerboard has been taken from another mandolin and is 4mm narrower than the neck. The nut is . . . ingenious. Tailpiece and tuners from some American mandolin.

Here is a bit of historical background: Salvador Ibanez was one of the top guitar makers of the late 19th/early 20th centuries. He also made mandolins, bandurrias and other Spanish instruments. His sons joined him in the business and kept it going when he died in 1920. Their work was not up to the standard of their father's. Hostilities during the Spanish Civil War brought about the demise of the business. The remnants of the business were bought by another Valencia luthier, Telesforo Julve. In 1935 Hoshino Gakki (who had been distributing Ibanez' instruments in Japan) started making their own instruments using the Ibanez name. In time, this grew into the Ibanez brand we know today.

Jim Garber posted some nice photos of one of Salvador's mandolins on this thread

[tonydxn]

Fingerboard off and neck cleaned up. The neck is made of pine, like an Italian mandolin. It has a slight bow, which I will correct by tapering off the new fingerboard.



Here is what the top looks like without the black paint. There is some kind of very hard finish on it which is not original. Scratching that off will keep me out of mischief for a few hours . . .

[John Kelly]

Fascinating, Tony. I love that nut, possibly made from a bass guitar fret? I have a 1930s Harmony acoustic which came with a second nut and higher bridge so that it could be set up for playing slide; the nut is a metal u-shaped piece with grooves for the 6 strings and it is placed under the standard nut to raise the action at the nut. The bridge just replaces the standard one - the guitar has a tailpiece and free-standing bridge.

Looking forward to your progress reports.

[tonydxn]

The nut is much too big for a fret, and it's made of aluminium. I think it is some kind of edging profile, maybe for tiles or flooring.

I think the top on this mandolin must originally have been completely flat. Now it has sunk in by about 2mm. I decided to take it off (it was coming adrift anyway), remove the two main struts, glue on a little extra wood, true them up, then put them back. Here it is with the top off



I can't say I'm impressed with the build quality. The back and sides aren't even bookmatched. I think they made it from odds 'n' ends.

For those interested, here are the thicknesses:
back: 2.5mm
sides: 1.8mm
top: 2.8mm in the middle, 2.3mm at the edges, 3mm at the neck end

[ProfChris]

There are quite a few Salvador Ibanez e Hijos ukuleles around which I guess were made at a similar time. Their build (and playing) quality is distinctly agricultural, though they sound quite nice if you never play up the neck. Same bracing pattern as your mandolin.

I suspect the factor basically banged out simple flat top, ladder braced guitars in quantity, naming them as ukes, mandolins, guitars etc depending on the number of strings and scale length. I've never see one of their classical guitars though, those might not be ladder braced.

[tonydxn]

Thanks for that ProfChris. What you say confirms the impression I had that Salvador's sons were churning out mediocre instruments on the strength of their father's name and reputation, as happened in many other cases. I'm sure Salvador's guitars would not be as highly thought of as they are if they only had ladder bracing. The sons' instruments seem to be a different kettle of fish.

Here is a photo of the black paint coming off the back of the mandolin to reveal the rosewood underneath.

[John Kelly]

Now why would anyone paint over that grain? You have a labour of love there, Tony.

[tonydxn]

Good question, John. I suppose there are people in the world who think that anything can improved with a lick of paint.

I made an interesting discovery. At first I thought that two of the tiny pieces of MoP were missing. Yesterday I found that they are still there, but had got covered with dirt or black paint because they were set a little bit deeper than the others.

[Davey]

My Parents had an Ironmongers shop in Coventry. During the 50's and 60's we sold gallons of products for modernising stuff, enamel paint, brown varnish, plus hardboard for covering up all those doors and cupboards.

When I bought my first house and filled it with cheap old furniture I had to strip it all off again. It looks like the timber of your mandolin has survived pretty well despite it's "modernisation".

[tonydxn]

All the old finish scraped off and the new fingerboard glued on. Apart from the small dots in the edge of the fingerboard, I won't be giving it position markers, as Spanish mandolins don't usually have them.



Next job is to sand it all down and French polish it.

[David Houchens]

tonydxn, I just had one of His old guitars pass through my shop for a refret with small EVO wire. A really beautiful sounding guitar.

[John Kelly]

That is looking great, Tony. Worth the work you are putting into it.
Guitar looks great too, David.

[tonydxn]

That's a nice one David. The MoP zig-zag seems to feature on quite a lot of Ibanez instruments.

What was the strutting like inside?

[tonydxn]

When I first got this mandolin, I thought the bridge was a crude replacement. I've changed my mind. I think it's probably the original, but it looks crude because it has been crudely amended, probably to get the action down. So I've made a new bridge based on the design of the old one.

[Steve Ostrander]

That's going to be beautiful when you are done. Can't wait to see it finished.

[tonydxn]

The French polishing took a long time, but I've finally got this finished.



I will be uploading a basic sound sample to YouTube in a few days and will post a link here.

[Raldanash]

That has come to live with your hard work. Looking forward to hearing its voice!

[John Kelly]

What a great job you have done, Tony. Lovely finish especially on the back. The FP has really brought out that grain pattern.

[billhay4]

Nice work.
Bill

[tonydxn]

Sound sample now available here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZIKawlIlV4

[mandolinclash]

There once was an ugly duckling.......
That turned into a beautiful sweet sounding mandolin.
Great job.

[Paulfrab]

[QUOTE=tonydxn;1646353]The French polishing took a long time, but I've finally got this finished.



I am the proud owner of this superbly restored mandolin and am so grateful to tonydxn for his wonderful work on this lovely instrument

[Dave Richard]

A truly lovely, sympathetic restoration-bravo!