This is going to blow your mind!

[pfox14]

I happened to notice this picture that was published in the February 1923 issue of The Sounding Board Salesman, Gibson's in-house dealer magazine. I did about 15 double-takes, because there are so many startling things about it. First, it's the so-called Bauer Quintet, of which all 5 members were Walter K. Bauer. The picture was "Photoshopped" before there was such an invention.

The caption reads: Following is the personnel of the quintet:First mandolinist and director, W. K. Bauer; second mandolinist and business manager, Walt Bauer; Mando-cellist and press agent Walter Kaye Bauer;mandolinist, vocalist and bartender, W. Kaye Bauer; Mando-bassist and cheer leader, Walter K. Bauer. It will be noticed that there is a marked family likeness shown by the members of the quintet. Mr. Bauer himself however, parts his hair in the middle.

On the left: A black-top K-5 mando-cello. The first known Loar-signed K-5 is dated 2/11/1924, and this picture is from Feb. 1923 or earlier.

2nd from the left: it's hard to see it, but he's holding a black-top "A" mandolin or "H" mandola with f-holes

Seated: It appears to be a black-top F-5.

On the right: A Style "J" mando-bass with an elevated finger-rest (pickguard). Have never seen that.

The real kicker is the photo originally appeared in the December 1922 issue of "The Cadenza" magazine, which would indicate that Gibson had built a "prototype" K-5" and "A-5" as early as Oct.-Nov. 1922!!!

[Bob Bass]

Amazing indeed!

Can't wait for the commentary from the other historical experts!

Thanks for posting this!

[DataNick]

Cool...cut and paste before there was cut and paste...really cool about the A5...

[Bernie Daniel]

Cool...cut and paste before there was cut and paste...really cool about the A5...

Literally, CUT and PASTE! (before cut & paste was cool?)

[Perry Babasin]

"Photochopped"

[JEStanek]

I've done that in the darkroom before. Cool.

Jamie

[Bill Snyder]

Not unheard of and the origin of the phrase "cut and paste".

[Mandoplumb]

There is nothing new under the sun. All this trick photography that is done now has been possible for many years. The difference is it used to take thousands of dollars of equipment and a boat load of skill to do it. Now any clown with a computer with an undo button and enough time can do it.

[foldedpath]

There is nothing new under the sun. All this trick photography that is done now has been possible for many years. The difference is it used to take thousands of dollars of equipment and a boat load of skill to do it. Now any clown with a computer with an undo button and enough time can do it.

It's a lost art, for sure, but it was also a very tedious art to do well. I had a long career as a commercial/advertising photographer back in ye olde days of film emulsions. I didn't deal with retouching much, because back then it was "get it right the first time, and don't make it cost too much." But I remember one advertising job where we paid a guy to do some retouching.

We had to shoot a new Cadillac car on the beach in Miami for a local car dealership. We did it shortly after sunset with a nice glow in the sky (gotta have those smooth reflections, when you shoot cars). I had a radio link to my assistant lying down in the front seat, to turn on the headlights and turn them off during the time exposure so they wouldn't burn in too much. It was a fun job.

I shot it on 35mm slide film, clip-tested and pulled or pushed at the E6 lab for the right exposure (now there's another lost art!). Then the final shot was duped to a 5x7" transparency that we sent to the retoucher to clean up the reflections on the car.

This guy hand-painted pigment on the 5x7" transparency to smooth and blend the reflections on the hood and windshield that weren't quite perfect. Try to imagine the viewing magnification, tiny brushes and skill you'd need to do that! It's mind-boggling. The painted 5x7" transparency went to repro as the back cover of a print magazine. I still have a copy of that magazine. You could do that whole job now with 15 minutes in Photoshop.

[almeriastrings]

Yes, it was tedious. I remember vividly working on book layouts before DTP came along. We'd lay them up 2X sized... photos would be 'drum scanned' and the resulting grayscale image literally glued to the page.... with scalpels and correction fluid to cover up the edges... fancy fonts were 'Letraset'... what a nightmare that was... each page took hours. Then it would all be photo reduced to get a sharp looking master plate for offset. Seems a lifetime ago, but when you consider the dates involved was "only" around 1986 when it all began to change..... Ventura Publisher running on DOS/GEM... with a "massive" 10 MEGA-byte hard drive! and 640kb of RAM

It seemed like magic at the time. No more glue.

[mrmando]

The mandola-size instrument might be one of Lloyd's 10-string mando-violas.

[pfox14]

The more I look at it, the more I'm convinced that 2nd from the left is an "H-2" mandola with f-holes, even though the caption does not mention a mandolist or mandolaist (if those are real words).

[goaty76]

Paul,

Very cool pic but some of these cool features have been previously discussed.

I believe the instruments above might be the same as featured in this pic I posted at response #84 in this thread http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ar+mando+viola

Also, just because there are no '23 K-5's on the mandolin archive doesn't mean that they are not out there. Here's another thread on that topic.
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...vintage+guitar

Phil

[Timbofood]

I love this stuff!

[Ken Waltham]

Yep, that's a well known photo. I don't think any of those are black top, just Cremona Brown. I think that's Loar's 10 string in the photo. This was put together to jest Bauer, who disliked the Style 5 instruments.

[mrmando]

Oh yes, of course ... it was Bauer who endorsed the Bacon mandolins because he didn't like the F-hole sound. If someone did this today they'd get sued for $10 million.

[JeffD]

On the left: A black-top K-5 mando-cello. The first known Loar-signed K-5 is dated 2/11/1924, and this picture is from Feb. 1923 or earlier.

2nd from the left: it's hard to see it, but he's holding a black-top "A" mandolin or "H" mandola with f-holes

Seated: It appears to be a black-top F-5.

I suspect they are sheraton brown, not black.

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Thanks for posting this, Paul. 2nd right should be the mando-viola, as for the wide finger board and long head stock; I tend to count ten string posts, hard to tell. The mandolin seems like a proto type, in certain ways much like #70281, which has been the only known F5 before March '23 with tuners angling towards each other at the top and double pick guard binding. However, the pick guard is too small to be #70281, and the bracket is more like the mando viola or the cat. N Fern.

[goaty76]

I wish I could see the top of the headstock of the K-5 to see f it has that odd '23 design to it.
https://www.facebook.com/PreWarGibso...46715905610372

Phil

[Hendrik Ahrend]

I doubt it's the K5 with that odd headstock, since that one (#75255; can't open the link, hope we are talking about the same proto K5) has different f-holes. Note the truss rod cover.
The mando-bass should be this one, perhaps even the K5:

That pic is April '23 AFAIK.

[Timbofood]

I love that photo, Henry! It's so telling of the "age", the cool factor of the instruments in the face of the "White House".

[goaty76]

No I wasn't referring to the unique shape 75255 has. A couple of '23 Loar L-5/K-5 instruments have popped up with a slightly different shaped headstock with a divot in the middle of the top as evidenced by the link I posted above.

Phil

[Hendrik Ahrend]

Thanks Phil. I wonder, if I'm the only one unable to open that link?

[Timbofood]

No Henry, I can't open it either.

[goaty76]

I would post a pic from the link but I'm away from computer access for the next week and only able to check in on my phone.

Phil