Cromwell Mandolin

[DeedeH]

I have an old Cromwell Mandolin of my dad's. Can anyone tell me anything about the mandolin and if I should consider having it restored.

Thanks!

[zedmando]

I don't have any wisdom or info to share--but I like the look of it--and I love what you do with a pickup in a mandolin--but then I'm also not a purist or anything like that...

What needs to be done on it--other than new strings?
DO the electronics work?
How's the neck & frets?
etc, etc...

[colorado_al]

Cromwell was made by Gibson in the 1930s. I've never played one, so no idea if it is worth restoring.
Check this out:
http://www.fox-guitars.com/Gibson-Made_Brands.html#crom

Before "restoring" it, I would see about just getting it in working condition, and removing the stickers.

After reading the above article, it looks like what you have might be rare:

Cromwell Electric Instruments:

EGM and EGM-2 - Electric Mandolins - 1937 (not shown)
Probably similar to Gibson EM-150
(No known examples exist, but they do appear in Gibson shipping ledgers)

It looks very similar to 1930s Gibson EM-150. No truss rod, however, it appears from your picture.

Here's some info on the Gibson EM-150
http://www.emando.com/builders_inactive/Gibson.htm

See this post about Gibson-made Capital mandolin. Most of these were made together and then the headstock was finished with whatever name was ordered.
http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/sh...ctric-mandolin

[pfox14]

It's definitely a Cromwell Model EGM. The off-brand electric mandolins Gibson made in 1937 were a complete failure. They did not sell, so Gibson used all the left-over parts to make EM-125s. I would have it restored. They are rare.

[F-2 Dave]

Cool mandolin. Do you play? I'd make sure it was good to go, and enjoy it if it was mine. Does it have the original case?

[Steve Ostrander]

What do you mean by restored? I would clean it and remove the stickers, hoping that they haven't damaged the finish or left shadows. I would have it set up and restrung. If the electronics need work I'd have a competent repairman do the work. IOW, I wouldn't have it "restored" because that would devalue it. Rather, I would put it in good playing condition.

Although it doesn't have "Gibson" on the headstock, it is a fairly collectible (and playable) mandolin.

[MikeEdgerton]

The Gibson second lines like the Cromwell didn't have truss rods. I'd leave the stickers on if you're keeping it, have them removed if you plan on selling it. Have the strings replaced and tune it up. It's collectible to a Cromwell collector but you're not going to buy a car with the proceeds if you sell it.

[jim simpson]

Even if you do sell it, let the buyer remove the stickers if they want to.

[Dave Sheets]

Another vote for leaving the stickers alone, they give the instrument a very distinct character and had meaning to your dad. I would have the instrument gone over by a luthier, given new strings and a setup. Thanks for posting the picture, it was fun to see this.

[darrylicshon]

Nice looking i would leave it alone but get it checked out by a qualified luthier might ask him/her to take the sticker off if you don't want it

[allenhopkins]

You have a very "rare bird" there, although it was a Gibson "budget line" mandolin from the 1930's. There is likely to be some collector interest in it, if you want to sell it.

I'd take it to a good dealer/repair shop and get it evaluated structurally and electronically. It may or may not need much restoration. My opinion would be to definitely get it into working order, if that's within your budget. Then you'd have the option of either playing it yourself, keeping it as a functional family heirloom, or selling it.

As part of the evaluation, I'd get an opinion as to what would be involved in removing the "Jesus Saves" labels. Not to say you should remove them; they're part of the instrument's family history. But if you do decide to sell it, you could tell a prospective buyer whether removing the labels would cause finish damage, and if there's additional expense involved.

Some may be put off by the labels, others may find them an interesting part of the mandolin's history. This is one of the earliest electric mandolins introduced by Gibson, and apparently it was commercially unsuccessful under the "Cromwell" nameplate. Even the "firestripe" pickguard is of interest to collectors. You don't have a gold mine in terms of its value, but you have an unusual example of a pioneer Gibson-made electric mandolin.

[Mark Wilson]

I like it absolutely as is - stickers and all

restring it and see if it needs setup.

[pfox14]

I did some some checking and Gibson only made 10 Cromwell EGM Electric mandolins, including the mysterious EGM-2 "sample" shipped on 5/21/1937. There is only one entry (the last) from 7/9/1937 with an FON Listed - 200-C. The EM-5 was the pickup. Gibson discontinued them after 3 weeks!! In all the years I've been researching the Other Brands of Gibson, yours is the first Cromwell EGM I've ever seen. Another Cafe member has a Capital EJM, which was the same except the name. I think it's an incredible find and should be preserved. Can you post some more photos. It really looks in pretty decent shape for an 79 yr. old gem.

Is there any number visible inside the body?

[DeedeH]

Thanks everyone for all of the information you have provided. I am so glad that I reached out to find out about the mandolin. I do have the original case, but it is pretty fragile. I wish I played the mandolin - I play piano, can strum a few chords on the guitar and can pluck on a bass guitar a bit. I was hoping to learn how to play on dad's bowl-shaped mandolin, so we could play together, but never made it happen.

Thank you for the suggestions to have a luthier repair the strings. I will also have them check it over to determine what other repairs may be recommended.

I will take some additional pictures with my good camera and get them uploaded tomorrow.

Thanks again!

[DeedeH]

pfox14: Where inside the body would I look for a number?

[pfox14]

It may be below the treble-side f-hole. If not, then maybe the neck block. It's also possible it has no FON. It should be 3 numbers followed by a "C".

[DeedeH]

Here are some additional pictures..

[George R. Lane]

That back has a nice flame to it. I agree have a competent luthier give it a good once over. It is not too late to learn how to play it. A nice memory of you dad.

[acousticphd]

I have not seen a Cromwell before with a maple back - all the others I've seen were dark-stained mahogany. Were the maple ones limited to these few EM models? Also, I wonder whether the electric mandolins had solid tops like the acoustics, or were they laminated?

[Verne Andru]

So, if Jesus has been saving since year 0, he must have quite a bit of money stashed away by now, no?

[pfox14]

All of the "A" style Cromwells had pressed spruce tops and pressed laminate backs. And a correction to the above, the left-over EGM parts wound up being used to built the first Gibson EM-100s, not the 125s. Everything was pretty much the same except for the PH shape, brand and skunk-stripe fingerboard.

[MikeEdgerton]

Many of the Gibson second lines looked like they swept the shop for unused parts and built them. I wouldn't look for consistency on back materials.