Unknown German mandolin

[hotrippe]

I was given this mandolin by my grandparents who spent some time in Germany. I wanna know if anyone knows the age, and maybe who built it (company, builder, etc...).
Grandpa tells me he was given it by a friend who played.

There is some writing on the fingerboard.
There is a signature on the face of it.

Thanks.


Front


Back


Inside the mandolin

[allenhopkins]

1. It appears to be a mandriola, which is what 12-string (four courses of three strings each) mandolins are often called.

2. It was made in Markneukirchen, I believe in the "Free State" of Saxony, which was the center of German luthiery. Many violins, guitars and mandolins were made there, and are still being made. Wernitzgrun is considered "a part of Markneukirchen" according to Strings Magazine.

3. The "Made In Germany" in small print may indicate it was made for export.

4. I can't decipher the signature, which may indicate the builder. "Schutzmarke" means "trademark"; I don't recognize the " C A G" initials. Here's a page on German Mandolin Makers, which may provide some help in recognizing a similar instrument -- though, truth to tell, most of these instruments look pretty much alike to me (sorry if that's heresy!).

[hotrippe]

Thank you for the information.
Due to its old age, it has started cracking up and I want to have someone fix it up.
Do you by any chance know any good mandriola luthier?

[allenhopkins]

...Do you by any chance know any good mandriola luthier?

Well, I know a couple excellent instrument repair people, but they're here in Rochester NY.

So you need to tell us where you're located, and perhaps someone will know of a good repair tech in your area. Person doesn't have to specialize in mandriolas, but should know something about mandolins.

You probably don't have a real expensive instrument there -- at least it wouldn't be in high demand in the US -- so it would make sense to get an estimate before getting extensive repairs, new bridge etc.

[Peter Coronado]

The web site of luthier Dave Hynds has some possibly relevant information. Dave is based in France and restores instruments.

Here is a bit about German makers. Markneukirchen, from the label in your mandriola, is mentioned.
http://www.mandolinluthier.com/germa...lin_makers.htm

And here are some photos of mandriolas.
http://www.mandolinluthier.com/G12%20strings.htm

[multidon]

Unfortunately, German instruments llike this one are not uncommon, although admittedly a mandriola is not as common as the mandolins. Still, you have the crack in the top. Plus the missing bridge. Since mandriola bridges are certainly not off the shelf parts, one would have to be made from scratch. You should have a luthier look it over. But you should be warned that the cost of restoration will likely exceed the value of the instrument, which I would estimate at 150-200 dollars AFTER restoration. I am pointing that out because, if you are hoping to fix it up to sell for a profit, ain’t gonna happen. As a memento of your grandparents and to play for yourself, that’s a different story.

[tonydxn]

Typical German mandriola, probably from the 1930's. The signature looks to me like C. A. Gatsch (with two dots over the a - sorry can't make my computer do that). The brand in the soundboard looks like the same name. The maker's name doesn't tell anyone very much though, as there were lots of makers, all making rather similar instruments. The two small holes in the soundboard were supposed to improve the tone, but didn't really make any difference. Usually these holes have plastic grommets in them - this one has abalone shell in the holes, which is unusual and I've never seen it before.

It looks quite repairable to me, though as others have said, this is not a valuable instrument and the cost of repair would be greater than the resulting increase in value of the instrument. If you want to use it as decoration, you could have a 'cosmetic' restoration done (or do it yourself): just clean it up, put a set of strings on it (don't tighten them up!) and something that looks like a bridge. Then it would look nicer on your wall (even if not playable) without costing a lot of money. It may be worth it though to spend the money so that you can play your grandpa's mandolin . . .

[Seter]

Even though it is a mandriola, I wonder if stringing it as a mandolin with ultra light strings might be a good move to reduce tension on the top. The spacing might be a little big between courses but might actually help playability, and a mandolin bridge would be easier to make than a mandriola one. Just a thought.

[AndyV]

C.A.Goetz Jr. has been around since 1884. C.A.G. on the label obviously fits this possibility, and with some imagination I see CAGoetzjr as the signature.

You could try contact@CAGoertzjr.com.

[allenhopkins]

I understand that the German mandolins/mandriolas of this design are usually built quite solidly, and can withstand the "triple" stringing for which this one is designed. Three-string courses, whether strung "unison" or with an "octaved" center string, are inherently clumsier to negotiate than two-string courses. Common reaction to the mandriola is "full sound for chording, somewhat muddy for melody playing."

My prejudice is to set up instruments as they were designed to be set up, but surely there could be advantages to stringing and playing this one as an eight-string instrument. The question of whether it's worthwhile to restore, awaits an estimate from a qualified repair shop. Making a 12-string bridge is most likely to be a custom job, as it's not easy to find mandriola parts on the shelf.

[AndyV]

Typical(with two dots over the a - sorry can't make my computer do that).

Those are umlauts (oomlauts, sorta).

[tonydxn]

C.A.Goetz Jr. has been around since 1884. C.A.G. on the label obviously fits this possibility, and with some imagination I see CAGoetzjr as the signature.

You could try contact@CAGoertzjr.com.

Yes, definitely this maker. Further information here http://cagoetzjr.com/ including the signature, which matches the one on the soundboard of the mandriola. Bullseye!