mandolin on Facebook Marketplace

[jim simpson]

Here's a different look for you!

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace...45337179012266

[colorado_al]

That looks like a mandolin built by someone who'd never seen one but had one described to them by a blind person

[MikeEdgerton]

That there was builted by Lloyd Loar's uncle who worked as the janitor at a company in Kalamazoo, Michigan back in the day......

[allenhopkins]

I can't keep saying, "That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen..."

But --

That's the ugliest thing I've ever seen. This week.

[CES]

“Oval hole tone for days!”

[MikeZito]

That scroll looks like it would snap off a bit too easily . . . but, I can't help but wonder what it sounds like.

[MikeEdgerton]

That scroll looks like it would snap off a bit too easily . . . but, I can't help but wonder what it sounds like.

The sound of a scroll snapping off isn't pretty.

[Jim Garber]

Beeeeeeeee-yoooooooooo-teeeeeeee-ful!

Thanks for sharing!

[Skip Kelley]

Ugly mandolin for sure but, that’s a pretty cool table that it’s on!

[JeffD]

That scroll looks like it would snap off a bit too easily . . .

Probably improve the looks of it.

[Simon DS]

They can't sell it! I know for a fact it's stolen. Who should we contact to report it?
It's the mandolin that Gandalf gave to the Elfish woman.
Hobbits! -Bilbo or Frodo.

[Andy Hatfield]

It looks fun. Don't know how it would sound or play, but it looks fun.

[Steve Ostrander]

Maybe the guy who carved all the squirrels built the mandolin.

[Roger Moss]

Maybe the guy who carved all the squirrels built the mandolin.

He says he built it. He doesn't mention the squirrels, though.

[Jim Garber]

There are two mandolins he built, plus some other instruments:

[Mark Gunter]

There are two mandolins he built ...

Taken together like this, these poor homely siblings achieve a sort of beautiful harmonic balance. The lower points are askew just so, and the shriveled scrolls are just so alike and just so different - it's as though they are engaged in a lovely waltz together.

This guy's quite the artist when the work is viewed as a whole.

It's like that thing that was said about Doc Watson's performances, "Never the same way once."

Each instrument is as individual and unique as a snowflake.

[Mark Gunter]

Maybe the guy who carved all the squirrels built the mandolin.

I think you're on to something, Watson! I'd further posit that he sells carved squirrels, handmade musical monstrosities and other unique baubles in a booth at a lonely antique mall somewhere. It may be that the carver has decided that Facebook Market will provide much greater exposure for his wares than the antique mall traffic - a brilliant move, and definitely working. We're all having a good look here.

[Jim Garber]

Taken together like this, these poor homely siblings achieve a sort of beautiful harmonic balance. The lower points are askew just so, and the shriveled scrolls are just so alike and just so different - it's as though they are engaged in a lovely waltz together.

This guy's quite the artist when the work is viewed as a whole.

It's like that thing that was said about Doc Watson's performances, "Never the same way once."

Each instrument is as individual and unique as a snowflake.

Wonderful analysis. Obviously this guy is a folk artist or at least just builds what he feels. I Have a feeling that he doesn't have patterns or molds.

From the OP mandolin, he says:

I hand made this mandolin from all solid wood top and back solid mahogany side is butter nut neck is birds eye maple and black walnut .large body it has a old time sound.

At $450, this is the top of the line.

From the assorted instrument listing, he says:

These are all hand made from old barn woods and old furniture and other up cycled woods i hand made each one all solid woods one of a kind instruments starting at 125 and up

[Mark Gunter]

The scroll incorporates a snake:

[Simon DS]

I really like the look of the bouzouki. It's like one of those primitive long-bodied fish that you see as a fossil in museums. Maybe this is the first ever bouzouki. Anyone who's into Medieval Festivals would probably want one. Are there any recordings of it being played?

[Jess L.]

... Maybe this is the first ever bouzouki. Anyone who's into Medieval Festivals would probably want one. ...

Good point. Definitely a pre-industrial non-factory look about it.

[Jess L.]

The scroll incorporates a snake:

Good catch, I hadn't noticed that before. A snake, eh. How strange.

My initial reaction was, "Why would anyone do that, what are they trying to tell us?"

But then it occurred to me that I might have a cultural bias, and that there might be other/different symbolic meanings for snakes.

Curious about that mandolin maker's intentions ("what does it mean?" lol), I went to the Great Oracle Google and typed in "what do snakes symbolize"... a half-second later found a Wikipedia page called "serpent symbolism". Spent one quick minute skipping around in that article, enough to see that apparently different cultures assign different symbolisms/meanings to snakes. Some 'good', some not so much. If nothing else, I suppose snakes do control the disease-carrying rodent population which would be an important thing in olden times to cut down on the spread of diseases etc. So, apparently, carving snakes into your instruments doesn't necessarily 'mean' anything 'creepy' or whatever. I can accept that others' traditions/etc are different than my own.

That said, I'm still not interested in owning a snake mandolin.

But, still clever examples of folk art musical instruments.

[pheffernan]

Good catch, I hadn't noticed that before. A snake, eh. How strange. My initial reaction was, "Why would anyone do that, what are they trying to tell us?"

Perhaps he read that snakeheads are highly favored among mandolin buyers.

[Jess L.]

Perhaps he read that snakeheads are highly favored among mandolin buyers.

Ah. Makes perfect sense!