Stradolin in classified

[Mandoplumb]

By 1950 were they solid or plywood, and do we know where they were made? I've played a few and thought they were fair mandolins for what they were selling for. Doesn't price on this one a little high?

[MikeEdgerton]

By 1950 were they solid or plywood, and do we know where they were made? I've played a few and thought they were fair mandolins for what they were selling for. Doesn't price on this one a little high?

I don't think it's from the 50's, I think it's earlier. The company that owned the Strad-O-lin brand name was based in New York. Where they were actually built has never been definitively determined. Companies attempt to maximize their prices. If someone will pay that much for that model then mine is worth a whole lot more.

[allenhopkins]

Strad-O-Lins defy generalization, since the brand was owned by a distributor, the actual manufacturer(s) are undetermined, and there were quite a few models sold at different times.

Over the past ten or so years, Strad-O-Lin prices have escalated significantly as players become aware that many of them sound a lot better than you'd think they would, given their (generally) somewhat plebeian appearance and construction. Mike E has one of the nicest ones I've seen; I have one of the scruffiest, for which I paid the entire sum of $25 a couple decades ago. Surprisingly enough, it looks exactly like the one in the classifieds, albeit that one's in infinitely better shape than mine was when the old lady from NYCity exhumed it from under her bed (really!) and offered it to me.

The price, $650, is high if you don't want to pay it. I've seen quite a few offered in the $3-400 range by dealers. Here's a link to the one in the classifieds, for those interested.

[scrollerguy]

First time poster. I am fortunate to have inherited my mother's Stradolin. It seems that my Father had ticked off my Mother, and she took his mandolin, and proceeded to smash it to bits on the kitchen table.
Naturally she replaced it with the one I own today, It is at least 75 years old. It is not pristine, it shows years of playing, and it still sounds great.
I just found this forum, Nice!

[Mandoplumb]

First time poster. I am fortunate to have inherited my mother's Stradolin. It seems that my Father had ticked off my Mother, and she took his mandolin, and proceeded to smash it to bits on the kitchen table.
Naturally she replaced it with the one I own today, It is at least 75 years old. It is not pristine, it shows years of playing, and it still sounds great.
I just found this forum, Nice!

That would be grounds for divorce if not murder!

[John Soper]

But she relented and replaced the mandolin that she had smashed... Great premise for a short story! Did she miss the dulcet tones that had been coaxed out of the now ruined instrument? Did she remember how she had been woo'ed and son by the tunes that had been plucked from those now silent strings? Scrollerguy, we need more back story!

[Josh Levine]

I won't be shocked the day my wife smashes one of my mandolins.

[jaycat]

Allen, your link leads to a guitar that "sounds like a piano."

[allenhopkins]

Allen, your link leads to a guitar that "sounds like a piano."

My bad -- or rather my ignorance: I did a search, found the ad, and copied the URL, which apparently just included "search" and therefore took you, well, elsewhere from my intended destination.

Try this one, product of a manual search of the listed mandolins.