Great Random Purchase

[afhusband]

Hey everybody!
I bought this mandolin from the ol' eBay about three years back. The ad listing was so basic. I believe it was listed as "8-String Mandolin." The description was nearly as vague! I looked the pictures over & over again before deciding to shoot the seller an offer. I thought it might actually be a decent back up/travel mandolin. Well, it IS! When I got it, it was caked up with dust, dirt & grime some kind of bad! But after a good cleaning & a set up this thing is great!
I'm wondering if anyone here knows anything about this? I'm thinking it is probably a really nice kit build, but who knows.?.

I want to say it came from Texas, or possibly Florida.?.
If any more pictures would be helpful, just ask & I can post them. I might take a video this week just to show how nice it sounds.

[Steve VandeWater]

Can't shed any light, but it looks very nice. I love the inlay and truss rod cover, and the figuring on the back looks great too.

[multidon]

Most kits don't have flame of that quality. My guess would be a first time scratch build. Especially the serial number 001, shows us that probably Mr. Scribble aspired for there to be 002, 003, etc. makes you wonder why someone who was obviously proud of their work would identify it so unintelligibly?

Odds are against it but if this maker is still active and on this forum he may recognize his own work. Trying to make anything out of that signature is a lost cause. Too bad.

[pheffernan]

Trying to make anything out of that signature is a lost cause. Too bad.

If you just stumbled into Taylor Swift's first mandolin, you, sir, have found yourself a gold mine.

[afhusband]

I can see next week's cafe headline:
"T Swizzle's Long Lost #001 Swapped For Loar"

[afhusband]

I will post a short clip tomorrow, it really is a pretty killer mandolin!

[belbein]

Can you post some better pic of the inlays?

[afhusband]

I really dig the headstock on this. Without knowing who built it, I'm kinda glad there's not a few random letters or an illegible name on it!


This is the 12th fret marker


I tried to highlight the blue tint in the finish


Showing the blue here.

[belbein]

Thanks. The fret marker and the truss rod cover look stock, but the peghead inlay doesn't. Nice. Beautiful instrument.

[JeffD]

Did you add the leather bits above the nut and below the bridge? I assume so. Did it have issues without them?

[afhusband]

No real "issues" without the leather. I just really hate overtones!

[Steve Ostrander]

The first name looks like it could possibly be Terry?

[JeffD]

Looks like a real nice instrument. I bet you got a heck of a deal. Likely because of how dirty it was.

[pheffernan]

The first name looks like it could possibly be Terry?

I thought "Tony"

[afhusband]

I've thought Tony myself.
The rest.?.

[pheffernan]

The rest.?.

Middle initial "F" or "J"
Last name starts with an "S" as in "Smith"

[darylcrisp]

this is a wild shot, but Bill Collings lets his employees work on personal builds after hours if I remember reading that correct(could have been one of my dreams?), I see Collings breeding all over that mandolin-the bridge base, the way the body shape and neck just look, the very nice wood visual.
plus, assuming a #1 build and its sounding very nice-the builder would have had quality tooling/knowledge/help all around.

I'd take a moment and email Collings this thread, very possible if it came from within those walls someone would know pretty quickly.

d