Found this vintage mandy for $75CAD can anybody tell me anything about it? Maybe how old? No brand or anything
https://imgur.com/a/TnbIO
Found this vintage mandy for $75CAD can anybody tell me anything about it? Maybe how old? No brand or anything
https://imgur.com/a/TnbIO
German/Eastern European, from the slotted headstock and the large marquetry pickguard; maybe mid-20th-century?
Rough, rough shape. Not sure if there are any actual cracks, but this one's been pretty badly abused. Can't really assess the string height from your pics, but I wouldn't put out $75 for it. At least, not without getting a pro instrument tech to look at it.
Just my 2¢.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Plays beautifully and the rough shape adds character imo, I'm not really a purist at all
Nice guard man, them old mandolins really have the pickguards going on I think, very nice, People took some serious pride in the guard inlay work back in the proverbial "day"!
"Rough shape adds character" but subtracts value, IMHO. At least there don't seem to be cracks...
There were companies that made pickguards only, and sold them to instrument builders. You find some really elaborately inlaid examples on bowl-backs from the early 20th century. When hand-work was cheaper, lots of low-paid people employed doing inlay and ornamentation, not just on musical instruments. Not so much now.
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
Allen Hopkins
Gibsn: '54 F5 3pt F2 A-N Custm K1 m'cello
Natl Triolian Dobro mando
Victoria b-back Merrill alumnm b-back
H-O mandolinetto
Stradolin Vega banjolin
Sobell'dola Washburn b-back'dola
Eastmn: 615'dola 805 m'cello
Flatiron 3K OM
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