Joined for bouzouki, stayed for the mandolins

[Seter]

I originally joined Mandolincafe thanks to the bouzouki subforum, but I've finally made the plunge into the mandolin world with these two Cold War twins, an American Strad-o-lin and a Soviet Lunacharsky (I have a balalaika made at the same factory). I wasn't expecting much out of the Soviet other than a nice collector's item as someone interested in Russia, but it's actually in great condition and very playable. I'm guessing it just lived in someone's closet since 1975. I'm following Rob Meldrum's set-up book which is a great resource, here is my "before" video per his instructions. You can also hear the striking difference in the mandolin designs pretty clearly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WXwyISR3wI


Any ideas what decade at least the Strad-o-lin may have been made during?

[JH Murray]

I had one of those Russian flat tops, made in Leningrad 1972. A good starter instrument.