Dating a Gibson A-50 Mandolin (and info)

[Pier_]

Hi guys,

I saw this mandolin on an italian ad (I'm italian, and here we have few american mandolins on the market), https://www.mercatinomusicale.com/mm...id6190718.html

the owner told me that it was bought his brother years ago in the USA, from a shop stating that it was from "the end of the 40's".

I tried to look up to the serial number, but from what I learned, this one only has a FON number (behind the headstock, EG xxxx) without any other dating info.

the price seems to be interesting (and considering that the ad is 4 years old, maybe I can lower it a bit), and I can check the instrument personally, being a couple of hours from me.

so, what do you think about it? is it something that "must be bought" or it's not that interesting?

[John Rosett]

It's a late 30's (I think they made these from '37-'39, but not exactly sure) model A-1. The A-50s from that period had pearl logo and fancy fingerboard inlays. These mandolins had a 14.5" scale, longer than other Gibson mandolins. I owned a wide body A-50 many years ago, and was not very impressed by the tone, so you should definitely play it before committing.

[Pier_]

It's a late 30's (I think they made these from '37-'39, but not exactly sure) model A-1. The A-50s from that period had pearl logo and fancy fingerboard inlays. These mandolins had a 14.5" scale, longer than other Gibson mandolins. I owned a wide body A-50 many years ago, and was not very impressed by the tone, so you should definitely play it before committing.

thanks John, I'll check it personally so it's an A-1 from the mid/end 30's, interesting.

how does the scale lenght differ? I'm used to different scales for basses and guitars, where half an inch is not that much (F.E.: usually a bass is 34", but Gibson used to do 34.5", or the same with short scales, 30" (standard) vs 30.5" (Gibson)).

does it impact the playing that much?

thanks!

[NickR]

It has Kluson tuners with Phillips screws. Gibson began using Phillips screws in 1939, so if they are original- and there is no reason why they would not be, it was made in 1939 at the earliest.

[MikeEdgerton]

A big plus if you buy it is that there is a case with it. Getting a case to fit these wide body mandolins is almost impossible.

[rcc56]

Although there has been some debate among the exact year indicated by factory order numbers with an EG prefix, most of the experts attribute the EG prefix to 1939.

Although I've played many old Gibson mandolins, I haven't played one with the big body that was unique to A-1's and A-50's built from 1937 to circa 1941, so I can't provide an opinion about their tone and projection. But you should be aware that these mandolins were built with a 14 1/2" scale length, which is noticeably longer than the 13 7/8" scale that Gibson has always used on their other mandolins, and is also the standard for mandolins by most modern makers.

I'll also mention that the mandolin you linked to is an A-1-- most A-50's from the period had bound fingerboards with fancy inlays and a fleur-de-lis in the peghead.

[Pier_]

thank you all for the info. do you think that it’s worth the money asked?

[rcc56]

I can only tell a little from the very limited pictures. As far as market value is concerned, it seems to be a very reasonable price for a c.1939 A-1 in clean condition.
As far as whether or not it sounds good enough to spend 1250 euros on it [$1340 US], I cannot say.

[Pier_]

I can only tell a little from the very limited pictures. As far as market value is concerned, it seems to be a very reasonable price for a c.1939 A-1 in clean condition.
As far as whether or not it sounds good enough to spend 1250 euros on it [$1340 US], I cannot say.

sure, this is another ballpark

I was just wondering if it’s a good/correct price in first place. I’m going to try it this saturday, and see if I like it, but from videos sent me by the owner, I do like it :D didn’t know about the scale length, so I’ll check it carefully.

[NickR]

As already mentioned above, it has a very difficult to obtain original case and that must be worth a lot which probably makes the asking price reasonable. As already mentioned, its worth also depends on you liking its tone and playability.

