New (old) mandolin day! 1910 Gibson A

[Eric Platt]

Instead of buying the hodge-podge Gibson at a local Guitar Center, decided to go with something else. This A was sitting on Reverb for a very low price. In large part because of the serious repairs. The box finally arrived yesterday and was really excited to tune it up and start playing. Photos to prove it's happened -



Was happy enough with everything that I just packed it up in the new Reunion Blues gigbag (which also arrived yesterday) and took it right down to a Scandinavian music jam.

First off - it's easy to play, even with a much larger neck profile than my 1929 A Jr. Also, the sound is entirely different. While the Jr has a lot of bass, this is very mid range heavy. Seemed that I could hear myself with the assorted fiddles, guitar, accordion and bass a little bit easier. No idea how it projects yet. Am hoping to have my mentor try it tonight.

It does have the original cam clamp on the pickguard. Am guessing the pickguard is original. There is no patent date stamp on it. And while the s/n is legible, there is no visible FON. My guess is it exists underneath the label.

Now, on to the reason it was so inexpensive. At some point, it appears the center laminate in the neck shrunk over time, causing the peghead to pull apart. The owner repaired it by inserting two dowels into the headstock and gluing everything back together. Also, the back has been reglued at least once because of different shrinking rates between the back and the sides. Plus, one of the A tuners failed at one point, so the owner cut apart another Handel tuner strip and installed a single tuner replacement. My guess is it's from a guitar because of the different peghead shaft. But the buttons look the same and everything works fine. In fact, the tuners work better than either the original or even the Golden Age replacements on my A Jr.

Bridge is not original. Probably from a 1950's Kay or something similar. Owner drilled it out for the pickguard pin.

[soliver]

Congrats on N(o)MD, Eric!!!

Any plans to restore the previous repairs with more sound methods, or do you plan to keep it as it is?

[MikeZito]

CONGRATULATIONS!

I for one am not overly concerned about everything being original on an instrument. As a matter of fact, when one like yours has been put together like Frankenstein to keep it alive and playable, I find that to be very cool . . . and when the repairs allows you to buy a classic piece at a low price - well, it doesn't get too much better than that.

I envy you. Enjoy!

[CES]

Gotta love NOMD! Congrats!

[Eric Platt]

Congrats on N(o)MD, Eric!!!

Any plans to restore the previous repairs with more sound methods, or do you plan to keep it as it is?

Nope. For one reason, then it wouldn't be the bargain. But mainly because the center strip in the neck really shrank over the years. You can feel it when playing. Doesn't bother me.

The repairs are all very solid. And in my mind add to the character of the instrument.

I might eventually get a compensated bridge. But that depends on how it sounds in the band. Or, if I can find a bridge top that will just drop on.

[HonketyHank]

I love it when a beatup old ugly duck emits beautiful music. Every gouge, scrape, glue blob, and gaping crevasse has its own contrarian contribution to the charm.

[F-2 Dave]

It would be nice, although purely cosmetic, to treat it to a pineapple tailpiece cover some day.

[fatt-dad]

Congratulations!

Seems you could fix the feel if it needed it; however?

f-d

[Eric Platt]

Congratulations!

Seems you could fix the feel if it needed it; however?

f-d

Probably. Although I just discovered that the feel is due in part to another repaired crack in the headstock. This thing had a rough life.

BTW, was able to compare it to a 1909 that my mentor (Ralph Tutilla) plays. The neck on his is a lot bigger. Like, huge compared to this one. Played a couple of tunes with his main band, Finn Hall. These two mandolins sound a lot closer than when I play my Jr.

And while I can't totally confirm it, this one seems to cut through a group of other instruments quite well. Then again, still in the honeymoon phase.

[fatt-dad]

No doubt. I love my paddlehead Gibson. I've had a few snakes, but my A3 is the winner. . . for me!

f-d

[Jim Garber]

Bridge is not original. Probably from a 1950's Kay or something similar. Owner drilled it out for the pickguard pin.

I would imagine that a quality repro bridge, appropriate for the period, would make it sound even better. That non-original bridge looks really clunky IMHO.

[Eric Platt]

I would imagine that a quality repro bridge, appropriate for the period, would make it sound even better. That non-original bridge looks really clunky IMHO.

Looking into that. Any good recommendations? Also checking on a couple of originals.

[soliver]

I was considering having Mike Dulak (Big Muddy Mandolins) making me a new fixed bridge for my Flatiron 1N when I had it... shoot him an email, he might be willing (if you think it is an appropriate style of bridge).

[rcc56]

Original mid 'teens bridges are available from Smakula Fretted Instruments in Elkins, WV.
www.smakula.com/MandoParts.html

These will be different from what was originally on a 1910 model. The mid 'teens bridges are a single piece with a compensated top. A 1910 bridge would have a slightly thicker base with a slot cut into it to accommodate removable compensated saddles.

Note that some fitting will probably be required. This would also be true if you have one made for you.

If you do have one made for you, it might be best to have it done locally so they can fit it and make sure that the height is correct.

I will mention that some of the 'teens style bridges are on the thin side and can produce a somewhat nasal quality that some people like and others don't. If you want to maintain the current bassy sound of your mandolin, you might try to find one that is a bit thicker.