As most of you know, I have a lot of mandolins; those listed in my signature, plus others I've added that don't fit (anyone else have three mandocelli?). I have kinda stopped looking for mandolins to acquire, but I did have a couple gaps in my accumulation: i didn't have a mando-bass, and I didn't have a Larson brothers instrument.
That changed yesterday, when I traded a sweet '57 Martin D-18, a Guild F-212XL 12-string, and a "The Gibson" TG-0 tenor guitar, to John Bernunzio for a Wm. Stahl mando-bass, from about 1913. John had just got done restoring and stringing the Stahl, and he'd fended off many other inquiries and offers to give me "first dibs" on it.
There are always questions about Larson authenticity, since the Larsons never signed their work, and built for Stahl and a number of other firms. Mando-basses are rare, but there are others of a similar vintage, perhaps made by Regal, Lyon & Healy, and other Midwest manufacturers -- not Larsons. It would be nice to have some real documentation...
Well, thanx to Bob Hartmann, Larson grandchild and official archivist, we have some: a picture (c. 1912) of August Larson with the instrument.
Now, this is an "own" rather than primarily a "play" instrument, but musically, it's quite satisfactory. Bernunzio's strung it with a variety of steel strings, rather than a standard mando-bass set, and, while lacking the "boom" of my bass fiddle, the Stahl projects a strong bass sound. The plucked D string rang for 12 seconds, and the action is excellent, the construction not fancy but very clean, and the condition unusually good for a century old instrument. The end pin doesn't extend, so it's clearly designed to be played sitting, with the retractable side post. Intonation is spot-on, tuners work fine, and the somewhat crude brass tailpiece sturdy enough for its purpose. The headstock scroll is simplistic, uncarved on the sides, and binding and purfling are well-done but not gaudy.
Not quite sure where the Stahl will fit into my music performance needs, but I'm sure I'll find a use for it. In the meantime, I'll be commissioning a custom gig bag for it, and enjoying its history and its connection to the legendary Larsons. I sometimes say I'm finished looking at possible new instruments, but this one was a once-in-a-lifetime chance for an instrument that may be, as Hartmann speculates, the only mando-bass the Larsons made.
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