[Pier_]

As already mentioned above, it has a very difficult to obtain original case and that must be worth a lot which probably makes the asking price reasonable. As already mentioned, its worth also depends on you liking its tone and playability.

that's sure, and I'm going to try it personally. the important thing is that it's not a 400€ mandolin sold for x3 price :D

[NickR]

Here is one for sale in the USA- it appears to be in good order but does not have the original tailpiece cover- which would be quite expensive to obtain. I am not sure about the pickguard and it has an original soft case- not the hard case that your example has which is extremely hard to acquire if absent. I think it is fair to say that the scarcity of vintage mandolins in Europe makes for a higher price. Of course, if you buy one from the USA you have shipping and the tax as well. You may be able to get the seller to lower his price but ultimately you have to like the instrument. I find I get to really like them after a while- although I know pretty instantly if I do not like an instrument. Here is the one in the USA.
https://vintage-instruments.com/shop...mandolin-1939/

[Pier_]

yes, we have to consider a +26% on both instrument and shipping cost, so it would be more than 1600$ from the USA :D that's why I thought that the price was interesting.

I'm eager to try it, the owner sent me a short clip and the sound is majestic. he says that the strings are the Dogal Calace roundwound, low tension ("Dolce" label). do you know how much do they differ from bronze/phosphor or monel strings typically used on american mandolins?

[NickR]

I have no idea regarding the strings- I just use GHS light and ultra light phosphor bronze which Thomann will sell- I buy in bulk because of the postage cost to the UK. He may use the low tension because of the scale length-I would hope the action is not high- or can be lowered to suit one's own preference.

[Pier_]

he says that he uses them on an irish mandolin, so he got the same strings on the Gibson. the action seems to be low, and the overall conditions perfect.











to me it seems an interesting instrument, I'll let you know

[NickR]

You will have to let us know the outcome. I hope it is what you want/like.

[Pier_]

You will have to let us know the outcome. I hope it is what you want/like.

I'm still figuring out, being playing mandolin since a couple of years, so now that I can actually play something, I'm trying some different instruments :D I'll let you know, I should try it saturday

[Bob Buckingham]

I dated an A-50 for a couple of years in the late 90's. It was a '52 and sounded OK but the neck was short so we parted ways.

[Pier_]

hi everybody!

I bought it, because I couldn't resist it after I played it.

it's a bit beaten on the outside, but not that much for a 80years old instrument with nitro finish. the frets are in perfect conditions, it lacks the pickguard, but the case is in perfect conditions.

the strings it had on were the Dogal "dolce", what seems to be a simple monel set in 10-34 gauge ( I measured them with the digital caliber to be sure, because Dogal doesn't mention the gauges on the sets), which played lovely, but the plain string were rusted in some places.

however, I find it to have a clear and bright sound, I could say "sparkly", if you can imagine what I mean, with lot of string definition on the lows and crispy highs, and I loved it immediately from the first note I played.

the scale doesn't bother me, I find it comfortable and easy to play, it gives a bit more space between the frets, but not that much to bother switching mandolins. placing a standard and this side by side, with the nut at the same level, the actual difference is that the 12th fret of the standard scale meets the 11th fret of the Gibson.

it has a lot of acoustic volume and a fullness in frequencies that I really like, so I bought it with a big smile on my face, and even greater smile on my singer's face: she came with me to see and hear it, and after a few strums she was like "this one sounds so good! I love it!". I manage to lower the price a bit, so 1000€ against 1250€, and took it home.

after some cleaning and fret polishing, I put on a set of D'Addario EJ74 and setted it up, but I'm not liking them much, the lower strings lost the clarity I liked, so I'm now beginning the string journey:

first of all I'm going to try a set of D'Addario monel 11-40, which I'm liking on another mandolin, and if the gauge doesn't fit as I wish, I'll try some Martin 10-34; probably the longer scale, that makes the strings a bit tighter, works better with light strings, at least on the lows. I'll check and maybe record something.

in the next days I'll post some pictures and audio :D